The rain falls down on last year’s man,
That’s a Jew’s harp^[1]A type of harmonica; Cohen himself was Jewish. on the table,
That’s a crayon in his hand.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined^[2]Implicitly, all of last year’s plans are already ruined as the calendar draws to a close; I mean, do you even remember what your resolutions were last year? since they rolled
Far past the stems of thumbtacks
That still throw shadows on the wood.^[3]The immaterial shadows cast by the cheap thumbtacks that held up your failed blue prints have left a greater impression than even our sincerest New Years resolutions; for “Take counsel … Continue reading
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I’ll never mend^[4]Expressing a despair unto death that that which is broken will never be fixed, that the consummation decreed will never come to pass, that the Summer is past and our souls are not saved, and our … Continue reading
And all the rain falls down, amen^[5]This Amen re-situates this man’s despair as a prayer–for repentance, for redemption, for divine grace.
On the works^[6]Faith without works is dead, we are fond of reminding the evangelicals; but it is worth remembering that works without faith are dead too–and that it really isn’t our works that will save … Continue readingof last year’s man.

I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the dark
Oh one by one she had to tell them
That her name was Joan of Arc.^[7]Legendary teen soldier (c. 1412 – 1431) and Patron Saint of France during the Hundreds Year War.
I was in that army, yes I stayed a little while;
I want to thank you, Joan of Arc,
For treating me so well.

And though I wear a uniform, I was not born to fight;
All these wounded boys you lie beside,
Goodnight, my friends, goodnight.^[8]A direct allusion to the ending to Part I of TS Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” a collage-poem about paralysis in the modern era.

I came upon a wedding that old families had contrived;
Bethlehem^[9]Birthplace of both David and Christ, of course. the bridegroom^[10]Also a term for the Messiah,
Babylon^[11]Not just the ancient empire and destroyer of Jerusalem (which as a Jew, Cohen would especially feel), but the antithesis of Zion. the bride.
Great Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for me,
And Bethlehem inflamed us both
Like the shy one at some orgy.^[12]Is it Zion engaging in an unholy alliance with Babylon in this verse, or is it the whore of Babylon finally being redeemed via her union with Zion? Given how often Christ Himself hung out with the … Continue reading
And when we fell together all our flesh was like a veil^[13]And we must pass through the veil when we die, as our own Temple endowment ceremony trains us for.
That I had to draw aside to see
The serpent eat its tail.^[14]The ouroboros, or symbol of time consuming itself–apropos to meditate upon as New Years draws nigh.

Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for Cain^[15]The Messiah or the Murderer; that is, some women wait to be redeemed, while others wait to be killed–le petit morte, the little death that in French (Cohen is from Montreal, remember) signifies … Continue reading
So I hang upon my altar^[16]Where we make our sacrifices.
And I hoist my axe again.
And I take the one who finds me back to where it all began
When Jesus was the honeymoon^[17]For again, Christ is the bridegroom.
And Cain was just the man.
And we read from pleasant Bibles that are bound in blood and skin^[18]Remember how many people had to die to bring you these scriptures.
That the wilderness is gathering^[19]Often in ancient time, certain Israelis–the Reckhabites, the Essenes, Qumran, John the Baptist by the river, Lehi in the dessert, the Saints in the Salt Lake basin–have departed into the … Continue reading
All its children back again.

The rain falls down on last year’s man,
An hour has gone by
And he has not moved his hand.^[20]Once again connecting to the paralysis referenced in the above “Waste Land” allusion.
But everything will happen if he only gives the word;^[21]“Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” -Matt. 8:8
The lovers will rise up^[22]“Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days … Continue reading
And the mountains touch the ground.^[23]“The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.” -Psalms 97:5
But the skylight is like skin for a drum I’ll never mend
And all the rain falls down amen
On the works of last year’s man.^[24]Happy New Years, by the way.