What does The Darkness mean?

Leonard Cohen: The Darkness Meaning

Tagged:   No tags, suggest one.
Album cover for The Darkness album cover

The Darkness Lyrics

I caught the darkness
It was drinking from your cup
I caught the darkness
Drinking from your cup
I said, "Is this contagious?"
You said, "Just drink it up."

I've got no future
I know my days are few
The presence, not that pleasant
Just...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 23rd 2021 !⃝

    Darkness is transient, brief as 'mortal life' and 'for now' so very few consider'ahead' that endlessness is rather more than transience of this dying Earth of ens lies to men for the sake of makng a few men 'kings' for a time until Satan becomes the fake saviour, the christ, and unites the dying Earth into one military kingdom. the NWO... Cohen merly warns you of teh same rather obvious signs of yje near future, very unpleasant indeed [WW3 the final of 3 world wars planned in 1871 for 150 years ahead by a then-immortal Satan and US General Albert Pike, 33rd degree Grand Master of the "most dangerous men on Earth" [a quote of president Adams who banned them from USA, but now they are 7million and in charge of this Earth and plans for WW3 with every new weapon on Earth in 'peacetime' ready for the WW3 and then NWO Word military rule as Christ's prophecy comes true exactly the way he said it musy... Cohen rejected his right by birth from his father , Levite priest of Judah [which is NOT Israel! ] because of his mother who told him the Truth of the 'lost' Gypsy wife of the Jews in scripture of The God of all men, the prophesied House of Israel's remnant few saints who with a tiny remnant of Judah alone are to teach all mankind as teh 144,000 chosen by God as worthy saints to teach all men in Christ [The Messiah of Israel anointed so by Mary Magdalene , not a mortal sinner Levite priest of Judaism or the apostate Christian dibvided churches of sinners mocking Christ as 'mortal priests, still sinners , NOT saints...
    - Cohen's teachings thus go DEEP into what happens now he was murdered by his own in the ritual way of Jesuits, signposted by any who knows that spinal cancer is the way they RESERVE for their own who betray their cause for Satan as sole overt MORTAL king of Earth, now he is cast mortal to the grougnd by God himself ,on trial to death for sin as we are ...
    The point is that saints kNOW this has to be bourne , just as Christ sweated blood facing his trial to mortal death that he CHOSE to show us all the only way FORWARD toward endlessness of beng, 'immortal' life of bliss once we seek bliss of the new Earth kingdom of God and Christ over the way of Satan as undisputed King of this Earth by WAR and lies/half-truths/propaganda, of divided [thus proven false] politics of mortals and religions of mortal [thus sinner, priests of Satan as fake Christ/Mesiah of Israel...

    So easy to prove for oneself that the House of Judaism [mortal kings] is NOT the House of Israel, but stole the original kingdom of Israel's LAND [the northern lands of Samaria] from the House of Israel whilst they were in captiity and never returned their lands [so they became Gypsies worldiwde scattered long before God scattered the 'Jews' by Rome as they had STOLEN the altar of Abraham from Bethel in Samaria. polluting it with TOOLS as God says in scrpture, to move it to Jerusalem ...
    The modern military state of Israel is this a fake and as Christ states, Jerusalem & Judaism is the "Mother of whores", MORTAL hierarchic priesthoods of religions divided worldwide of siners teaching propaganda of Satan's divide to conquer, chaos of WW1-WW3 designed in 1871 by then-still-immortal Satan so he can unite mankind in the UN-proposed capital of World religion and politics of military feudal dictatorship of the fake MORTAL Christ, Satan with little time left as Christ tells us in Revelations in the Bible...so fast and sudden the NWO is just ten kings from 170 now kings, then Satan's coup displaces three and seven bend the knee... Daniel the Prophet and christ both told YOU this is how it ends... a fake Christ who then dies , is not immortal yet even dies a second death in new Earth along with the Rich and military leaders and head priests and Jesuit murderers of this Earth and Rothschilds who scammed maan via deceit of kings ...all die mortal death again in new Earth because unlike the many they will not accept bliss by Love of ALL , God's Law for all his creation, until a third life of trial for sin, for defying God in not being Loving to ALL in all ways of Love of all...God cannot be thwarted even by Satan , now moratl with so little time till his death and all chaos breaks out for sinners as Christ can take only saits to be the 144,000 chosen perfected in trial, ceasing all sin when surrounded by sinners in this dying Earth of sin & lies that soon now dies by volcanism [as Prof McGuire tried to tell you is immanent, confiming Christ's warning of 2millenia ago from IMMORTALITY witnessed by SAINTS, not sinners!

