| Leonard Cohen – Avalanche Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Wow. Quite some interesting takes on this song. Here's mine: In the most general sense, the song is enrapt with the bipolar nature of life/death and hence rolls itself out - letting slip emblems of ontological paradox(es) such as: subjects and objects manifesting together and separately through consciousness(es) (I, you, he and it), the microcosm's dependence on the macrocosm and vice-versa (at the center of the world...), the nature of fate, will and/or gravitational attraction (I walked into an avalanche), etc. I believe the imagery of the song alludes to facets of life's overall contradictory, co-existing dimorphism(s) that form conscious experience (of itself-and-other); to name a few: imbalance, co-dependency/addiction, essentialism of spirit and facade of identity, the directionality of guilt and/or blame, and, perhaps primarily, the very paradox of love-and-hate, themselves or itself, depending on the interpretation. In the beginning, the narrator is a personification of Hate at the scene of Hate's nativity; the Avalanche is Hate's mother (or progenitor, or as well, a metaphor for a smitten lover's endearments); she smothered Hate, obscuring (protecting, maternally) Hate from scrutiny. In effect, Hate is buffered from himself ("it covered up my soul"). But, despite efforts to sheath the concealment of Hate over with adornments (the golden hill), Hate's essential nature yet remains intact: if not tacitly reflected in gold (read - greed), then through the projection with which one deems a hunchback repulsive (in contrast with something attractive, for example). Hate is smaller than the tightest entombment - always able to escape and indestructable. The fact that the narrator, Hate, lives to tell us about the whole experience, whether in first or reincarnated second person, implies that Hate can be anywhere at any moment, inexorably. Hate is a phoenix that cannot be made over, and pain is the burn (the shadow) left by Hate, inflicted internally, externally, or both. To avoid pain, one would have to "avoid" hate, which would of course translate as a fear of hate, which then of course gives Hate dominion over "[those] who wish to conquer pain." If this premise were applied to the rest of the song, I feel like a term paper would be in order, but I don't have time... ;) Anybody care to chime in on this? One absolute paradox that I like is: even Hate gets needy: "I have begun to long for you, I that have no greed." :) |
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| Gravenhurst – Trust Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Amazing song. | |
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