Limeshot – Graphic Design Sydney

Mr. Leonard Cohen of course. My favourite singer and songwriter of all time. The man guilty of having infected me with the restlessness bug that drove me out of my country and to the end of the world.

So I’ve been watching this movie about Leonard; and while trying to find meaning in every crease of his eyes, and whispering snippets of his songs, I noticed this line, scribbled on one of his album illustrations: “I never found the girl. I never got rich. Follow me.”

He really never did find “the” girl, although he found many along the way. He never got rich, because he spent all his money on fine suits, girls, cigars, drugs and God knows what else. And then his manager bled him of his money and he never got anything back. Anyway.

And so it struck me how funny the resemblance: isn’t that a bit like all of us. Maybe we’ll never get rich, maybe we’ll never find peace; but we’re out to find our own quirky way to ‘world fame’ and to a following.

So here it is, to all people out there trying to tell their story.

A bunch of lonesome and very quarrelsome heroes
were smoking out along the open road;
the night was very dark and thick between them,
each man beneath his ordinary load.
“I’d like to tell my story,”
said one of them so young and bold,
“I’d like to tell my story,
before I turn into gold.”

But no one really could hear him,
the night so dark and thick and green;
well I guess that these heroes must always live there
where you and I have only been.
Put out your cigarette, my love,
you’ve been alone too long;
and some of us are very hungry now
to hear what it is you’ve done that was so wrong.

I sing this for the crickets,
I sing this for the army,
I sing this for your children
and for all who do not need me.
“I’d like to tell my story,”
said one of them so bold,
“Oh yes, I’d like to tell my story
’cause you know I feel I’m turning into gold.”

This is my thought of the day; do forgive me for the very personal post – and in case you’re curious about the illustration, it is not mine.

The artist is Dianne Lawrence, a Canadian born painter who has designed it for Leonard Cohen’s album “The Future”. Her paintings are exquisite – and I think my favourite is this one: Descending Into Still Mind.

And for the people interested in finding out more about Leonard Cohen I warmly recommend Jarkko Arjatsalo’s Leonard Cohen Files.

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