    Most will not believe, bt even Cohen told you, the Future is MURDER [by the state, in fact by the NWO established by 'Emergency military Laws' already PASSED in ALL nations worldwide ...so ask yourself why would Cohen spend his life warning us , and why do we now see that when USA currency fails , as it is now, Israel is wide open for WW3 to drag in all nations into WW3 as planned to be FORMENTED, asWRITTEN down in Freemason dogam in 1871 ...three world wars simply to create the new temple in Jerusalem for the 'Jews' to recover from Rome as the final Word power of Satan as Christ , but as a mortal military dictator by war, which both scripture of Israel and the Word of Chrost and God's prophets CONDEM as NOT Love of all...

    So can you not seee Cohen did not die in vain, but what they did to him is evil, just as what the 'Jews' did t Christ was evil... so what will YOU consent that they do to YOU... for that too is evil trial of Love of ALL
    This is what Cohen's songs are about, all of them... it is what hs life was about, and now it is what your life is about too :)

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 3rd 2016 !⃝

    This song had great meaning me during my chemo.
    I felt that it meant realizing mortality
    is not outs to choose or reject. Surrendering oneself to fate. Many lines werr significant. The one that fit so well.
    " you call us here and you bind us tight
    your children in these rags of light.
    Rags of light all dressed to kill. If it be your will.
    I have survived over 4 years now and am currently I am good. My cancer wsd an agressive form. But I'm not s smoker.its in my family.tip eat your veggies

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 21st 2013 !⃝

    I thought since the singer took "a dive" because he was so attracted to her youth, and was drinking from her "cup" and asked if she was contagious, that he contracted a fatal disease and was now dying (AIDS?) and lost interest in life.

    Or depression, but that's not really contagious.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 12th 2012 !⃝

    Darkness is approaching Death.
    The Cup is Life's Experiences.
    You: God?
    or the other Fellow?

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 29th 2012 !⃝

    There are ambiguities here, leave it to the artist to creatively hedge (or the listener to not get it, perhaps my bad). But as I hear this, it is about depression. Clean and reasonably clear. There are unmistakable and poignant lyrics:

    "I've got no future
    I know my days are few
    The present's, not that pleasant
    Just a lot of things to do.
    I thought the past would last me
    But the darkness got there too."

    "I ain't had much loving yet
    But that's always been your call
    I don't miss it baby
    I got no taste for anything at all."

    "I used to love the rainbow
    And I used to love the view
    Another early morning
    I pretend that it was new."

    Classic anhedonia, loss of hope, future, present, past...

    What I don't get, and would love to know, is how he caught the "darkness." That seems veiled. Relationship gone bad? Something more symbolic?

    But he definitely is, IMHO, talking about depression, an anhedonic funk.

    Great song, great album!

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 28th 2012 !⃝

    IF IT BE YOUR WILL - By Leonard Cohen


    Let's say "your" is a person and a group of people he Loves and they seem to be trying to direct him somewhere. "Will" means to exercise your own free directions, set out on a course of action, make a deliberate choice, go after something you desire, use your determination, decree, dictate, purpose, intention, wish. By using the word "YOUR" and not "MY", Leonard is saying he is trying to stop fighting the force. Self-control is the opposite of what Leonard is singing about in this song. This song is about surrendering his will to a higher power. He is giving up control of his life to something bigger than himself. It is about his attempt at letting go of fear and hoping something beautiful comes from it. (It is a self-discipline to "undiscipline" ourselves. Love is a practice.) Most of us are fine with giving up control to drugs and alcohol but not anything else. Yet, things happen in our lives that are beyond our control. We can be zenned to the point of no return and still want some control. The hardest part about letting go is holding on. Maybe here Leonard is saying, "Come what may, I've had enough of trying to control any outcome in my life. If 'your' will is that I die alone and rot in a ditch SO BE IT." Self-will is when we act like a baby. Leonard is being an adult in this song. He is saying, "Bring it on. If I am to have no friends, no money, no house, fine. It is out of my hands." Even though it is worrisome, he is trying to let it go. This song is his prayer. We can't have faith without having doubt. We can't give up all control without a struggle... Think tug, not war. Leonard is saying, "I have chosen my path. Even though it is scary, lonely and very painful at times, I have the strength to follow it."


More Leonard Cohen songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]




Just Posted

Mad Hatter anonymous
Fire Lake anonymous
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead anonymous
We Gotta Get out of This Place anonymous
Jealous anonymous
Won't Get Fooled Again anonymous
Smokestack Lightning anonymous
True Colors anonymous
Future Love Paradise anonymous
Adios, Adios anonymous
Strangers anonymous
Possibility anonymous
Jailbreak anonymous
Sour Girl anonymous
Cornflake Girl anonymous

(We won't give out your email)