Leonard Cohen Quotes

And if one is to express the great inevitable defeat that awaits us all, it must be done within the strict confines of dignity and beauty.

So I must say it quickly:
Whoever is in your life,
those who harm you,
those who help you;
those whom you know
and those whom you do not know –
let them off the hook,
help them off the hook.
Recognize the hook.

Each day he lugged
a hunk of something precious
over to his boredom
and once or twice a week
when he was granted
the tiny grace of distance
he perceived that he laboured
as his fathers did
on someone else’s pyramid

Thoughts of rebellion
Thoughts of injustice
New Year’s resolutions
The seduction of a woman
All these he engraved
numbly letter by letter

Walther PPK-S
Serial No. 115142
stolen from one slave by another

...a young nurse is standing close behind me wondering whether she is being drawn by my power or her charity.

Although only one man may be receiving the favors of a woman, all men in her presence are warmed. That's the great Generosity of women and the great generosity of the Creator who worked it out is that there are no unilateral agreements on sexuality.

Kärlek kan man inte samla i lador. Finns det en del av Jesus i vartenda massfabricerat krucifix?

Alla offer som vi inte själva mördar eller spärrar in är inbillade offer.

Och F. sa: Jag bär mitt hjärta som en krona. Så försvann de, de spetälskevita metoperna och trygliferna och alla de andra snirkliga namnen som står för renhet; bleka tempel och förfallna altaren försvann under den scharlakansröda glasyren.

Det ursprungligaste i en människas natur är ofta det som är det mest desperata. Således påtvingas världen nya system av människor som helt enkelt inte står ut med att leva med det som är. Det enda som betyder något för en skapare är att hans system är unikt.

Mitt hat till smärtan är nåt så extra kolossalt fantastisk, mycket viktigare än ditt hat till smärtan, men min kropp är så mycket mera central, jag är smärtans Moskva, du är bara en väderstation på landet.

Var med mig, religiösa amuletter av alla slag, ni smo hänger i silverkedjor, ni som sitter fastmålade på underkläder med en säkerhetsnål, ni som gömmer er i svart brösthår, ni som löper som spårvagnshjul i springan mellan gamla lyckliga kvinnors bröst, ni som av misstag pressas in i skinnet när någon älskar, ni som fingras som mynt och på vilka man letar efter silverstäplar, ni som har kommit bort bland kläderna för kelande femtonåringar, ni som stoppas i mun medan man tänker, ni mycket dyrbara som bara spinkiga små flickebarn för lov att bära, ni som hänger i skärpkammare tillsammans med uppknutna slipsar, ni som blir kyssta för att bringa tur, ni som rycks från halsen i vredesmod, ni som är pressade, ni som är graverade, ni som blir lagda på spårvägsspår för att få en ny och lustig form, ni som sitter fast i innerklädseln i taxitak...

Vi ljuger alla dröm efter dröm i varandras armar. Morgon efter morgon finner vintern mig ensam bland slitna löv med fruset snor och frusna tårar i ögonbrynnen.

And everything depends upon how close you lie to me

I dreamed about you baby.
It was just the other night.
Most of you was naked
Ah, but some of you was light.

And I sing this for the captain
Whose ship has not been built
For the mother in confusion Her cradle still unfilled For the heart with no companion For the soul without a king For the prima ballerina Who cannot dance to anything

This is it

I’m not coming after you

I’m going to lie down for half an hour

This is it

I’m not going down

On your memory

I’m not rubbing my face in it anymore

I’m going to yawn

I’m going to stretch

I’m going to put a knitting needle

Up my nose

And poke out my brain

I don’t want to love you

For the rest of my life

I want your skin

To fall off my skin

I want my clamp

To release your clamp

I don’t want to live

With this tongue hanging out

And another filthy song

In the place

Of my baseball bat

This is it

I’m going to sleep now darling

Don’t try to stop me

I’m going to sleep

I’ll have a smooth face

And I’m going to drool

I’ll be asleep

Whether you love me or not

This is it

The new world order

Of wrinkles and bad breath

It’s not going to be

Like it was before

Eating you

With my eyes closed

Hoping you won’t get up

And go away

It’s going to be something else

Something worse

Something sillier

Something like this

Only shorter

A sip of wine, a cigarette,
And then it’s time to go.
I tidied up the kitchenette;
I tuned the old banjo.
I’m wanted at the traffic-jam.
They’re saving me a seat.

How bitter were
the Prozac pills
of the last
few hundred mornings

THIS IS IT

This is it
I’m not coming after you
I’m going to lie down for half an hour
This is it
I’m not going down
on your memory
I’m not rubbing my face in it any more
I’m going to yawn
I’m going to stretch
I’m going to put a knitting needle
up my nose
and poke out my brain
I don’t want to love you
for the rest of my life
I want your skin
to fall off my skin
I want my clamp
to release your clamp
I don’t want to live
with this tongue hanging out
and another filthy song
in the place
of my baseball bat
This is it
I’m going to sleep now darling
Don’t try to stop me
I’m going to sleep
I’ll have a smooth face
and I’m going to drool
I’ll be asleep
whether you love me or not
This is it
The New World Order
of wrinkles and bad breath
It’s not going to be
like it was before
eating you
with my eyes closed
hoping you won’t get up
and go away
It’s going to be something else
Something worse
Something sillier
Something like this
only shorter

The older I get, the surer I am that I’m not running the show.

Forget the perfect offering. Everything is flawed. It's the cracks that let the Light in...