leonardcohenforum.com

It's Just As Well


my name it means nothing
my age it means less
one day i'll be leaving
just like all the rest
i won't go to heaven
and i won't go to hell
i will go nowhere
and it's just as well

my destination
is not a place
it's nowhere in time and
it's nowhere in space
i never came here
and i never went
and i will not stay for
it never was meant

i will pack nothing
i travel so light
you won't even see me
put up a fight
if i could stay for
ever and a day
this world wouldn't suit me
i'd leave anyway


my pictures i leave you
and all my dreams
i could have done better
or so it seems
i was just gatherin'
grist for the mill
the books are all done now
don't mess with my will

some men need a tombstone
as big as can be
they must be remembered
at breakfast and tea
they think their existence
was much more true
and their mark was bigger
than me or than you

the epitaph says in
a very few words
how he was special
it's so absurd
no one will remember
in just a few years
even his tombstone
it will disappear

daka

(intended as a song
to tune stolen from Dylan
(With God on My Side)
who stole from Liam Clancy
(Patriot Game)
Who stole from Dominic Behan)

Daka - I afraid I know very little about music and not a great deal more about poetry but as a poem I love this. I'm going to go to YouTube and try to find Dylan's with God on my side so that I'll know the tune this would go with.

daka wrote:my name it means nothing
my age it means less
one day i'll be leaving
just like all the rest
i won't go to heaven
and i won't go to hell
i will go nowhere
and it's just as well

My thought on the matter is that I/we literally come from the earth and will return to the earth, molecularly speaking. I find this very comforting, it gives me a feeling of connection with all that surrounds me. Is this close to what you believe or am I way off?
i will go nowhere - I'm going to think about this line today - I have a desire to understand it.

All the best Daka
Thank you for sharing this I truly enjoyed it.

Cate

Cate wrote:Daka - I afraid I know very little about music and not a great deal more about poetry but as a poem I love this. I'm going to go to YouTube and try to find Dylan's with God on my side so that I'll know the tune this would go with.

daka wrote:my name it means nothing
my age it means less
one day i'll be leaving
just like all the rest
i won't go to heaven
and i won't go to hell
i will go nowhere
and it's just as well

My thought on the matter is that I/we literally come from the earth and will return to the earth, molecularly speaking. I find this very comforting, it gives me a feeling of connection with all that surrounds me. Is this close to what you believe or am I way off?
i will go nowhere - I'm going to think about this line today - I have a desire to understand it.

All the best Daka
Thank you for sharing this I truly enjoyed it.

Cate

Thanks for the appreciation Cate

I think we are both looking at the essential centre of the same gem, through different facets

I agree that "molecularly speaking" there is connection, equanimity, absence of separation/isolation
and I understand your comfort
I also look through your facet.
So does quantum physics.
Quantum physicists however looks a little further than us inside this "gem" (that's their job) and all they find is space.
When they go looking inside the gem of individual molecules
they find mostly space and some atoms
when they look inside atoms
they find mostly space and some particles
when they look inside the particles they find mostly space and particles of particles
when they look inside the particles of particles of the smallest of particles they find mostly space
space is mostly what they find
and they now suspect
what Buddha knew 2500 years ago
that everything is ultimately "empty", like space

I have tried to walk the tightrope without using the "B" word!
better luck next time
(Seems like even Quantum Physicists are becoming Buddhists accidentally)

To more directly answer your direct question about the intention of that verse:

Because nothing is findable (as demonstrated above)
There can be no "place"
Because "places" are made up of "stuff"
Therefore I won't go to heaven, or hell and will only go nowhere, and it's just as well

I can answer directly perhaps a little more succinctly:
you said:

My thought on the matter is that I/we literally come from the earth and will return to the earth, molecularly speaking

I say:

My thought on the matter is that I/we actually come from space-like emptiness and will return to space-like emptiness

i hope this answers your question Cate

If not, let me know
Be patient, I have been wrapping my mind around this for fourteen years

daka

"......Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the blessed mother....

(there are about 700 more words in what is called "The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra", the teaching of Buddha about this subject. I am happy to send this to anyone who requests it through PM)

It's Just As Well


my name it means nothing
my age it means less
one day i'll be leaving
just like all the rest
i won't go to heaven
and i won't go to hell
i will go nowhere
and it's just as well

my destination
is not a place
it's nowhere in time and
and nowhere in space
i never came here
and i never went
and i will not stay for
it was never meant

i will pack nothing
i travel so light
you won't even see me
put up a fight
if i could stay for
ever and a day
this world wouldn't suit me
i'd leave anyway


my pictures i leave you
and all my dreams
i could have done better
or so it seems
i was just gatherin'
grist for the mill
the books are all done now
don't dispute my will

some men need a tombstone
as big as can be
they must be remembered
at breakfast and tea
they think their existence
was much more true
and their mark was bigger
than me or than you

the epitaph says in
a very few words
how he was special
it's so absurd
no one will remember
in just a few years
even his tombstone
it will disappear

daka

Astonishing. Poetic expression serves and reveals you, daka.

Someone very dear to me lives the essence of these verses:

i will pack nothing
i travel so light
you won't even see me
put up a fight
if i could stay for
ever and a day
this world wouldn't suit me
i'd leave anyway

some men need a tombstone
as big as can be
they must be remembered
at breakfast and tea
they think their existence
was much more true
and their mark was bigger
than me or than you

I keep wanting to add in more verses to what I've quoted, but won't. I love this songily poem.

Thank you so much for the quantum explanation . Please PM me with the 700. Thanks!


~ Lizzy

daka wrote:When they go looking inside the gem of individual molecules
they find mostly space and some atoms
when they look inside atoms
they find mostly space and some particles
when they look inside the particles they find mostly space and particles of particles
when they look inside the particles of particles of the smallest of particles they find mostly space
space is mostly what they find

Yes, I've always found this fascinating. Peering into an atom is like peering into the universe, it seems unending and holds many mysteries. It seems that matter itself is made up of essentially energy and as you say space- but my understanding of this is very vague. There a song, I can't remember the name or who by, but he says we are all light - I think this is what he meant.

daka wrote:i hope this answers your question Cate

If not, let me know
Be patient, I have been wrapping my mind around this for fourteen years

daka

This is an excellent answer Daka, and I can see that you have purposely answered in a using terms that I can relate to - a sign of a good teacher. I think I understand, I'm going to give it some time to absorb. I'm glad that you have given me something juicy to think about over my holidays.