"I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch,
he said to me, "You must not ask for so much."
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door,
She cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"
Everyone likes to tell people what to believe, and from different view points, all people are valid in their own beliefs. But for someone who is lost, hearing one person say, "you must not ask for so much" and seeing someone say the exact opposite thing can be hard when you know where both of them are coming from.
All you can do is "try in your own way" when creating a worldview. It can only apply to you, and to try to strap onto the coat tails of those around you and let them influence your mind is not achieving freedom, it's establishing slavery of the mind.
I don't think the first three lines are nearly as significant as:
"Like a baby, stillborn,
like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me."
Both of those things are hurting people for a reason that they can't help. Everyone understands that there are some things you can't control, like the examples of a beast having a horn or a baby dying. It's very frustrating to not be able to change or control those things, but they continue to hurt people, and you have to be still and live with it. It's saying he is who he is, and he could change it and be fake ("if I, if I have been untrue..."), or he could continue and be who he truly is, and go on hurting people ("if I, if I have been unkind...").
Thank you. I'm a Leonard Cohen fanatic, and I spend a lot of time looking at his lyrics in a poetic sense, so to get feedback like this is exciting to me.
Thank you. I'm a Leonard Cohen fanatic, and I spend a lot of time looking at his lyrics in a poetic sense, so to get feedback like this is exciting to me.
like your interpretation as well. especially the last part on the baby and the beast!
like your interpretation as well. especially the last part on the baby and the beast!
as for the beggar and the pretty woman part, what stood out to me was that the beggar - who is poor and cripple - is satisfied with what he has and doesn't ask for more, while the pretty woman - who probably has everything - still asks for more. but like you said, neither is necessarily right, because for each person it is different.
as for the beggar and the pretty woman part, what stood out to me was that the beggar - who is poor and cripple - is satisfied with what he has and doesn't ask for more, while the pretty woman - who probably has everything - still asks for more. but like you said, neither is necessarily right, because for each person it is different.
"I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch, he said to me, "You must not ask for so much." And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door, She cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"
Everyone likes to tell people what to believe, and from different view points, all people are valid in their own beliefs. But for someone who is lost, hearing one person say, "you must not ask for so much" and seeing someone say the exact opposite thing can be hard when you know where both of them are coming from.
All you can do is "try in your own way" when creating a worldview. It can only apply to you, and to try to strap onto the coat tails of those around you and let them influence your mind is not achieving freedom, it's establishing slavery of the mind.
I don't think the first three lines are nearly as significant as:
"Like a baby, stillborn, like a beast with his horn I have torn everyone who reached out for me."
Both of those things are hurting people for a reason that they can't help. Everyone understands that there are some things you can't control, like the examples of a beast having a horn or a baby dying. It's very frustrating to not be able to change or control those things, but they continue to hurt people, and you have to be still and live with it. It's saying he is who he is, and he could change it and be fake ("if I, if I have been untrue..."), or he could continue and be who he truly is, and go on hurting people ("if I, if I have been unkind...").
It's a beautiful song, really.
That's a wonderful interpretation.
That's a wonderful interpretation.
Thank you. I'm a Leonard Cohen fanatic, and I spend a lot of time looking at his lyrics in a poetic sense, so to get feedback like this is exciting to me.
Thank you. I'm a Leonard Cohen fanatic, and I spend a lot of time looking at his lyrics in a poetic sense, so to get feedback like this is exciting to me.
I have no life. Haha.
I have no life. Haha.
like your interpretation as well. especially the last part on the baby and the beast!
like your interpretation as well. especially the last part on the baby and the beast!
as for the beggar and the pretty woman part, what stood out to me was that the beggar - who is poor and cripple - is satisfied with what he has and doesn't ask for more, while the pretty woman - who probably has everything - still asks for more. but like you said, neither is necessarily right, because for each person it is different.
as for the beggar and the pretty woman part, what stood out to me was that the beggar - who is poor and cripple - is satisfied with what he has and doesn't ask for more, while the pretty woman - who probably has everything - still asks for more. but like you said, neither is necessarily right, because for each person it is different.
ah mr. cohen....
ah mr. cohen....