It’s four in the morning, the end of December 2024. I heard this song for the first time as a troubled teenager in December 1992 or maybe 1993; these times did not have the linear order for me. I recorded it from radio and played it the whole night on repeat. Leonard Cohen was telling me that everything isn’t going to be alright, but it’s possible to live it through with dignity and compassion. It was so different than all easy lies I refused to believe. It was a solid piece of wood to hold on to when I was drowning. So I return to this song December after December. In the 90s, with the song recorded on a cassette tape, I thought I was alone. Now I can see so many people have listened to this song at four in the morning as Decembers rolled on… It was my favourite song by Leonard Cohen, until I’ve heard his very last one, You Want It Darker. That song is darkest of the dark, but I’m sure that wherever Leonard is now, the light is there.
It really is 4 in the morning and I cannot sleep .... I am 70 now .... I was 18 when I found Leonard Cohen's music .... Saw him "live" approx 6 times, including a 3 day hippie festival in the middle of nowhere in the South of France .... he turned up on a white horse and sang a lot in French .... he has meant so much to me all of my life, and I feel the need to tell somebody! PS a year later .... Thank you to everyone who, over the last year, and to my amazement, gave me 1800 likes and lots of comments about Leonard Cohen and what he means to me ..... We HAVE something that non-Cohen lovers have no clue about! .... One or 2 of you asked to know more about me .... As you asked, all I can say is "Like a bird on a wire .... I have tried in my own way to be free" .... Aged 26 I spent a year under Bhagwan in India and ironically I discovered just after that Jesus is "truly the Son of God", and whatever beliefs you may have, HE is still the "Gateway to heaven" and "Lord of heaven and earth" .... He "laid aside His majesty, and humbled Himself and became a man", and lived and died FOR US ...It's 2024 now and it's STILL 4 in the morning ...
I discovered this song when I was 19. I am 34 now. It's an incredible song! Thanks for sharing, I hear you. I kept dreaming I could go to a concert when he was with us but can barely go out because of mental health problems.
I'm 71 and I discovered him in 1969 somehow. I really don't remember, but his depression spoke to me. Just love the man and will hope to honor his memory until I join him in death.
Female backing vocals really make many songs. Many of Cohen's, good call. It's the interplay between the two that makes great music, either sonically or by inspiration.
The greatest Leonard song of them all... if only for the lines: "Thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes / I thought it was there for good so I never tried."
Have always loved Leonard Cohen. What a voice. To write poetry is one thing and then to put it to music so hauntingly beautiful. Besides embracing your soul and moving your awareness, Leonard Cohen, you did a fantastic job. A Thousand Kisses Deep and so many deep moving awesome songs and lyrics. Anne🙏🌵🎵🎧
Hi. I’m writing this with tears in my eyes. I’m 14 and just learned that my dad passed from a heart attack today. this was his favourite song right now and he loved sitting in my kitchen and playing it on the speakers. this song will always be a huge part of my life from this day on. Edit: It’s been a year now and I want to thank all of you who have left kind words on this comment. “All things grow with time, except grief” This past year has gone by in the blink of an eye while also simultaneously feeling like the longest year of my life. Life without my dad is different. There’s a hole that can not and will not be filled but that’s not a bad thing. That hole serves as a reminder of the great man that was my dad. People say that time heals, but I disagree. I think that time lets you accept what has happened but the scar remains. This song now serves as a beautiful trip down memory lane in place of a painful ballad of mourning. For anyone reading this who has recently lost someone they love dearly, weep as much as you need. Every tear is a drop of love with nowhere else to go. Try your best to carry on but make sure to take days off to relax and be alone if you need to. Again, thank you for the messages and lots of love to you all.
@@gard7662 I was also 6 when my father died,, I am 63 now; you are right "The hole he left in your world will never be filled, but it will get easier to bear" (perhaps more manageable certainly). But lets not pretend that all will be made better in some future time; that's a beautiful fantasy but it's not the reality.
My son doesn't get Leonards' music yet, but I will leave this comment for him to find after I'm gone. This song meant so much to me. Hopefully youtube survives. I love you. Keep searching. Carpe diem.
And what can I tell you my brother? My killer? What can I possibly say? I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you, I'm glad you stood in my way. Such a powerful line
@@MouflonMike I think it's a reference to the story of Cain and Abel, symbolizing the dispute over someone's love. Cohen had always been fond of biblical allegories.
I saw Leonard sing this in 85 at a beautiful concert. My love had tears glistening in her eyes. I looked at her and she saw the tears in my own eyes. It was a moment that transcended time in my life, as if we understood shared emotions from our past. Thank you Leonard Cohen for this and many great memories of song
"Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes I thought it was there for good so I never tried." I tell you. It takes guts to write and sing this. Cohen is art.
Probably my favorite Leonard Cohen song, makes me almost cry every time I hear it. So powerful, I'm 50 now & only came across his music in 2017. I liked how his voice changed over the years. I never heard a song he sang I didn't enjoy. RIP LC, you brought lots of love to this old world.
Nah. Humans are an extremely social species. We need people around us, and long for love and acceptance. You may need to surround yourself with better people, to gain empathy and understanding. Life become much easier if we share our burdens with others. Good luck, friend.
