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I would be very glad if anyone could help me to interpretate the first two lines in "take this longing"

Many men have loved the bells
You fastened to the rain:

I never quite got these lines- despite it is one of my absolute favouritesongs..

will you u plese help me and elaborate a bit on these lines and this song?

/Sarah

actually my favouriteline ever in LC is in this song "...and everything depends upon how near you sleep to me..."
so true , so true !!

Sarah,

Mirek already answered your question on another thread (Poetry by members - Berlin (2006)), but I guess you must have missed it (it's on the second page of that topic).
This is the direct link:
viewtopic.php?t=7322&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

There Mirek wrote:

Well.. actually it is 'rein' - sometimes in the winter you may attach bells to the rein while traveling in a sleigh. This doesn't seem to make the horse's work easier, but at least a bit more funny.

The rein of a horse is the cord you hold to steer... Something like that.

I'm glad you asked this, because I didn't know it either...

Bye,
Maarten

But has the lined been interpreted then? Why did these men love the bells. Why did she fasten them to the rein.

"and everyone who wanted you
they found what they will always
want again"

Maybe "the bells" are should be understood as Nico's way of drawing attention using her beauty. But the just rides by, letting the men stay unfullfilled: "the found what the will always want agan"

Then in a later stanza, Cohen stands in ruins with her winterclothes, and broken sadlestraps. This could mean that she is not able to ride anymore. Something happened, what?

Peter

Thank you Maarten

lets continue the discussion there

/Sarah

Many men have loved the bells
You fastened to the rain: (sic)

She got the local Romeo's on a leash (rein) but they love the bells that she's put on those reins so they are happy to be her ponies. Dont know if there is any anatomical specificity to the "bells" or its on a purely spiritual/metaphorical plane. Sort of like the donkey and carrot and stick thing..

Many donkey's love the carrot
that you fastened to end of the stick

(doesnt sound half as good though)

on the other hand "carrot" and "stick", surely they are metaphors!!

peter danielsen wrote:But has the lined been interpreted then? Why did these men love the bells. Why did she fasten them to the rein.

"and everyone who wanted you
they found what they will always
want again"

Maybe "the bells" are should be understood as Nico's way of drawing attention using her beauty. But the just rides by, letting the men stay unfullfilled: "the found what the will always want agan"

Well - in my opinion those 'bells' are fastened just to draw men's attention. At that moment the man-horse can even forget about the 'rein' or the leash. Of course that doesn't make the burden easier in physical sense, but at least helps to make the hard work (life with a woman) a bit more attractive.

Then in a later stanza, Cohen stands in ruins with her winterclothes, and broken sadlestraps. This could mean that she is not able to ride anymore. Something happened, what?

I guess it "sandal stripes" rather than "saddlestraps".

But the question is - what happened?

OK, let's refer to some previous verses:

Your body like a searchlight
my poverty revealed,
I would like to try your charity
until you cry, "Now you must try my greed."
And everything depends upon
how near you sleep to me

After drawing attention we have the next step - woman's charity is over, now it's time "to try her greed".

That's why he stands in ruins behind her (she's leaving).
Well, at least this is my interpretation.

But then another bunch of questions arises:

- why he's standing with her "winter clothes" and "broken sandal stripes".
Even an extravagant women don't wear sandals together with winter clothes. Or maybe I am wrong?

- what is your interpretation of:

let me see your beauty broken down,
like you would do for one you love.

I have some ideas but first I'd love to read your comments.

Mirek

Well maybe it has something to do with the fact that beauty is not only lovely to look at but also a very useful tool of power. Perhaps if one really loves another person one will agree to that person the fact that behind perfection there is nonperfection...and therefore need of forgiveness.

Maybe the "hungry as an archway..."stanza involves that her triumphlove has moved on. She defeated every man. One man (LC) stands behind with some of her Items, winterclothes and sandlestraps. Maybe these two items symbolizes that they have been together for some time, winter through summer. The speaker is also defeated, he is in ruins. But still have the longing for her, like many other men who loved her bells.

