Leonard Cohen

Is This What You Wanted

Is This What You Wanted - meaning Summary

Haunted by Love's Ghosts

The poem is a direct address to a former lover, cataloguing mismatched identities and roles through a series of striking contrasts. The speaker recalls intimacy, betrayal and uneven aging, then returns to a repeated question: has this outcome—living in a house "haunted by the ghost of you and me"—been wanted? The tone mixes irony, regret and persistent attachment, framing loss as a shared, lingering presence rather than closure.

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You were the promise at dawn I was the morning after You were Jesus Christ, my Lord I was the money lender You were the sensitive woman I was the very reverend Freud You were the manual orgasm I was the dirty little boy And is this what you wanted To live in a house that is haunted By the ghost of you and me? And is this what you wanted To live in a house that is haunted By the ghost of you and me? You were Marlon Brando I was Steve McQueen You were K-Y Jelly I was Vaseline You were the father of modern medicine I was Mr. Clean You were the Whore and the Beast of Babylon, I was Rin Tin Tin You got old and wrinkled I stayed seventeen You lusted after so many I lay here with one You defied your solitude I came through alone You said you could never love me I undid your gown I mean, is this what you wanted To live in a house that is haunted By the ghost of you and me? That's right, is this what you wanted To live in a house

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