Alexandra Leaving
Leonard Cohen · Complete Studio Albums Collection [2011]
The god of love preparing to depart.
Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder,
They slip between the sentries of the heart.
Upheld by the simplicities of pleasure,
They gain the light, they formlessly entwine;
And radiant beyond your widest measure
They fall among the voices and the wine.
It's not a trick, your senses are deceiving,
A fitful dream, the morning will exhaust -
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.
Even though she sleeps upon your satin;
Even though she wakes you with a kiss.
Do not say the moment was imagined;
Do not stoop to strategies like this.
As someone long prepared for this to happen,
Go firmly to the window. Drink it in.
Exquisite music. Alexandra laughing.
Your firm commitments tangible again.
And you who had the honor of her evening,
And by that honor had your own restored -
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving;
Alexandra leaving with her lord.
Even though she sleeps upon your satin;
Even though she wakes you with a kiss.
Do not say the moment was imagined;
Do not stoop to strategies like this.
As someone long prepared for the occasion;
In full command of every plan you wrecked -
Do not choose a coward's explanation
that hides behind the cause and the effect.
And you who were bewildered by a meaning;
Whose code was broken, crucifix uncrossed -
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.
Alexandra Leaving
Leonard Cohen's "Alexandra Leaving" stands as a haunting centerpiece within his expansive discography, capturing the quiet resignation of a woman departing a life she no longer recognizes. Recorded during the late 1990s, the track exemplifies Cohen's signature blend of folk and art rock, utilizing sparse instrumentation to amplify the emotional weight of its narrative. The song reflects a recurring theme in his later work: the melancholy of aging, the fading of youthful passion, and the inevitable solitude that accompanies the end of a relationship. With its distinctive vocal delivery and brooding atmosphere, the recording serves as a poignant meditation on loss and the quiet dignity of moving on, cementing its place among his most enduring and critically acclaimed compositions.