In interview and at concerts Cohen himself described the exact meaning of this song.
He described it as a prayer he wrote and later set to music. He was diagnosed with nodules/masses on his vocal cords and was going to have to have surgery to remove them. He was a life long smoker and was told that if they were cancerous, he would probably need to have the vocal cords themselves removed along with the masses on them....which would literally mean he would not be able to speak, never mind sing ever again. Even if they were benign, the surgeon could not guarantee that the vocal cords wouldn't be damaged to some extent which would mean he would probably be able to talk, but unlikely to be able to sing again.
The song is literal.....he is saying to God, if it be your will that I can never speak again, I accept it.
In the 2nd verse, which is the only one to be repeated he's saying to God, if you allow me to sing, I will use my voice to praise you. He then repeats that "from this broken hill, all your praises they will ring, if it be your will to let me sing"
In the 3rd verse he's asking for mercy from God for all who are suffering in the world "if it be your will, if there is a choice, let the rivers fill, let the hills rejoice, let your mercy spill on all these burning hearts in hell, if it be your will to make us well".
The final verse he asks God to bring all his children (all human beings) close to Him and take care of them. He uses the Jewish parable of the jars containing God's light....God's light was so powerful that no container could contain it and consequently the jars cracked, allowing God's light into the world. (He uses the same imagery of the jars containing God's light in the song "Anthem" with the very famous lyrics "forget your perfect offering, there is a cracking,a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in")
In the final lines he's asking God to end this night (all darkness/suffering in the world) if it be your will. That's it. Its all about Cohen telling God he is prepared to accept whatever is going to happen in the 1st half of it and in the second half he's pleading on behalf of everyone in the world who is lost or suffering.
It's not about relationships between human beings ....and I honestly have no clue how someone could here this song and believe that's what he's talking about.
It was a private piece he, addressed to God that he wrote while waiting to have surgery that had the potential to not only end his career, but actually take away his voice altogether. Essential as the saying goes....it does what it says on the tin!!!
In interview and at concerts Cohen himself described the exact meaning of this song. He described it as a prayer he wrote and later set to music. He was diagnosed with nodules/masses on his vocal cords and was going to have to have surgery to remove them. He was a life long smoker and was told that if they were cancerous, he would probably need to have the vocal cords themselves removed along with the masses on them....which would literally mean he would not be able to speak, never mind sing ever again. Even if they were benign, the surgeon could not guarantee that the vocal cords wouldn't be damaged to some extent which would mean he would probably be able to talk, but unlikely to be able to sing again. The song is literal.....he is saying to God, if it be your will that I can never speak again, I accept it. In the 2nd verse, which is the only one to be repeated he's saying to God, if you allow me to sing, I will use my voice to praise you. He then repeats that "from this broken hill, all your praises they will ring, if it be your will to let me sing" In the 3rd verse he's asking for mercy from God for all who are suffering in the world "if it be your will, if there is a choice, let the rivers fill, let the hills rejoice, let your mercy spill on all these burning hearts in hell, if it be your will to make us well". The final verse he asks God to bring all his children (all human beings) close to Him and take care of them. He uses the Jewish parable of the jars containing God's light....God's light was so powerful that no container could contain it and consequently the jars cracked, allowing God's light into the world. (He uses the same imagery of the jars containing God's light in the song "Anthem" with the very famous lyrics "forget your perfect offering, there is a cracking,a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in") In the final lines he's asking God to end this night (all darkness/suffering in the world) if it be your will. That's it. Its all about Cohen telling God he is prepared to accept whatever is going to happen in the 1st half of it and in the second half he's pleading on behalf of everyone in the world who is lost or suffering. It's not about relationships between human beings ....and I honestly have no clue how someone could here this song and believe that's what he's talking about. It was a private piece he, addressed to God that he wrote while waiting to have surgery that had the potential to not only end his career, but actually take away his voice altogether. Essential as the saying goes....it does what it says on the tin!!!