| Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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@[ken1025751:27702] Thanks for chiming in to my POV. It's obvious of course that Leonard Cohen's tunes that refer to biblical themes are not christian hymns, gospel or worship songs to be sung at church. But they are no less instruments of the gospel call, just very atypical because they're shrouded by the use of 'worldly' language and proceed from a real broken sinner's perspective that non-believers mistake for camaraderie with them. As a fellow broken sinner outside of the church accepting God's mercy with gratitude (as opposed to the 'holier than thou' evangelising christian out there) I get Cohen word for word. Just try and be real about yourself (as opposed to kidding yourself as 'good') and then approach his songs from that POV and Cohen's message would ring clearer as a gospel call. Let's take a brief look at the tunes you mentioned as examples... (without going in depth at all) - Suzanne: an intimate relationship resulting from surrendering to Jesus, who connects hearts and minds. Cohen doesn't fail to reiterate the necessity for brokenness to see the truth and that 'Jesus' is indeed weightier that our human wisdom. - Closing Time: in a gist this is warning against the world's straying, futile and lascivious ways, whose time is (will be) coming to a close. He acknowledges ("lift my glass to) the awful truth which you can't reveal to the ears of youth".... Cohen is clearly grieved by the world being led astray. - Everybody Knows: here he's mocking every one of us who imagines ourself as worthy and good for all our puny little good works because deep down inside everybody knows that we have fallen short of the measurement of 'good' (there's gonna be a meter on your bed, that will disclose, what everybody knows...). Here he points to 2 things - how our evil nature by default crucifies Christ on Calvary and our personal sins (everybody knows what you've been through from the bloody cross on top of Calvary to the beach of Malibu). His mocking about our goodness (this sacred heard) is loud and clear: "Everybody knows it's coming apart, Take one last look at this Sacred Heart, before it blows, and everybody knows". All the best. |
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| Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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@[hln:27314] I chose to edit the second part of my interpretation above of verse 1. It would be more accurate as the following than initially stated: The next 2 lines are a refrain in reference to the merciless punishment that God required as justice, which Jesus bore on the cross, different from any other human suffering. He was the sinless God-Man who on behalf of God made sure that God's justice was appeased, qualifying to be the Sin-bearer on behalf of mankind. As one embodying Sin on the cross, he became totally severed from God in spirit and flesh experiencing total death and darkness. That is the ultimate punishment that mankind on the whole deserved. As a result of this sacrificial act Man's sin-debt was fully paid, pronouncing him/her not guilty anymore! "You want it darker We kill the flame" |
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| Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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Considering the fact that Leonard Cohen knew the bible, I'm quite certain that the meaning of the song is derived from it, because it makes a lot of sense reading the lyrics from that perspective. So here's how I believe the song should be interpreted: 1st Verse: As a fallible human Cohen is humbly admitting to being a sinful creature before God the creator. Cohen explicitly portrays the contrasts in the 1st 3 lines: 1. by acknowledging his place before the creator, the dealer, thus he will not challenge but rather humbly step out of the game. 2. by trusting that if God claims to be the healer then he, a sinner must surely be in need of healing. 3. by admitting that if God is worthy of glory then by contrast Man isn't. "If you are the dealer, I'm out of the game If you are the healer, it means I'm broken and lame If thine is the glory then mine must be the shame" The next 2 lines are a separate refrain by Jesus, the God-Man who on behalf of mankind became the humble Sin-bearer, yet on behalf of God agrees that Sin deserves the total destruction to appease God's justice. Hence Jesus, who came as the Light of the World accepted the justice and punishment of having that light removed from him. His union with God the Father was completely and totally severed when he became Sin on the cross. Thus the cost of Man's sin was fully paid that day! "You want it darker We kill the flame" Chorus: Here the notion of a God so holy that He will exercise justice is so well stated. In the 1st 2 lines of the chorus Cohen clearly points to the Christian context in which this same holy God also chose to receive that right and just punishment in human form. "Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name Vilified, crucified, in the human frame" The last 2 lines of the chorus is in reference to Jesus' struggle and plea to His Father (God) before He was arrested by the Roman soldiers, in the garden of Gethsemane, where his sweat dropped like blood. He had full knowledge of the will of God to destroy Sin completely and totally to justify God's justice. Yet that plea ('a million candles burning for the help that never came) was for this suffering to be somehow softened or by-passed. Jesus in the end submitted to God's will for Him to become Sin and thus to be utterly and totally severed from God and holiness. ('You want it darker') It was so dark He did cry out on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me". Because that help never came! "A million candles burning for the help that never came You want it darker" Outro: There, in the conclusion part of the song Cohen rephrases Jesus submission to His Father's will by saying 'not my will but your will be done' by saying 'Here I am, I'm ready Lord.' This is very much an old testament reference to heeding God's call (Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, etc.) as well as in the new testament (Christ, Paul, all believers attitude, etc.). "Hineni, hineni I'm ready, my lord" Second verse: This is Cohen's apologetics to the biblical narrative and the Gospel (good news)! The lover is God who loves mankind so much that He came to die for them, yet the old half-baked story of only a punishing God still remains in people's minds. All because suffering continues in this world and some comfort is gleaned from any story. A loving and a punishing God is a paradox that the un-searching mind cannot grasp. Yet Cohen stresses that it is all written in Scripture for those with ears to hear and eyes to see. The truth and Gospel is not just some idle claim! Indeed God wanted the thing that separate Man from God to be abolished - Sin! Christ became that thing and His Father certainly wanted it darker and they killed every flicker of flame. "There's a lover in the story But the story's still the same There's a lullaby for suffering And a paradox to blame But it's written in the scriptures And it's not some idle claim You want it darker We kill the flame" Third verse: According to Scripture, true believers are those that will overcome the 'demons' in their lives for the power they have within (Spirit of God) is stronger than any demon. Strangely true believers will also experience persecution from the world because the spirit of the world or the spirit of the age is opposed to God, Christ and His followers. The reference to permission to murder and maim is a spiritual battle, not literal killing of other humans but demons within and without. Indeed true believers have the power and mandate to overthrow evil with no compromise. God wants it darker! "They're lining up the prisoners And the guards are taking aim I struggled with some demons They were middle class and tame I didn't know I had permission to murder and to maim You want it darker" Hineni, hineni I'm ready, my lord Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name Vilified, crucified, in the human frame A million candles burning for the love that never came You want it darker We kill the flame If you are the dealer, let me out of the game If you are the healer, I'm broken and lame If thine is the glory, mine must be the shame You want it darker Hineni, hineni Hineni, hineni I'm ready, my lord Hineni Hineni, hineni Hineni |
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