Leonard Cohen -- The Guests

... hung up on Leonard Cohen, and for whatever reason 'The Guests' are playing on my mind ...

And "welcome, welcome" cries a voice
"Let all my guests come in"

The Guests
Leonard Cohen

One by one, the guests arrive
The guests are coming through
The broken-hearted many
The open-hearted few

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Philadelphia

It's quite amazing -and saddening- how quickly the warm, golden glow of Christmas fades into memoryland while the rush and hustle accompanying the preparation for the looming year's end takes over ... It's grey outside and the cold drizzle seems to seep into the bones and my mind keeps playing 'Streets of Philadelphia' by Bruce Springsteen ~ oh, well, just one of those days ...

Streets of Philadelphia
Bruce Springsteen

I was bruised and battered, I couldn't tell what I felt.
I was unrecognizable to myself.
Saw my reflection in a window and didn't know my own face.

Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love

My eyes want to overflow, my mind is filled with your songs, my heart is heavy. But most of all, I'm grateful for all that your music, your songs and your poetry have added to my life ...

R - I - P

Dance Me to the End of Love
Leonard Cohen

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Leonard Cohen - Bird on the Wire

Today I learned that Marianne Ihlen has died last week. Marianne Ihlen is the 'Marianne' addressed by Leonard Cohen in his song 'So long, Marianne'. One of the articles reporting of her passing also mentioned that 'Bird on the Wire' was among her favorite songs. Here's to you, Marianne - Rest in Peace ...

Bird on the Wire
Leonard Cohen

Like a bird on a wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a fish on a hook
Like a knight in some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee

Vaya Con Dios - Time Flies

Two songs in one day? Certainly not going to be the rule, but today ... Oh well, it's the first of the new year and weird stuff is to be expected. Like a call from a past so long ago that it was all but forgotten. Until that call, that is. As is so often the case with stirred up memories a song bursts forth from the recesses of my mind and starts playing. ... 

I had the opportunity to see/hear a life performance of Vaya Con Dios (the band, not the song of the same name).

Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah

I've been a fan of Leonard Cohen since I've first heard his music back in my teens. Perhaps the initial fascination was somewhat influenced by the fact that I had just lost my father and the ambiguity I found in the lyrics seemed to fit any mood -it still does- while the harmonies always sooth. Back then I drove my poor mother to distraction by playing Leonard Cohen songs for hours deep into the night. Imagine my utter astonishment -and delight, of course- when about 20 years later my mother called me to let me know that she'd gone to a Leonard Cohen concert and absolutely loved it.
 

Hallelujah (/ˌhælɨˈluːjə/ HAL-ə-LOO-yə) is a transliteration of the Hebrew word הַלְּלוּיָהּ (Modern halleluya, Tiberian halləlûyāh), which is composed of two elements: הַלְּלוּ (second-person imperative masculine plural form of the Hebrew verb hallal: