Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove.

Leonard Cohen – “Dance Me to the End of Love”

“Dance Me to the End of Love” (1984, 1993)

This superb 1993 live version of Cohen’s 1984 classic was recorded for the UK music-TV show “Later... with Jools Holland.”     

While “Dance Me to the End of Love”  is essentially a love song, Cohen has said that it was inspired by those who suffered in Nazi death camps. He learned that some prisoners had assembled string quartets to perform in the camps.  

The Music Never Ends

Even though the prisoners were surrounded by cruelty and faced with impending death, they continued to find joy in music and dance. While that may sound morbid, Cohen reminded us that the language of music in general, and of this song in particular, can “embrace all passionate activity.”   

In 2009, “Dance Me to the End of Love”  was noted to be “on the brink of becoming a standard.”  Now, in 2019, we can safely claim that it is.   _{(Image source)}

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen was a Canadian writer and singer-songwriter.    

After beginning his career as a poet and novelist, Cohen soon realized that writing was not a very good way to make a living. So, in 1967, when he was 33 years old, he turned (back) to music. (While in high school, he had formed a short-lived folk band.)  

A Canadian Icon, a Global Treasure

In Canada, until the 1980s, it was still easier to find his books than his records. However, in the following years and decades, Cohen’s fame as a musician grew – slowly but steadily. Moreover, he continued to release great music and put on magnificent live performances.   

Cohen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters' Hall of Fame. He passed away in November 2017    _{(Image source)}

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin 
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in 
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove 
Dance me to the end of love   [2x]

Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone 
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon 
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of 
Dance me to the end of love   [2x]

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on 
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long 
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above 
Dance me to the end of love   [2x]

Dance me to the children who are asking to be born 
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn 
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn 
Dance me to the end of love 

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin 
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in 
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love   [3x]
Lyrics by Leonard Cohen, courtesy of – AZLyrics.com
Reference – Wikipedia
Reference – Wikipedia
Reference – BBC.co.uk
    Cohen’s original version (1964) – "Dance Me to the End of Love"  
          _{(Right-click to hear on YouTube)}

Into your ears … through 5 channels

 The various posts are categorized into 5 channels _{(Right-Click to see details)}
         1 – “Music to Your Ears” (MTYE)
         2 – “Cover Versions”
         3 – “Honor Roll”
         4 – “Documentaries”
         5 – “Mock’n’Roll”

More “Music to Your Ears” ...

          Previous posts in this series – "MTYE posts 1–20"  

Links to my other series ...

          Lou Reed – "Anthology of Memorable Lyrics, Part 1"
          Lou Reed – "Anthology of Memorable Lyrics, Part 2"

          Great Lyrics, a compilation – “Part One – My Lyrics Posts 3~30”
          Great Lyrics, a compilation – “Part Two – My Lyrics Posts 31~60”  

          Vocab-Ability – "Introduction to Vocab-Ability"  
          Vocab-Ability – "Index"  to all Chapters and Sections  

          Notes from Under the Tatami Mats – "Part One – Notes 1~50"  
          Notes from Under the Tatami Mats – "Part Two – Notes 51~87"