ANTHEM is a deeply reflective song, in the current society where so much of the world is plunged in darkness and chaos. In Leonard Cohen’s own words:
“Ring the bells that still can ring”. It’s no excuse…the dismal situation.. and the future is no excuse for an abdication of your own personal responsibilities towards yourself and your job and your love.
“Ring the bells that still can ring” : they’re few and far between but you can find them.
“Forget your perfect offering” that is the hang-up that you’re gonna work this thing out. Because we confuse this idea and we’ve forgotten the central myth of our culture which is the expulsion from the garden of Eden. This situation does not admit of solution of perfection. This is not the place where you make things perfect, neither in your marriage, nor in your work, nor anything, nor your love of God, nor your love of family or country. The thing is imperfect.
And worse, “there is a crack in everything” that you can put together, physical objects, mental objects, constructions of any kind. But “that’s where the light gets in”, and that’s where the resurrection is and that’s where the return, that’s where the repentance is. It is with the confrontation, with the broken-ness of things.
ANTHEM – Leonard Cohen
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don’t dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Yeah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That’s how the light gets in
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up
A thundercloud
And they’re going to hear from me
There is a crack, a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That’s how the light gets in
You won’t have the sum
You can strike up the march
There is no drum
Every heart, every heart to love will come
But like a refugee
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That’s how the light gets in
Ring the bells that still can ring (ring the bells that still can ring)
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That’s how the light gets in
That’s how the light gets in
That’s how the light gets in
