It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train, and
You came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well, I see Jane's awake
She sends her regards

And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Well, your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear

Sincerely, L Cohen

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Lyrics submitted by phaethon, edited by Shutyourmouth2, 2014, mdarabpour

Famous Blue Raincoat Lyrics as written by Leonard Cohen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Famous Blue Raincoat song meanings

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Hi! Please, forgive my bad english, IÂ´m from Czech republic. Recently (in my middle age) I felt in love with LC and I study his songs, I try to understand them and maybe sing some of them. In FBR I kind of felt, that LC may be writting to himself. On internet (songfacts.com) I found this quote: "In a 1994 BBC Radio Interview Cohen remarked: "The problem with that song is that I've forgotten the actual triangle. Whether it was my own - of course, I always felt that there was an invisible male seducing the woman I was with, now whether this one was incarnate or merely imaginary I don't remember, I've always had the sense that either I've been that figure in relation to another couple or there'd been a figure like that in relation to my marriage. I don't quite remember but I did have this feeling that there was always a third party, sometimes me, sometimes another man, sometimes another woman.It was a song I've never been satisfied with. It's not that I've resisted an impressionistic approach to songwriting, but I've never felt that this one, that I really nailed the lyric. I'm ready to concede something to the mystery, but secretly I've always felt that there was something about the song that was unclear. So I've been very happy with some of the imagery, but a lot of the imagery."
Together with his another words- he said, that this song is against tyrany, "tyrany I feel myself which is the possession of women, and woman's possession of man"- I thing this: This song is about his feelings toward women (maybe one woman). When he was in love with a woman, probably when young, he couldnÂ´t stop beeing possesive, even though he knew, itÂ´s killing. That sort of feeling is hardly to abandon. And another thing. Recently I found myslef jalous at myslef. I knew, that that extraordinery moment of love I am in, will never happen again,it will never be that new, that beautiful. My relationship may be and will be beautiful in some other way, but it will never be the same. I am jalous at me, when I was young, I am jalous at me when I was with my lover yesterday. And I am jalous at my lover when he smiled at me last day, because the yesterdayÂ´s me is not todayÂ´s me. And I am not crazy, I am quite rational woman, could you imagine, how the maniodpresive persone feels? (LC suffers with MD the whole life)? What this desease makes to you? What did it make to LC?

Hi! Please, forgive my bad english, IÂ´m from Czech republic. Recently (in my middle age) I felt in love with LC and I study his songs, I try to understand them and maybe sing some of them. In FBR I kind of felt, that LC may be writting to himself. On internet (songfacts.com) I found this quote: "In a 1994 BBC Radio Interview Cohen remarked: "The problem with that song is that I've forgotten the actual triangle. Whether it was my own - of course, I always felt that there was an invisible male seducing the woman I was with, now whether this one was incarnate or merely imaginary I don't remember, I've always had the sense that either I've been that figure in relation to another couple or there'd been a figure like that in relation to my marriage. I don't quite remember but I did have this feeling that there was always a third party, sometimes me, sometimes another man, sometimes another woman.It was a song I've never been satisfied with. It's not that I've resisted an impressionistic approach to songwriting, but I've never felt that this one, that I really nailed the lyric. I'm ready to concede something to the mystery, but secretly I've always felt that there was something about the song that was unclear. So I've been very happy with some of the imagery, but a lot of the imagery." Together with his another words- he said, that this song is against tyrany, "tyrany I feel myself which is the possession of women, and woman's possession of man"- I thing this: This song is about his feelings toward women (maybe one woman). When he was in love with a woman, probably when young, he couldnÂ´t stop beeing possesive, even though he knew, itÂ´s killing. That sort of feeling is hardly to abandon. And another thing. Recently I found myslef jalous at myslef. I knew, that that extraordinery moment of love I am in, will never happen again,it will never be that new, that beautiful. My relationship may be and will be beautiful in some other way, but it will never be the same. I am jalous at me, when I was young, I am jalous at me when I was with my lover yesterday. And I am jalous at my lover when he smiled at me last day, because the yesterdayÂ´s me is not todayÂ´s me. And I am not crazy, I am quite rational woman, could you imagine, how the maniodpresive persone feels? (LC suffers with MD the whole life)? What this desease makes to you? What did it make to LC?

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woman2010on May 12, 2010 Link
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@woman2010

@woman2010 <br /> I too have always felt that this song was about the battle we fight in our hearts against jealousy and possessiveness. They keep us from wanting what is best for the other person. it also explores forgiveness I never considered that he had MD and how complicated that made it. <br />

dennyatkhon November 02, 2017