leonardcohenforum.com

Lazariuk: my understanding is that FR Scott, who wrote Villanelle..., was a constitutional law professor, not a judge. I haven't read enough of his work to get a sense of whether he dreamt of democracy or not. His online biographers talk about his socialism more than his credentials as a democrat. I'll get back to you if I discover something more when I read his books. "Democracy" does not uplift me because it is so bleak. Funny, for sure, but bleak. Isn't its point that even in the USA (the cradle of the best ... where they have the range and the machinery for change ... and the spiritual thirst ...) that even in the USA democracy is merely "coming". A hope; a promise, perhaps; but not yet here. A false hope; a distant promise, perhaps; and not yet here. And no, I cannot imagine that the song would please me if it were about Scotland: for all sorts of reasons the song would not make any sense if it were about Scotland (although Scotland's fractured relationship with and experience of democracy is, in its own right, an interesting topic). "Democracy" is not an anti-American song, and neither is finding its most repeated line one of LC's funniest an anti-American remark. Not to my mind, at any rate. "I love the country but I can't stand the scene."

Funny you should mention F. R. Scott aka Frank Scott. one of LC's buddies in the Montreal poetry scene, along with Layton and Dudek.

Frank was my law professor at McGill Law School in 1967, a long, long time ago. You ask whether he was a democrat (small d)...... I can say without equivocation that he was the ultimate democrat.....he spent a great of his non-teaching time taking on "civil rights" cases, pro bono to help keep the system clear of misapplied authority. Check out Roncarelli. Duplesis,"the" civil rights case of the era.

As for uplifting, "Anthem" takes the award, alhtough the reference that the "dove is never free" gives me pause. "Joan of Arc" is a close second as it lulls me to the pleasure of sound.

commonweal wrote: "Democracy" does not uplift me because it is so bleak. Funny, for sure, but bleak. Isn't its point that even in the USA (the cradle of the best ... where they have the range and the machinery for change ... and the spiritual thirst ...) that even in the USA democracy is merely "coming". A hope; a promise, perhaps; but not yet here.

I was once speaking to a woman about the potential of seeds from a tree and how important it is to get it growing the right way etc. and then she reminded me that the seed does better just being a seed and that we not pretend that we are witnessing it turning into a tree.
That things be as they are is not bleak for me.

B. Just B cannot be played on a guitar. ( Someone will find that cute )