Here in Iran, It's literally "four in the morning, the end of December". A year contains 525,959 and 4/15 minutes and Mr Cohen made this specific minute super special (at least for me). R.I.P❤️
It's been a ritual for me to wake up by 4 on the 31st of December and listen to this song from the past 3 years. Can't relate much with the overt themes in the song but it somehow still acts as a closure of every year for me. Let's see for how long this goes on. Cheers.
I once drove to a concert at four in the morning, the end of December with a friend, and this started playing on the radio as we drove. It was spooky. Sort of.
Heard this in my bedroom as a 16 yr old and figured out what proper song writing was. 32 years later and it still evokes deserts, train stations, complex relationships and bedrooms. A masterpiece.
I first saw him in 1973. It was just him in white singing. I had already been swept away by Suzanne and Sisters of Mercy. My boyfriend said I was elevating. I especially like his last one. We grew old together
"Thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes." It took me major heart break to understand how deep is this line. It was always there with my woman. But I tried to take it away, I couldn't. She didn't give me a good reason for the break up, I guess it was that trouble in her eyes, all the time.
"Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes I thought it was there for good so I never tried." - by this he eventually admits that the 'friend' was able to make Jane happier than he ever could.
@@marita7424 Yes, exactly. This is why I said unlike Cohen I tried to take it away, but I couldn't. Sometimes It is that person for you, but you are not the one for them doesn't matter how hard you try. I hope she finds the person who will take the trouble from her eyes.
@@kubi_lazy Understand, however the whole song is about 'love triangle' as you know perhaps so that this is about another type of love.... the complicated one and painful.... While being interviewed on the BBC in 1994, Cohen was asked about the circumstances that led to the song. He said: I always felt that there was an invisible male seducing the woman I was with, now whether this one was incarnate or merely imaginary I don't remember. I've always had the sense that either I've been that figure in relation to another couple or there'd been a figure like that in relation to my marriage. I don't quite remember but I did have this feeling that there was always a third party, sometimes me, sometimes another man, sometimes another woman.
@@marita7424 Thank you, I knew the story already since I've searched after listening to it to understand further what he actually tells. I just found something similar with my last relationship in this small but strong detail and was pointing it out. I am aware the song is about something totally different than my point in general.
Four in the morning, the end of another December... and again I'm listening to this, as I have since my teens. I'm now 69 and his music moves me as much as it did then.
This song reminds me so much of Burt, that thin gypsy thief. What can I tell you my brother, my killer? Thank you sincerely Leonard Cohen for the soundtrack of my life. The music will live forever as will yr legend
I'm now 16 years old, balling my eyes out at 3:47 in the morning listening to this master piece, my mom brought me here as Leonard was her favourite artist. Listening to him just makes me feel as if she is sitting right next to me. Rest easy, and I'm sure she already asked you for a dinner date in heaven😅
Music crosses the boundaries between life and death. Some pieces more than others. This man was a Cohen. You should look up what the Cohen family name means. Love you, kiddo. I hope you enjoyed your mama's visit.
I for the life of me will never understand how he kept it together singing these words. I can't listen, let alone sing along without becoming a blubbering fool. Such feeling. Such emotion.
His songs are often sad, poignant and beautiful. As a teenager he touched me deeply, and continues to. I still sing his songs. Thank you Leonard, you are a great poet and singer.
Congrats on having the good taste to find it when it is now unfashionable. I first heard it about 50 years ago and it's still a favourite - together with 'That's no way to say goodbye'.
I was 4 yrs old the first time I heard this and I was captivated for life. My hippy uncles playing records in the 1970s instilled a wonderful love of many types of music in me. This beautiful song remains my favourite of Cohens although I love most of his stuff.
Yes!! You described his music just right. Nobody beats Cohen. So beautiful and so sad. And it wasn’t just an act either, just look at the few interviews with him. There’s always something sad within him, something “pushing” him down.
There is a women somewhere in that very earth. This song was written for her and me. Pure coincidence. I adore her and nobody will never know. Thanks for that music.
well.. it is four in the morning, the end of december. i’m standing in this moment with this song resonating deeply in me... i hope the next year will be kind to all of you thanks leonard
"And thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thought it was there for good so I never tried" Such an amazing line. And the clarity in the instruments and emphasis on the guitar as he sings it makes it hit so hard.
J avais une vingtaine d'années quand j'ai découvert et aimé Léonard Cohen. J'ai 69 ans aujourd'hui et je l'écoute toujours avec la même émotion . Surtout " famous blue raincoat" .Aucune autre chanson ne provoque en moi un tel bouleversement. Merci Léonard d'avoir enchanté ma vie
We are the same age and became aware of Leonard Cohen at an age before we knew what did or could lie ahead. We only "guessed" about love. All of who we would become was as yet unknown. But Leonard Cohen treated us to "flakes of his life" for all these years, like an emotional twin from whom we cannot separate our paths. I am grateful for his example for the finale. Like "The little Prince", I watch for Cohen in the stars. It's unbelievable that your comment evoked this. I've decided not to erase it. Sincerely, K. Fricks
@@timothygrayson What Holocaust? That term was invented in the 1970's and prior to that people of Cohen;'s generation in America were brought up on the stated truth that "thousands" of Jews were k****d during that period, - not millions. I would suggest that Cohen's contempt primarliy stems from Talmudic values which treat all Gentiles as subhuman.
it is my great honor to have been named after this genius. A favorite of my mother's, my grandfather's and mine. Legendary writing, singing and living.
