Hi
I love Leonard's music and especially lyrics which are so elusive.
I was listening to the song 'The Guests' and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what the song is acutally about...
Who are the guests that he is speaking of, what situation is he referring to? Is it a party or a metaphor to something else? I have a feeling it's much more than it seems as in many of this wonderful thinker's songs.
Love to share views on this and/or any other songs...
Thanks,
Lynda
The Guests
The guests are we, human beings, souls, the party in garden is life... Cohen also interpretated song like that, he said that the imagery of this song is strongly influenced by old Persian poets Rummi and Attar. in ZDF's 1979 TV show, he said it's the song about the sould being born into the world.
http://perso.orange.fr/pilgraeme/the_guests.htm
...It's a song about how a new soul comes into the world looking for the feast, feeling completely separated from everything, feeling isolated and in exile, and how the great author of this dismoral catastrophe, this veil of tears, pulls each of these souls into the Feast and into the banquet. And noone knows where the night is going, noone knows why the wine is flowing and Oh Love I need You I need You I need You...
(ZDF TV, Munich, 1979)
I think that kind of imagery can be discovered all through the literature. The persian poet Rumi (XIII th century) uses the idea of the guests a lot, the festival, the feast and the guests. It's almost impossible to talk about that seed moment of when a song begins. It could be the soul comes into world. There is some notion the soul has that there is a feast, that there is a festival,that there is a banquet. It strives to experience the hospitality of the world. It doesn't achieve it. It feels lonely, this is everybody's experience. It feels lost. It stumbles around on the outskirts of the party. If the striving is deep enough or if the Grace of the host is turned towards the seeking guest, then suddenly the inner door flies open and he finds himself or the soul finds himself at that banquet table. Although no one knows where the night is going, no one knows why the wine is flowing. No one actually understand the mechanics of this grace except that we experience it from time to time.
(Harry Rasky, The Song of Leonard Cohen, 1979)
http://perso.orange.fr/pilgraeme/the_guests.htm
...It's a song about how a new soul comes into the world looking for the feast, feeling completely separated from everything, feeling isolated and in exile, and how the great author of this dismoral catastrophe, this veil of tears, pulls each of these souls into the Feast and into the banquet. And noone knows where the night is going, noone knows why the wine is flowing and Oh Love I need You I need You I need You...
(ZDF TV, Munich, 1979)
I think that kind of imagery can be discovered all through the literature. The persian poet Rumi (XIII th century) uses the idea of the guests a lot, the festival, the feast and the guests. It's almost impossible to talk about that seed moment of when a song begins. It could be the soul comes into world. There is some notion the soul has that there is a feast, that there is a festival,that there is a banquet. It strives to experience the hospitality of the world. It doesn't achieve it. It feels lonely, this is everybody's experience. It feels lost. It stumbles around on the outskirts of the party. If the striving is deep enough or if the Grace of the host is turned towards the seeking guest, then suddenly the inner door flies open and he finds himself or the soul finds himself at that banquet table. Although no one knows where the night is going, no one knows why the wine is flowing. No one actually understand the mechanics of this grace except that we experience it from time to time.
(Harry Rasky, The Song of Leonard Cohen, 1979)
Leonard Cohen Newswire / bookoflonging.com (retired) / leonardcohencroatia.com (retired)
