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You thought that it could never happen
To all the people that you became,
Your body lost in legend, the beast so very tame.
But here, right here,
Between the birthmark and the stain,
Between the ocean and your open vein,
Between the snowman and the rain,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
The women in your scrapbook
Whom you still praise and blame,
You say they chained you to your fingernails
And you climb the halls of fame.
Oh but here, right here,
Between the peanuts and the cage,
Between the darkness and the stage,
Between the hour and the age,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
Shouldering your loneliness
Like a gun that you will not learn to aim,
You stumble into this movie house,
Then you climb, you climb into the frame.
Yes, and here, right here
Between the moonlight and the lane,
Between the tunnel and the train,
Between the victim and his stain,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
I leave the lady meditating
On the very love which I, I do not wish to claim,
I journey down the hundred steps,
But the street is still the very same.
And here, right here,
Between the dancer and his cane,
Between the sailboat and the drain,
Between the newsreel and your tiny pain,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
Where are you, Judy, where are you, Anne?
Where are the paths your heroes came?
Wondering out loud as the bandage pulls away,
Was I, was I only limping, was I really lame?
Oh here, come over here,
Between the windmill and the grain,
Between the sundial and the chain,
Between the traitor and her pain,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
To all the people that you became,
Your body lost in legend, the beast so very tame.
But here, right here,
Between the birthmark and the stain,
Between the ocean and your open vein,
Between the snowman and the rain,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
The women in your scrapbook
Whom you still praise and blame,
You say they chained you to your fingernails
And you climb the halls of fame.
Oh but here, right here,
Between the peanuts and the cage,
Between the darkness and the stage,
Between the hour and the age,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
Shouldering your loneliness
Like a gun that you will not learn to aim,
You stumble into this movie house,
Then you climb, you climb into the frame.
Yes, and here, right here
Between the moonlight and the lane,
Between the tunnel and the train,
Between the victim and his stain,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
I leave the lady meditating
On the very love which I, I do not wish to claim,
I journey down the hundred steps,
But the street is still the very same.
And here, right here,
Between the dancer and his cane,
Between the sailboat and the drain,
Between the newsreel and your tiny pain,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
Where are you, Judy, where are you, Anne?
Where are the paths your heroes came?
Wondering out loud as the bandage pulls away,
Was I, was I only limping, was I really lame?
Oh here, come over here,
Between the windmill and the grain,
Between the sundial and the chain,
Between the traitor and her pain,
Once again, once again,
Love calls you by your name.
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Although this doesn't quite work, this closest i can come to figuring these lyrics out is this: i think the song is about being depressed and wallowing in loneliness (near to the point of suicide) and love comes from out of the blue and saves you (love calls you by your name). At this time leonard cohen was depressed and near suicidal as is shown far more clearly and explicitly on another track from this album("songs of love hate"): dress rehearsal rag. You can tell that he feels suicide might be a relief i think by the line: "shouldering your loneliness like a gun that you will not learn to aim". Apart from the lyrics, the music seems to suggest the themes mentioned, i refer mainly to the uplifting bridge or "chorus" when the brass kicks in and when the title is sung. i'm not sure the "love" necessarily means a woman, i think it refers to some kind of epiphony when the depression lifts away, after which he can't fully understand why he was so deeply depressed as there was no real reason for it. i believe this is indicated in the lines: "wondering out loud as the bandage pulls away, was i only limping, was i really lame?" There are few things that i can't work and another few reasons why this argument doesn't work and also might be completely wrong but this is as near as i can figure at the moment.