Again, an obnoxious night, and Leonard saved me from the pangs of instability. Oh! tasks and works ruin people's lives; often. Without this song I would've easily hated my job and also the night.
On my first listening of this song, the line "thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thought it was there for good, so i never tried" nearly broke me. I felt so deeply with Jane, knowing exactly how it felt for her, too. It still scratches like hell. Cohen has some indescribable magic in his texts.
The greastest lines are: "And what can I tell you, my brother, my killer, What can I possibly say? I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you, I'm glad you stood in my way
It's really four in the morning here in Kolkata. Far away from "new york is cold" but i can find acute similarity of the song. Late night work and someone that I've lost forever haunts me. Cohen sounds like my heart. I wish i were in his concert sometime. I wish cohen to be immortal.
My cat Oscar loved this song. I would rock him to sleep. It was so familiar to him. I played it hundreds of times for while rocking him to sleep. He was immediately limp. Like hypnosis. He died two months ago, I’m writing this while my Bluetooth speaker plays this beautiful song over top of his gravesite in my backyard. I hope he can hear it from the heavens above.
I can't think of another song that sets an atmosphere like this one. Listen to it at noon on a bright sunny July day, and it's immediately 4 in the morning, the end of December. Genius. And the lines: 'Thanks For the trouble you took From her eyes I thought it was there For good So I never tried' A great song from a truly great album. Life-changing!
It’s 4 in the morning the end of December indeed , listening to this masterpiece, from Montreal home of the legend Leonard Cohen. 5 years ago I used to listen to it in my home country, now I’m living it.
Redemption, peacefulness, the very spiritual sadness of man, whatever this song is, it is beyond love and hate, it is a glimpse of relief itself. Love this song from the very first time I heard it and it got me still.Thank you L.Cohen
Here for my ritual of visiting this video every year on this day at 4 ( in the morning). This year was replete with a range of unique experiences, I took some decisions which were in reality no decisions at all, giving me only the chance to either accept it with grace or languish. It's amusing how life has it's way of making you act on it's will also giving you a sense of responsibility about something you've not chosen. I come to the song towards the end of this year like I've been doing from the past four years just so that by some means I could get a much needed closure this year. Let's see what this year bodes. Cheers.
The first time I heard Leonard Cohen from a cassette recorder in an old Bobble car to trip to Cappadoccia, I was with a stolen green-eyed girl to celebrate the new year. I was 30 years old. Then I heard him alive in "Kongeparken, Ålgård" I fall in love with the blond Choir girl on his right side. then I understood quite well "No cure for Love", I was with Suzanne.2.nd time I heard him alive again in an outdoor concert in Langesund on July.18.2009 with Anne, The last time I heard him a year after with his eternal Love Marianna sitting in front of me in the first VIP seat in front of me in Oslo Spectrum. Now I am 77 years of age, and my heart is still beating with a pacemaker, and I have no control of it.
Without even listening to and processing the lyrics the sound and atmosphere alone is capable of evoking ones emotions from a very deep place in the soul. I was caught off guard unexpectedly when driving on a dark night when this came on and I burst of tears .
I am now in my twilight years, Cohen' s music and poetry were revealed to me a bit late in life, but it was a revelation. He mastered the definitive issues of human life, sex, religion, meaning and love, and a horror of domesticity. He was of the greats...
Always a joi to be reminded of the masterpiece that will sail you sweetly through lifes uncharted existential wilderness. Forever thank and love Leonard Cohen for steering the ship to the magic lands.
I think Leonard Cohen's music must have contributed to many of our lives, after reading the comments below. I "discovered" his music when I was in college in the early 1970s. I was hooked, and by so many things I heard. His inherent sadness, resigned perhaps to it, but still something of a wild and romantic soul. These qualities jump out of his melodies and lyrics, and have allowed me to be sad, resigned, wild and romantic as well. It's never grown old, and it's heartening to read that a lot of young people have also "discovered" him.
Beautiful words and so true. The impact of his music you've described, same for me. And even more. He gives me some weird and very special kind of tranquility and harmony in the darkness and believe me, I know the darkness. Whenever it gets to much and I feel like the end is very near, I listen to his music and I find comfort and peace within the sadness and all of the anger, desperation and all the negative feelings are blown off of me as if there was a storm that's going right through my mind and leaving nothing but a kind of empty but yet loving sadness that's almost like a friend, not an enemy. A friend that wouldn't hurt me, but soothes me and bears life with me. Even my body gets quiet in a good way, similar to the feeling you have when you've cried until you have no tears left and just feel... calm and exhausted. Don't know how to describe it, very bad with words. But I've never had this feeling before I heard Mr. Cohens music for the first time and never without it. He was a genius and an extremely sensitive, mindful and fascinating soul. His music is a wonderful and inspiring gift to humanity and same as you, I'm so glad even young people love and maybe even understand it. Although I'm young myself(28), but his music has been such a huge part of my life for many years and I'm sure without it my life would look a whole lot different today. Maybe I wouldn't even be here anymore.
