At Home in the Tower of Song

My musical thoughts have turned back to Leonard Cohen in recent days.  I was recently lent an anthology of Leonard’s songs by a friend, Carolyn Hull-Johnston.  I have been perusing it and have been reminded of some of his wonderful songs that are not in my repertoire, as well as, surprizingly, a few of his songs that I was not familiar with – I thought I knew all his published songs.  I must say that these few are not memorable – but I guess even Leonard couldn’t be brilliant all the time or perhaps I haven’t given them a proper chance to grow on me.

As it said in his song, ‘I’m Your Man’, Leonard Cohen was my man when it came to songs that I love to play and sing. Now that the season of Easter has arrived and Lent is passed, I can report that Hallelujah is my all-time favourite song of Leonard’s – for you non-Christians, we are not to say the H word during Lent as it is a time of reflection and repentance and not celebration.  Before that it was ‘Suzanne’ that for many years was in the top spot in my Leonard Cohen hit list. 

During my personal Leonard Cohen song revival as I perused the Anthology of his songs, I woke up one morning with his song ‘Tower of Song’ in my head.  This is one of his really good ones, but I had to wonder why would my unconscious be bringing that to my awareness?  Then I remembered the great opening line of the song, “Well, my friends are gone and my hair is grey.  I ache in the places where I used to play.”  As I had just marked my 77^th birthday, perhaps this was an appropriate theme for my time of life.  However, on reflection, it’s likely the unconscious didn’t want me to stop there in my exploration of the meaning of the song for me at this time.

Looking at the rest of the first verse, “and I'm crazy for love, but I'm not comin' on.  I'm just payin' my rent every day, in the tower of song.”  Perhaps the message for me right now is that my love of music and particularly his music has been on hiatus and I need to fall in love with it again to pay my rent in the Tower of Song.  Something for me to consider.

That first line of the song, “Well, my friends are gone and my hair is grey.  I ache in the places where I used to play.”  It is one of Leonard’s many great lines from his songs which resonate with me and with many of his fans.  I think of the line, “Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.”  His opening verse from ‘Passing Through’ sums up the message of Jesus Christ for me:

I saw Jesus on the cross on a hill called Calvary

"Do you hate mankind for what they done to you?"

He said, "Talk of love not hate, things to do, it's getting late

I've so little time and I'm only passin' through."

 

There is that hope in life that you will be able to say for the bottom of your heart that someone or something will, “dance me to the end of love.”  Or you will know what it means to go to your depth, “a thousand kisses deep.” You may have had the experience of someone bringing you, “tea and organs all the way from China.”  But we all know that in the end, “there ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure for love.” 

In the end, “I have tried in my way to be free.”  However, I have found it is really not something that is easy.  Perhaps I do, “want it darker” as Leonard says.

In any case, I’m sure you Leonard Cohen fans have your own experience of listening to and singing his songs.  I will keep searching for that, “secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord.”  If you aren’t a fan, I invite you to listen to a few of his songs and see if they resonate with you.  I know his voice is an acquired taste, but he really had the gift, “of a golden voice.”  Yes, I do really care for music.  Leonard did get me singing and I hope I have more songs to sing in the years left to me.  May you be blessed to visit the Tower of Song many times in your life.