Leonard Cohen – It's Torn lyrics

Leonard Cohen – It's Torn lyrics

I see you in windows
That open so wide
There's nothing beyond them
And no one inside

You kick off your sandals
And shake out your hair
The salt on your shoulders
Like sparks in the air

There's silt on your ankles
And sand on your feet
The river too shallow
The ocean too deep

You smile at your suffering
The sweetest reprieve
Why did you leave us?
Why did you leave?

You kick off your sandals
And shake out your hair
It's torn where you're dancing
It's torn everywhere

It's torn on the right
And it's torn on the left
It's torn in the centre
Which few can accept

It's torn where there's beauty
It's torn where there's death
It's torn where there's mercy
But torn somewhat less

It's torn in the highest
From kingdom to crown
The messages fly
But the network is down

Bruised at the shoulder
And cut at the wrist
The sea rushes home
To its thimble of mist

The opposites falter
The spirals reverse
And Eve must re-enter
The sleep of her birth

And up through the system
The worlds are withdrawn
From every dominion
The mind stood upon

And now that you told her
And now that it's done
The name has no number
Not even the one

Come gather the pieces
All scattered and lost
The lie in what's holy
The light in what's not

The story's been written
The letter's been sealed
You gave me a lily
But now it's a field

You kick off your sandals
And shake out your hair
It's torn where you're dancing
It's torn everywhere

Lyrics taken from /leonard_cohen-its_torn-1734677.html

Songwriters: Adam Cohen, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Robinson

It's Torn lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Wixen Music Publishing

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+ 12
Unregistered 2021-12-04 15:28:23

Actually it is not based on chritianity but kabbalism (jewish mysticism). This belief system has the ten sefirot Chochmah - wisdom,
Binah - understanding,
Daat - knowledge,
Chessed - kindness,
Gevurah - strength,
Tiferet - beauty,
Netzach - victory,
Hod - splendor,
Yesod - foundation,
and Malchut - kingship
These are arranged in a tree like system with a center left and right that connects them all together. They are also symbolized as body parts. It is believed that light from the creator passes through these values one to the next from one side down then back up on the other side. The widow symbolizes binah which light passes through to the other sefirot (from the crown down to malchut then back up). There are several other refreces like this check out kabahlist if you want to know more.

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+ 5
AnnaPopova 2021-09-10 16:09:44

My feeling is that this song is about dying. There are lots of references to Christ and Christianity, saying your good byes to life, seeing things from outwordly perspective. It is unimaginably beautiful, like written by someone who lived through dying, who died before. Most of it cant be explained logically, just felt - what is the meaning of great poetry anyway. many of our human experiences can ve expressed only thorough the paradox - "The lie in what is holy, the light in what's not". It is torn, like in birth, like a mother's body is torn for the baby to come through. Death as rebirth, death as birthing oneself - it is incredibly strong, both cerebral and emotional, almost hard to keep experiencing it...

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Unregistered 2022-09-03 03:56:34

I believe this song is meant to be sung to someone who has committed suicide. Everywhere you look it is now torn. All the memories ( right and left) you smile at your suffering the sweetest reprieve why did you leave us why did you leave? Why commit suicide? Messages fly but the network is down! Try to help them but can’t get thru….I see you thru windows that open so wide it is empty nothing inside. You gave me a Lilly ( symbol of death) and now it’s a field. Cut at the wrist? The story’s been written letters been sealed ( suicide note) and eve must renter the sleep of her birth.

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