If I understand his lyrics, he had a girl that he took for granted. She grew tired of the relationship and met another guy, but realized that it was not truly deep and temporary. She returned, and Leonard took her back, accepting his failures to be present for her, not blaming her. This song is incredibly deep and only relatable to those who've lived and loved and lost. Amazing.
Just hope people are listening to this in 2024. It has to be heard for years to come
I'm listening.
It’s four in the morning, the end of December 2024.
I heard this song for the first time as a troubled teenager in December 1992 or maybe 1993; these times did not have the linear order for me. I recorded it from radio and played it the whole night on repeat. Leonard Cohen was telling me that everything isn’t going to be alright, but it’s possible to live it through with dignity and compassion. It was so different than all easy lies I refused to believe. It was a solid piece of wood to hold on to when I was drowning. So I return to this song December after December. In the 90s, with the song recorded on a cassette tape, I thought I was alone. Now I can see so many people have listened to this song at four in the morning as Decembers rolled on… It was my favourite song by Leonard Cohen, until I’ve heard his very last one, You Want It Darker. That song is darkest of the dark, but I’m sure that wherever Leonard is now, the light is there.
It really is 4 in the morning and I cannot sleep .... I am 70 now .... I was 18 when I found Leonard Cohen's music .... Saw him "live" approx 6 times, including a 3 day hippie festival in the middle of nowhere in the South of France .... he turned up on a white horse and sang a lot in French .... he has meant so much to me all of my life, and I feel the need to tell somebody!
PS a year later .... Thank you to everyone who, over the last year, and to my amazement, gave me 1800 likes and lots of comments about Leonard Cohen and what he means to me ..... We HAVE something that non-Cohen lovers have no clue about! .... One or 2 of you asked to know more about me .... As you asked, all I can say is "Like a bird on a wire .... I have tried in my own way to be free" ....
Aged 26 I spent a year under Bhagwan in India and ironically I discovered just after that Jesus is "truly the Son of God", and whatever beliefs you may have, HE is still the "Gateway to heaven" and "Lord of heaven and earth" .... He "laid aside His majesty, and humbled Himself and became a man", and lived and died FOR US ...It's 2024 now and it's STILL 4 in the morning ...
wow:)
I discovered this song when I was 19. I am 34 now. It's an incredible song! Thanks for sharing, I hear you. I kept dreaming I could go to a concert when he was with us but can barely go out because of mental health problems.
Tell me more
I'm 71 and I discovered him in 1969 somehow. I really don't remember, but his depression spoke to me. Just love the man and will hope to honor his memory until I join him in death.
😮
that female voice in the background singing "da da" is the icing of the cake in this song.
Especially at 3:30 when two women sing „da da“ in harmony.
You sure right about that. Wish i could see him but too late for that.
It's the web sisters
Certainly is Laura, sets the mood x
Female backing vocals really make many songs. Many of Cohen's, good call. It's the interplay between the two that makes great music, either sonically or by inspiration.
The greatest Leonard song of them all... if only for the lines: "Thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes / I thought it was there for good so I never tried."
This was the very line that got me too! Amazing talent.
yes im agree
Have always loved Leonard Cohen. What a voice. To write poetry is one thing and then to put it to music so hauntingly beautiful. Besides embracing your soul and moving your awareness, Leonard Cohen, you did a fantastic job. A Thousand Kisses Deep and so many deep moving awesome songs and lyrics. Anne🙏🌵🎵🎧
Can you guys wonder how lucky you are able to understand those lyrics. And how frustrating it is to miss it with Cohen, Dylan and few others
Agree. I think these are the greatest lines of any song I've ever heard
Hi. I’m writing this with tears in my eyes. I’m 14 and just learned that my dad passed from a heart attack today. this was his favourite song right now and he loved sitting in my kitchen and playing it on the speakers. this song will always be a huge part of my life from this day on.
Edit: It’s been a year now and I want to thank all of you who have left kind words on this comment.
“All things grow with time, except grief”
This past year has gone by in the blink of an eye while also simultaneously feeling like the longest year of my life. Life without my dad is different. There’s a hole that can not and will not be filled but that’s not a bad thing. That hole serves as a reminder of the great man that was my dad. People say that time heals, but I disagree. I think that time lets you accept what has happened but the scar remains. This song now serves as a beautiful trip down memory lane in place of a painful ballad of mourning. For anyone reading this who has recently lost someone they love dearly, weep as much as you need. Every tear is a drop of love with nowhere else to go. Try your best to carry on but make sure to take days off to relax and be alone if you need to. Again, thank you for the messages and lots of love to you all.
Cillian, so very sorry you lost your Dad. I hope this song keeps you connected to him.
OMG, what a terrible shock. I'm so sorry, play this song often. My Dad passed almost three years ago. His favourite music helps keep him close to me.
@@gard7662 I was also 6 when my father died,, I am 63 now; you are right "The hole he left in your world will never be filled, but it will get easier to bear" (perhaps more manageable certainly). But lets not pretend that all will be made better in some future time; that's a beautiful fantasy but it's not the reality.
@@gard7662 I am not sure why you say I am "prick". No one is doing that (not at all clear what 'that' is?).
Me too. God bless
My son doesn't get Leonards' music yet, but I will leave this comment for him to find after I'm gone. This song meant so much to me. Hopefully youtube survives. I love you. Keep searching. Carpe diem.
That's one great message to leave. Much love to you both.
