Anthem
Anthem - context Summary
Published in 1992's the Future
Leonard Cohen's "Anthem" appears on his 1992 collection The Future. Written in his later period, the song confronts spiritual decay, political failure, and the persistence of hope amid fracture. Repeated images of war, betrayal, and compromised authority create a bleak social landscape, yet the poem counsels acceptance of imperfection—cracks allow light to enter. The piece reflects Cohen's deep engagement with religious language and his personal search for meaning, balancing resignation with a moral resolve that ends in a restrained, quietly redemptive insight rather than a triumphant answer.
Read Complete AnalysesThe birds they sang 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. Ah, 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. We asked for signs, the signs were sent the birth betrayed, the marriage spent, Yeah, the widowhood of every government signs for all to see. I can't run no more 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. You can add up the parts, 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. Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack, 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.
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