I think the last stanza put the speakers love into the center of darkness. He, like most heartbroken and hurt men and women, like to judge the loveaffair of the other person. And he realizes that this implies that he has sentenced his own to death. He has lost the battle of love. And he has lost in such a profound way that he will even agree to use the symbol of the power and triumph, "I'll even wear these old laurel leaves" to regain some selfesteem. But this offcourse would mean that he wont let his own beauty be broken down, for the one he loves!

Peter

Mirek wrote:
let me see your beauty broken down,
like you would do for one you love.

I have some ideas but first I'd love to read your comments.

Mirek

Could it be, Mirek, that he implies here that, if you love somebody, you no longer have to pretend, or show off, or hide behind (physical) beauty, but that the one you love is allowed to see you with all imperfections you have...?

Well, it's just an interpretation - Dany

I now know the reason for Sarah and I making the mistakes confusing "rein" with "rain" and "sandlestraps" with "saddlestraps". Offcourse we would never just make such mistakes without reason!!
The source for this song was "The Leonard Cohen Anthology." In this book the words "Rain" and "saddlestrap" appear. There are in other words 2(two) faults in 1 (one) song. I bet there are more in the rest of the book.

Peter

Maybe the "hungry as an archway..."stanza involves that her triumphlove has moved on. She defeated every man. One man (LC) stands behind with some of her Items, winterclothes and sandlestraps. Maybe these two items symbolizes that they have been together for some time, winter through summer. The speaker is also defeated, he is in ruins. But still have the longing for her, like many other men who loved her bells.

I am not much into analysis, interpretation etc - requires too much thinking for me and has too much ambiguity - "maybe this, could be that" with ultimately no resolution which is not very satisfactory for me.

But I like the unambiguous imagery in many of LC's songs. 'Hungry as an archway' is a prime example - the image of an archway like a open and hungry mouth gobbling up cars, people and anything else that passes underneath. 'Your body like a searchlight, my poverty revealed' is another.

p.s. "bells fastened to the rain" also works.....the sound that raindrops make falling on a tin roof or glass or even the street is like little bells have been fastened to the raindrops.

Dany Hilven wrote:

Mirek wrote:
let me see your beauty broken down,
like you would do for one you love.

I have some ideas but first I'd love to read your comments.

Mirek

Could it be, Mirek, that he implies here that, if you love somebody, you no longer have to pretend, or show off, or hide behind (physical) beauty, but that the one you love is allowed to see you with all imperfections you have...?

Well, it's just an interpretation - Dany

This was my original thought when I tried to analyse this song. If you love someone, you really don't need to wear a mask. You can be virtually naked in front of your loving one.

Mirek

very interestning to read you interpretations.

well Peter - at least i have always thougt it as a sandalstrap!!- i imagine her standing there- escaped from the fine dinner party,(thats why she is wearing sandals and a wintercoat!)maybe wearing the blue gown, here meant as a beatiful dress..
he know he has lost and is totally collapse - but still he longs for her.

yes sarah, still he longs for her, and a man never got a woman back by beging on his knees.

Peter

Funny, it does make more sense, in terms of bells on reins and the power
of the one who holds them, but I looked at Stranger Music and it's
actually written as "rain".
And "sandal strap".
Maybe it's a play on words?

I stand in ruins behind you
with your winter clothes,
your broken sandal strap.
But I love to see you naked there.
especially from the back-

He's standing behind her because she's past him, it's over- the winter clothes and sandal strap are the passage of time.
He still loves her and would love to see her naked from any view.
especially from the back

let me see your beauty broken down,
like you would do
for one you love

Unless you actually thought you were perfect, you wouldn't want
to let someone see you naked unless you loved and trusted them.

Just some naked thoughts...

evelyn