Hope he likes his music soon and u two can enjoy it together ❤
He Will !
hope at one point you and your son listens to leonard with similar energy.
My father got me into his music and I didn't really understand it until I was older. Have faith.
This is not a song, it's a short fiction masterpiece put to music
And what can I tell you my brother? My killer? What can I possibly say? I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you, I'm glad you stood in my way.
Such a powerful line
I've always been wondering about the killer line.... does that make the whole song a suicide letter?
@@MouflonMike I think it's a reference to the story of Cain and Abel, symbolizing the dispute over someone's love. Cohen had always been fond of biblical allegories.
I saw Leonard sing this in 85 at a beautiful concert. My love had tears glistening in her eyes. I looked at her and she saw the tears in my own eyes. It was a moment that transcended time in my life, as if we understood shared emotions from our past. Thank you Leonard Cohen for this and many great memories of song
such a beautiful moment...
🌹🌹💘
TMI
Not possible to listen to this song without sadness. Leonard was such a genious. Miss him.
Beautiful comment
what a masterpiece, what a voice. So long, poet.
Tears...
yeah so long, but i'm still here; trinidad apodaca poet: goog me gracious
@@trinidadapodaca7027
Quelle modestie !
yes, he was a poet
"Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried." I tell you. It takes guts to write and sing this. Cohen is art.
So true.
My husband said appreciatively that every female graduate student wanted to sleep with Leonard Cohen 🤗
Probably my favorite Leonard Cohen song, makes me almost cry every time I hear it. So powerful, I'm 50 now & only came across his music in 2017. I liked how his voice changed over the years. I never heard a song he sang I didn't enjoy. RIP LC, you brought lots of love to this old world.
I'm here today at the end of December. I had my intimate encounters, but solitude is something that overrides my desire to keep company.
Totally agree
@@lauratanase4724 Sounds like a love connection.
Also known as “money over bitches”
MG.TOW is the way.
Nah. Humans are an extremely social species. We need people around us, and long for love and acceptance. You may need to surround yourself with better people, to gain empathy and understanding. Life become much easier if we share our burdens with others. Good luck, friend.
Your a Capricorn?
l am a chinese.My English is not good.but when l heard this sing my heart get peace
my friend ;cohen is far greater than the barriers of language and culture.....i hope you stay safe in the middle of the corona Crisis
@@filippo-m-7824 Sorry
I love that this brings one peace
This is honestly a really beautiful comment. Music is the language of the soul, it transcends the language barrier. Safe travels, brother.
@@GhostyGhost7007 l love this song and l also want to persue my favorite.He is a romantic poet and wonderful prior
Here in Iran, It's literally "four in the morning, the end of December". A year contains 525,959 and 4/15 minutes and Mr Cohen made this specific minute super special (at least for me).
R.I.P❤️
@Shayan The unworthy - peace and love from Israel to Iran with Leonard Cohen poetry.
@@ivristern2601 you just made me smile.. Thank you so much..
Did you rub one out to his voice or something? Used the same Kleen-x to dry your tears after...made it special?
@@slybuster How being a knob will benefit anybody/anything ?
@@saraivatoledo1842 Crass humor is the antidote to literary pretensions.
One of my favourite artists for over 50 years. This song still brings tears to my eyes.
It's been a ritual for me to wake up by 4 on the 31st of December and listen to this song from the past 3 years. Can't relate much with the overt themes in the song but it somehow still acts as a closure of every year for me. Let's see for how long this goes on. Cheers.
I once drove to a concert at four in the morning, the end of December with a friend, and this started playing on the radio as we drove. It was spooky. Sort of.
Sounds surreal. I doubt it gets better than that. I'd love to stay in that moment forever.
The level of writing in this song is absolutely astonishing.
This song has a really specific feel. It almost smells of cigarettes, coffee, and a vague sense of nostalgia tinged with melancholy.
Nailed it.
Brizey you're a poet and you don't know it!
Perfectly described brizey!
@@edmundpower1250 No
and a touch of whisky...
“ She sends her regard”
This line, and the guitar that follows is gut wrenching.
I read this comment just as that part played, felt really weird seeing it and hearing it for some unusual reason.
There is no lasting happiness in life, only a mirage on the horizon. Leonard knew that.
Maybe there is.
@@steverae9980 no, there is not
you're right
Impossible not to cry. One of the best songs ever written.
This is becoming my favorite Cohen song. I struggle to handle sorrow and admire wisdom in it. Just so perfect.
Heard this in my bedroom as a 16 yr old and figured out what proper song writing was. 32 years later and it still evokes deserts, train stations, complex relationships and bedrooms. A masterpiece.
A deep soul that was a humble man seeking true love and found emptiness.
One of a few who are looking to form someone for life…
I first saw him in 1973. It was just him in white singing. I had already been swept away by Suzanne and Sisters of Mercy. My boyfriend said I was elevating. I especially like his last one. We grew old together
A man whose voice sounded like tears.
Or like silent raindrops on a window at nightfall
and is as deep as his soul
Hello Steve..
Well said
A man...
"Thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes."
It took me major heart break to understand how deep is this line.
It was always there with my woman. But I tried to take it away, I couldn't. She didn't give me a good reason for the break up, I guess it was that trouble in her eyes, all the time.
"Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried." - by this he eventually admits that the 'friend' was able to make Jane happier than he ever could.
@@marita7424 Yes, exactly. This is why I said unlike Cohen I tried to take it away, but I couldn't. Sometimes It is that person for you, but you are not the one for them doesn't matter how hard you try. I hope she finds the person who will take the trouble from her eyes.
@@kubi_lazy Understand, however the whole song is about 'love triangle' as you know perhaps so that this is about another type of love.... the complicated one and painful.... While being interviewed on the BBC in 1994, Cohen was asked about the circumstances that led to the song. He said:
I always felt that there was an invisible male seducing the woman I was with, now whether this one was incarnate or merely imaginary I don't remember. I've always had the sense that either I've been that figure in relation to another couple or there'd been a figure like that in relation to my marriage. I don't quite remember but I did have this feeling that there was always a third party, sometimes me, sometimes another man, sometimes another woman.
@@marita7424 Thank you, I knew the story already since I've searched after listening to it to understand further what he actually tells. I just found something similar with my last relationship in this small but strong detail and was pointing it out. I am aware the song is about something totally different than my point in general.
@@kubi_lazy The song is so close to my heart and soul, my broken heart. ...I new it was there for good so I never tried... I couldn't. Because.
Thank you Connor Roy for introducing me, an Indian, to Leonard Cohen.
One of the most amazing literary pieces ever written. RIP Leonard Cohen.
Four in the morning, the end of another December... and again I'm listening to this, as I have since my teens. I'm now 69 and his music moves me as much as it did then.
Your enemy is sleeping and your woman is free..... Sends chills to the heart
*his woman
That's pure poetry guys..
A song like this simply marks your life..
This song reminds me so much of Burt, that thin gypsy thief. What can I tell you my brother, my killer? Thank you sincerely Leonard Cohen for the soundtrack of my life. The music will live forever as will yr legend
I'm now 16 years old, balling my eyes out at 3:47 in the morning listening to this master piece, my mom brought me here as Leonard was her favourite artist. Listening to him just makes me feel as if she is sitting right next to me. Rest easy, and I'm sure she already asked you for a dinner date in heaven😅
I am also 16 and i feel the same as you
Music crosses the boundaries between life and death. Some pieces more than others.
This man was a Cohen. You should look up what the Cohen family name means.
Love you, kiddo. I hope you enjoyed your mama's visit.
I have tried to share him with my 3 children all now in their 30's .... I'll get there! .... (I also have tried in my way to be free) ....
Give this cover a listen🙂
ua-cam.com/video/Oaf0gzQSiOM/v-deo.html
And then AURORA Through The Eyes Of a Child
The words "She sends her regards" delivered like a dagger. Geez, what a song.
This is one of the best songs ever written. Such a depth, and you feel as if you are really in New York in a lonely foggy road
I always have and probably always will find myself listening to this song in the last few days before New Year's Day...
I thought I was the only one.
I for the life of me will never understand how he kept it together singing these words. I can't listen, let alone sing along without becoming a blubbering fool. Such feeling. Such emotion.
Love ya Leonard.
Life isn't the same without you.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Leonard Cohen's music & poetry is present in my life since more than 50 years and it will go on until I follow him to the place where he is now.
50 years this year for me and still in love with his music and poetry
His songs are often sad, poignant and beautiful. As a teenager he touched me deeply, and continues to. I still sing his songs. Thank you Leonard, you are a great poet and singer.
Just the greatest
Same here with resonanance of Cohen's lyrical voice singing to my broken heart yet . . . moving onwards with me my friend . . .
You'll have a lump in your throat and a tear which falls from your eye through out this masterpiece.
I'm 18 years old and have only just discovered this song but by GOD it is good
I went out to buy a classical guitar to learn how to play his songs when i was 22 & now i am 70 !!
How did it go?
@@awikio UA-cam is your friend !
Congrats on having the good taste to find it when it is now unfashionable. I first heard it about 50 years ago and it's still a favourite - together with 'That's no way to say goodbye'.
I was 4 yrs old the first time I heard this and I was captivated for life. My hippy uncles playing records in the 1970s instilled a wonderful love of many types of music in me. This beautiful song remains my favourite of Cohens although I love most of his stuff.
Connor Roy certainly has good taste in music. 🙌
The Master of Melancholia.
Yes!! You described his music just right. Nobody beats Cohen. So beautiful and so sad. And it wasn’t just an act either, just look at the few interviews with him. There’s always something sad within him, something “pushing” him down.
There is a women somewhere in that very earth. This song was written for her and me. Pure coincidence. I adore her and nobody will never know. Thanks for that music.
One of the best songs ever...pure magic, pure beauty, pure love and forgiveness. May he live forever in the heart of God.
Thank you for the like!
@@Pedro83214 is the 'he' referring to the song or the artist?
@@idoavisar4845 To the artist.
I'm an atheist but I feel exactly what you mean.
Amen !
R.i.p. leonard cohen.
the last great poet of our time.
fare thee well.
My eyes were shutting down for a time, then this....
AnRTPgA More art will come, never underestimate the creative potential of humanity.
