New Album announced: 'You Want It Darker'

[JudasPriest]

I love the violin on all the tracks here - including a Steer Your Way. And it's not Alex by the way. The sleeve notes credit a David Davidson as the player.

[JudasPriest]

I love the violin on all the tracks here - including Steer Your Way. And it's not Alex by the way. The sleeve notes credit a David Davidson as the player.

[gretabertella]

I can't get over how well Leonard's singing across the whole album.. Sublime.

Absolutely true, Bennyboy.
His voice, intonation, and interpretation are just outstanding throughout the album.

Also, I don't usually like to search for meanings and explanations of lines and songs; I like to let be ambiguous their ambiguity. Let's the secrets of beauty stay secret. But I have to say that I've got the feeling of a new Leonard-God relationship. He has doubts and disagreements he didn't have before, in my opinion. "I wish there was a treaty - but there's not; it sounded like the truth, but it's not the truth today; steer your heart past the Truth you believed in yesterday; steer your way through the pain, but please just don't take me there, though there is a God [a God and not a G-d?!?! Though?!?!? You'd better hold your tongue, Lenny!] or not, I am sure no more, I don't know, I'm just tired of all this suffering".
It's like in his previous songs Leonard was saying: I am the problem, I can't love, I'm broken, I can't feel. But somehow, someday, God will help me; he is the Lord of Light, he will show me the place, he will steer my way. Now Leonard has to steer his way all alone, almost in spite of God. Now he is saying: I'm not the problem, I don't need a reason or any excuse for what I became; I am what I am. What if God was the problem? What if I believed in the Lord of Light and Mercy, and he actually is just the Lord of Hosts? I leave him this bloody hill, I don't care, I'm tired and angry all the time, and I just don't want to any longer.
Of course he also says, Hineni, I take my place, I try to say the Grace. But I think it's different this time. It's because of his old age? Suffering? Pain? The famous blue death? Or am I completely wrong? I don't know, and I don't want to. I just find this, so to say, new point of view very interesting, both emotionally and intellectually. Because it shows me a new possible shape of the struggle between men and the divine outside and within themselves. A new figure of life emerges with it.
Ok, I don't really know what I'm saying. If it's getting too heavy... strike that!

[B4real]

...... that section in 'Treaty' where uses the television and aerial metaphor....

I haven't heard the album yet but that word aerial rang a bell with me because of my book research and listening to many concerts and here's what and where I heard it. Maybe there's a similar verse in Treaty to the live concert one below or maybe not

"I haven’t said a word since you’ve been gone
That any liar couldn’t say as well
I can’t believe the static coming on
You were my ground, you were my aerial

And there are no letters in the mail box......"

Diamonds In The Mine - Munich 9th march 1985

[B4real]

Could be pure coincidence, but Jubilee is supposed to come after 49 years (seven times seven) and how many years has it been since Leonard's debut album?

A couple of interesting explanations about Jubilee -

http://www.markbeast.com/70jubilees/jubileedates.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(Christianity)

[MarieM]

This was posted on Leonard Cohen Facebook page by SONY:

Get a free exclusive libretto with the lyrics in Spanish for the purchase on CD from the new album of Leonard Cohen you want it darker. Only for items sold by fnac. It is. Until end of stock and limited to a gift for order.

http://musica.fnac.es/a1295704/Leonard- ... specificar

[Bennyboy]

Could be pure coincidence, but Jubilee is supposed to come after 49 years (seven times seven) and how many years has it been since Leonard's debut album?

A couple of interesting explanations about Jubilee -

http://www.markbeast.com/70jubilees/jubileedates.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(Christianity)

Indeed.

[Bennyboy]

...... that section in 'Treaty' where uses the television and aerial metaphor....

I haven't heard the album yet but that word aerial rang a bell with me because of my book research and listening to many concerts and here's what and where I heard it. Maybe there's a similar verse in Treaty to the live concert one below or maybe not

"I haven’t said a word since you’ve been gone
That any liar couldn’t say as well
I can’t believe the static coming on
You were my ground, you were my aerial

And there are no letters in the mail box......"

Diamonds In The Mine - Munich 9th march 1985

Yes that's the exact same 4 line verse which occurs in 'Treaty'. Well spotted!

[Hartmut]

rd aerial rang a bell with me because of my book research and listening to many concerts and here's what and where I heard it. Maybe there's a similar verse in Treaty to the live concert one below or maybe not

"I haven’t said a word since you’ve been gone
That any liar couldn’t say as well
I can’t believe the static coming on
You were my ground, you were my aerial

And there are no letters in the mail box......"

Diamonds In The Mine - Munich 9th march 1985

That's extremely interesting, Bev! (At least to me ...)

The verse in Treaty is almost the same:

I just can’t believe the static coming on
You were my ground, my safe and sound
You were my aerial

[B4real]

Yes, Bennyboy, very interesting!

Thank you Hartmut! It was the only other time I've heard of LC using that word!

I still haven't listened yet - am holding on till I have the album in my hands....Jarkko would be Proud of me Putting the "P" word into Perfect Practice!

Not really thinking that there would be any lyrics posted yet of this album I’ve just googled Treaty and these lyrics came up. http://genius.com/Leonard-cohen-treaty-lyrics I can’t say if they are correct.

But I've noticed another verse from Diamonds In The Mine at Weisbaden 1985 has similar first and third lines to those that are listed in Treaty:

"I see you’ve changed the water into wine
That was a very pretty trick to do
I sit at your table every night
Baby, I just can’t get drunk with you

And there are no letters in the mailbox..."

It's probably not surprising as we know that this song has been bubbling and brewing for many years

[B4real]

But I've noticed another verse from Diamonds In The Mine at Weisbaden 1985 has similar first and third lines to those that are listed in Treaty:

"I see you’ve changed the water into wine
That was a very pretty trick to do
I sit at your table every night
Baby, I just can’t get drunk with you

And there are no letters in the mailbox..."

It's probably not surprising as we know that this song has been bubbling and brewing for many years

The fourth line is similar too .... "can't get drunk with you" for "don't get high with you".
And I've just realised that those same words were also sung at Birmingham 1985....maybe David heard them

[tularosa]

For those who want:

http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/fl/2 ... l_lccd.mp3

works anywhere probably. Anyway in my country in Europe.

It works in France ! Thank you so much !!!

[Bennyboy]

Traveling Light can indeed be the flip side of You Want it Darker.

And in the case of the vinyl version of the album, it's the first song on side 2 - so a nice symmetry between dark and light beginning each side.

[BEATRIZ SALLES]

For Spanish fans,

Fnac Spain, only for online purchases offers a free booklet with lyrics in Spanish.

http://musica.fnac.es/a1295704/Leonard- ... -It-Darker

[yopietro]

Traveling Light can indeed be the flip side of You Want it Darker.

And in the case of the vinyl version of the album, it's the first song on side 2 - so a nice symmetry between dark and light beginning each side.

Cool. Nice detective work Ben.