I was introduced to Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem” via one of my favorite
Inspector Gamache novels by Louise Penny. That series is about a Québecois
inspecteur du Sûreté and it’s centered around a Brigadoon-ish village some kilometers
from Montréal. The villagers are a little on the fey side, and I do wish Penny
had not given her protagonist a name that is so very close to the chocolate
coating that goes on cakes and truffles, but the plots are generally quite good,
and I do love police procedurals.
How the Light Gets In is one of the most powerful in the series, and Penny described
Cohen’s generosity when she or her publishers wrote to ask him for permission
to use part of the chorus as an epigraph. He gave it to her, without asking any
fee.
Well, I’ve been thinking rather a lot about the notion that things
(and people and nations) can be more beautiful—stronger, more valuable—for having
been broken. I want to believe it, but I know there’s a difference between a
crack and utter destruction. I hope we can stop the damage before we get to
that place.
I'm also thinking about the Japanese art of kintsugi—repairing cracks in pottery with gold. In a visual sense, that's surely letting the light in, isn't it? Viz:
I'm also thinking about the Japanese art of kintsugi—repairing cracks in pottery with gold. In a visual sense, that's surely letting the light in, isn't it? Viz:
I’m giving you today’s National Poetry Month entry as a poem,
because I’ve always thought of Cohen as a poet rather than a songwriter. Also,
I’m not that wild about the melody of this one. I’ve also cut the chorus until
the last one.
“Anthem”
The
birds they sang
At
the break of day
Start
again
I
heard them say
Don't
dwell on what
Has
passed away
Or
what is yet to be
Yeah
the wars they will
Be
fought again
The
holy dove
She
will be caught again
Bought
and sold
And
bought again
The
dove is never free
We
asked for signs
The
signs were sent
The
birth betrayed
The
marriage spent
Yeah
the widowhood
Of
every government
Signs
for all to see
I
can't run no more
With
that lawless crowd
While
the killers in high places
Say
their prayers out loud
But
they've summoned, they've summoned up
A
thundercloud
And
they're going to hear from me
You
can add up the parts
You
won't have the sum
You
can strike up the march
There
is no drum
Every
heart, every heart to love will come
But
like a refugee
Ring
the bells that still can ring
Forget
your perfect offering
There
is a crack, a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That's
how the light gets in
Ring the bells that still can ring (ring the bells that still can ring)
Ring the bells that still can ring (ring the bells that still can ring)
Forget
your perfect offering
There
is a crack, a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That's
how the light gets in
That's
how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
Can we be kintsugi? Can we let the lights in through the cracks? Can we try?
That's how the light gets in
Can we be kintsugi? Can we let the lights in through the cracks? Can we try?
1 comment:
I love Cohen, having first encountered his songs in the late 60s. Even then, while I've enjoyed singing and hearing them, the texts have stuck even without reference to the melodies. This is a great one to hang onto!
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