We’ve still got Tom Waits :)
Cave and Waits are still here
We had Hunter when you wrote this and Dylan is around. Don’t be so discouraged
Its not 5 in morning and end of January. I embrace this song like a scarf around my neck.
well.. it is four in the morning, the end of december. i’m standing in this moment with this song resonating deeply in me... i hope the next year will be kind
to all of you
thanks leonard
"And thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thought it was there for good so I never tried"
Such an amazing line. And the clarity in the instruments and emphasis on the guitar as he sings it makes it hit so hard.
J avais une vingtaine d'années quand j'ai découvert et aimé Léonard Cohen. J'ai 69 ans aujourd'hui et je l'écoute toujours avec la même émotion . Surtout " famous blue raincoat" .Aucune autre chanson ne provoque en moi un tel bouleversement. Merci Léonard d'avoir enchanté ma vie
Love from London. C'est vrai. Xx
We are the same age and became aware of Leonard Cohen at an age before we knew what did or could lie ahead. We only "guessed" about love. All of who we would become was as yet unknown.
But Leonard Cohen treated us to "flakes of his life" for all these years, like an emotional twin from whom we cannot separate our paths.
I am grateful for his example for the finale.
Like "The little Prince", I watch for Cohen in the stars.
It's unbelievable that your comment evoked this. I've decided not to erase it. Sincerely, K. Fricks
@@caitlinmelvage8967
Life goes so fast. I was 15. I will be 64 in one month. What's happen?
One of those songs I wish could last forever...
It will.
A touching song. Full of emotion and good taste. Leonard's triumph.
Bollox, - the idle strummings of a cynic guiding others to destruction.
@@richardduplessis1090 And why not?
@@timothygrayson you think guiding others to destruction is a good thing?
@richardduplessis1090 No! But Leonard has much baggage much anger because of the Holocaust perhaps?
@@timothygrayson What Holocaust? That term was invented in the 1970's and prior to that people of Cohen;'s generation in America were brought up on the stated truth that "thousands" of Jews were k****d during that period, - not millions. I would suggest that Cohen's contempt primarliy stems from Talmudic values which treat all Gentiles as subhuman.
50 Years and we love it more than ever. Thanks Leonard.
First I heard him I was 16 and it was this song on the radio.65 now and still listen to almost every night.
Same story but I’m only 20.
It takes the insanity of love to truly know that someone is better off without you.
❤jane
it is my great honor to have been named after this genius. A favorite of my mother's, my grandfather's and mine. Legendary writing, singing and living.
Just woke up before 4 in the morning on 31st to listen to it right now. Feels surreal.
Again, an obnoxious night, and Leonard saved me from the pangs of instability. Oh! tasks and works ruin people's lives; often. Without this song I would've easily hated my job and also the night.
Nights really really eerie these days, ain't they?
Thanks for the tears Leonard. They cant hurt you anymore
Göksel Sezginer Huzur içinde yatsın.
It's 3 in the morning, 19 of December and I just discovered this wonderful song! What a great coincidence.
And one year later I'm still here 16 of December 2021
those are the best musical surprises
On my first listening of this song, the line "thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thought it was there for good, so i never tried" nearly broke me. I felt so deeply with Jane, knowing exactly how it felt for her, too. It still scratches like hell. Cohen has some indescribable magic in his texts.
głos, który nie zniknie z naszej fonii. Wielki szacunek.
Leonard Cohen's music is a balm to the soul.
❤️
The greatest line is “sincerely l. Cohen.” Hands down, best
The greastest lines are:
"And what can I tell you,
my brother, my killer,
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you,
I guess I forgive you,
I'm glad you stood in my way
@@ivanacvetanovic7611 or and thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good, so I never tried.
these backing vocals are so important for this composition
It is fascinating how his voice changed over time.
everyones voice...
@@martimribeiro7538 usually not to this degree
tobacco
@@inkoinfinity2 smoking and the drink combined with aging will do that to a man
@@blank6165 yes that is true
It's really four in the morning here in Kolkata. Far away from "new york is cold" but i can find acute similarity of the song. Late night work and someone that I've lost forever haunts me. Cohen sounds like my heart. I wish i were in his concert sometime. I wish cohen to be immortal.
The end of December... such a delicate time
My cat Oscar loved this song. I would rock him to sleep. It was so familiar to him. I played it hundreds of times for while rocking him to sleep. He was immediately limp. Like hypnosis. He died two months ago, I’m writing this while my Bluetooth speaker plays this beautiful song over top of his gravesite in my backyard. I hope he can hear it from the heavens above.
I hope.
I once knew a cat called Oscar, now also departed.
Hopefully Leonard is giving him a live version.
Losing a beloved pet is one of the saddest things in life. You will never forget Oscar. I
I have 5 cats buried in my backyard. I miss every one of them so much.
I can't think of another song that sets an atmosphere like this one.
Listen to it at noon on a bright sunny July day, and it's immediately 4 in the morning, the end of December.
Genius.
And the lines:
'Thanks
For the trouble you took
From her eyes
I thought it was there
For good
So I never tried'
A great song from a truly great album. Life-changing!
There's something in this song, I listen to it without getting tired after thousands of times.
Master song and poet writers like Cohen are becoming a lost art. So full of beauty truth and love.
"Thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thought it was there for good, so I never tried."
The best lyric ever?
nothing is like loving and hating someone at the same time.
Exactly :)
It’s 4 in the morning the end of December indeed , listening to this masterpiece, from Montreal home of the legend Leonard Cohen.
