leonardcohenforum.com

Hi uncleerwinone,

Sweeping is mentioned in two songs: "You Have Loved Enough" and "The Stranger Song."
Are those the songs?

Yes Steven,
sweeping is indeed an activity around the house but not the one I am after.

I suspect one of the songs is 'A Street' ('You left me with the dishes / And a baby in the bath').

And - though I'm not sure about this - maybe a little-known song called 'Hallelujah' ('She tied you to a kitchen chair / She broke your throne, and she cut your hair').

These 2 came to mind for me:

"remember me, I brought your groceries in. . ." - First We Take Manhattan

"I was pretty good at taking out the garbage. . " - Never Any Good

This is a start, Rachel. I hereby declare you half a winner with your first choice.The person in the other song is very neat.

Good morning Ruth, I haven’t looked anything up yet and am still half asleep but from your first and last clue maybe the second song you are wanting is Boogie Street.

I tidied up the kitchenette
~ Boogie Street

If it is right, someone else can post a question.

Yes Bev, you got it again with: "I tidied up the kitchenette".
This next round is open to all.

Hi,

The song with a character who may have the most extreme case of conflicted emotions
towards another person (within the entire L.C. song catalogue) is?

Good morning Steven,
Just off the top of my head this comes to mind -

I will kill you if I must, I will help you if I can.
AND
I will help you if I must, I will kill you if I can.

~ Story Of Isaac

Hi Steven,

I'd think Famous Blue Raincoat might be a candidate. . .

Hi B4real,

Great pickup on "Story of Isaac" and the lines you quoted in regards to the question.
Had considered the song and the difficulties that would, one might think, ensue for Isaac.
(First considered Isaac's possible problems years ago when I encountered the biblical story
and hadn't yet heard the song.) The lines quoted indicate a mishmash of emotions that are
conflictive. (They might get compartmentalized to be congruent with the nature of the
"uniform" mentioned in the song.) Your answer is as correct as the one that I had in mind.

Hi holydove,

Yes, "Famous Blue Raincoat" is the song that I was looking for.

Thanks, Steven.

Next: name 2 songs with lyrics that make reference to a need to abandon a certain societal convention, for the sake of pursuing another compelling need, or perceived mission, in one's life.

Maybe this clue will help: the societal convention that I mentioned, has to do with a lifestyle that is quite familiar to all societies, but it has emerged in somewhat different forms, in different cultures & in different eras; & the lyrics involved would comprise at least 2 lines (or 1.5 lines in one of the songs), in each of the 2 songs, in order to convey the idea (of abandonment of the convention for the sake of other pursuits).