5 years ago I used to listen to it in my home country, now I’m living it.
My fave Leonard album. First I heard - it blew me away when I was 17
Redemption, peacefulness, the very spiritual sadness of man, whatever this song is, it is beyond love and hate, it is a glimpse of relief itself. Love this song from the very first time I heard it and it got me still.Thank you L.Cohen
A master of poetry love him like Dylan
Those backing vocals always break my fucking heart.
For sure.
Here for my ritual of visiting this video every year on this day at 4 ( in the morning). This year was replete with a range of unique experiences, I took some decisions which were in reality no decisions at all, giving me only the chance to either accept it with grace or languish. It's amusing how life has it's way of making you act on it's will also giving you a sense of responsibility about something you've not chosen. I come to the song towards the end of this year like I've been doing from the past four years just so that by some means I could get a much needed closure this year. Let's see what this year bodes. Cheers.
yes it is 4 in morning... december... heavy heart
The first time I heard Leonard Cohen from a cassette recorder in an old Bobble car to trip to Cappadoccia, I was with a stolen green-eyed girl to celebrate the new year. I was 30 years old. Then I heard him alive in "Kongeparken, Ålgård" I fall in love with the blond Choir girl on his right side. then I understood quite well "No cure for Love", I was with Suzanne.2.nd time I heard him alive again in an outdoor concert in Langesund on July.18.2009 with Anne, The last time I heard him a year after with his eternal Love Marianna sitting in front of me in the first VIP seat in front of me in Oslo Spectrum. Now I am 77 years of age, and my heart is still beating with a pacemaker, and I have no control of it.
Without even listening to and processing the lyrics the sound and atmosphere alone is capable of evoking ones emotions from a very deep place in the soul. I was caught off guard unexpectedly when driving on a dark night when this came on and I burst of tears .
'and I burst of tears. ' - think we've all shed those tears. We are a brotherhood of tears.
I am now in my twilight years, Cohen' s music and poetry were revealed to me a bit late in life, but it was a revelation. He mastered the definitive issues of human life, sex, religion, meaning and love, and a horror of domesticity. He was of the greats...
Its four in the morning, the end of December and i'm listening to this song, neat.
Same here. 31st December 2020.
@@vicbarrett540
Hope you feel fine today. 14th February 2024.❤❤❤
Always a joi to be reminded of the masterpiece that will sail you sweetly through lifes uncharted existential wilderness. Forever thank and love Leonard Cohen for steering the ship to the magic lands.
I think Leonard Cohen's music must have contributed to many of our lives, after reading the comments below. I "discovered" his music when I was in college in the early 1970s. I was hooked, and by so many things I heard. His inherent sadness, resigned perhaps to it, but still something of a wild and romantic soul. These qualities jump out of his melodies and lyrics, and have allowed me to be sad, resigned, wild and romantic as well. It's never grown old, and it's heartening to read that a lot of young people have also "discovered" him.
Beautiful words and so true. The impact of his music you've described, same for me. And even more. He gives me some weird and very special kind of tranquility and harmony in the darkness and believe me, I know the darkness. Whenever it gets to much and I feel like the end is very near, I listen to his music and I find comfort and peace within the sadness and all of the anger, desperation and all the negative feelings are blown off of me as if there was a storm that's going right through my mind and leaving nothing but a kind of empty but yet loving sadness that's almost like a friend, not an enemy. A friend that wouldn't hurt me, but soothes me and bears life with me. Even my body gets quiet in a good way, similar to the feeling you have when you've cried until you have no tears left and just feel... calm and exhausted. Don't know how to describe it, very bad with words. But I've never had this feeling before I heard Mr. Cohens music for the first time and never without it. He was a genius and an extremely sensitive, mindful and fascinating soul. His music is a wonderful and inspiring gift to humanity and same as you, I'm so glad even young people love and maybe even understand it. Although I'm young myself(28), but his music has been such a huge part of my life for many years and I'm sure without it my life would look a whole lot different today. Maybe I wouldn't even be here anymore.
This song makes me sad, happy and satisfied all at once.
He is a master. With words. And as he grew older the voice got deeper and Even more magical
cela fait presque 50ans que j'ai découvert Leonard Cohen et je ne m'en lasse pas. il me manque beaucoup. Be in peace Mister Leonard
moi aussi ....
Of all the great songs Leonard's written, something in the majesty of that chorus melody sends this one to the top for me, or very near it.
If I understand his lyrics, he had a girl that he took for granted. She grew tired of the relationship and met another guy, but realized that it was not truly deep and temporary. She returned, and Leonard took her back, accepting his failures to be present for her, not blaming her. This song is incredibly deep and only relatable to those who've lived and loved and lost. Amazing.
I understood it differently. Like a friend is singing to a friend who overtook his woman, the song is imagined as a letter.
You’re overthinking it, it’s a letter to his brother who canoodled Leonard’s woman, sent her back, but she wasn’t the same
All five of you are correct
Yes right. I guess I was thinking more of his inspiration to come up with a song about it. 💥
It's this time of the year again
I wish I had someone near me who understands how this song makes me feel, to be able to share the joy and love
Indépassable, la magie, la proximité de la voix, posée, sans emphase, la tristesse sans fond, sans égal...
The most beautiful song ever existed