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Steve,
Sorry it took me so long to respond.
I appreciate your comment, and considering “soul lost”, I guess it’s time one of us mentions once again “If It Be Your Will” (from BoM “twin” album, Various Positions, both issued 1984 and apparently created more or less simultaneously, and often quoted before in these pages – remember the discussion of “will” long ago?), and especially:

Let your mercy spill
On all these burning hearts in hell…

Mat,
Ditto my apologies.
You outdid yourself this time… Thanks for all the interesting quotes and links. Your allusions to Juan de la Cruz always appealed to me in the context of this book.
Thanks also for the link of “The Guests”.

I hope more people are going to share their views on this prayer.

Hi Doron,

Glad that you mentioned those words from Leonard's most moving prayer (i.m.o.), "If It Be Your
Will." The mercy spilling could constitute a restoration of wholeness / reconnection with God, theologically
a reversal of that "hell" state.

Steven,

I agree with you about “If It Be Your Will” being a great prayer, and containing some of LC’ most unique images. I must also confess that I’m a little disappointed that he is not singing it himself during the current tour, giving this honor to the Webb Sisters…

... so maybe it's his gift to the Webb Sisters

Hi Judy,

Yes, and what a great gift… But how about us?

Hi DB and Judy,

I too was disappointed that Leonard delegated this song. Perhaps his doing so had something to do
with an emotional expenditure that he may have felt would have been ecologically unwise to the
overall concert performance. The song/prayer as it comes to us on "Live In London" (and in the
one live concert I attended) does have a bit of a munchkin sound to it (to my ears). The munchkins,
as some people will know, were those little people on the classic "Wizard Of Oz" movie. I don't dislike
the cover by them, though it pales in comparison to Leonard's recording of it.

I read the comments by DB Cohen and Steven.
There have also been others commenting on what they wish to see and hear with different members of the band and singers - but the World Tour is coming to an end this year and since the beginning in May 2008 Leonard has arranged the set list, and 'who does what' his way. I don't understand why just a tiny minority of people wish to change things - especially as there is no chance of Leonard altering his concerts - so these comments just add a slightly negative vibe to the thousands of praises.

Whether it is featuring Dino, or Sharon, or Neil, Javier or whomsoever, it's Leonard's concert and he obviously planned the concerts his way and for whatever reason. There have been very few 'changes' - perhaps because Leonard likes what he has; coupled with the overwhelming audience reactions and 5 star press reviews. It might be that he has an agreement with certain band members to 'feature them' - as none of them are straight 'session' people - they are all stars / band leaders / individual performers in their own right. (I see that The Webb Sisters are STING'S guests on his new album)

Perhaps Leonard decided that the musical beauty of The Webb Sisters - with their very special harmonies - together with the harp - and Charley's guitar licks, deserved it's own 'feature' - Look at the reviews just from BELFAST last night - and there are others too - and at most concerts - mentioning their special feature - and their (and Sharon's) interplay with Leonard..
BELFAST:
"Special mention to the Webb sisters, not only in perfect backing, but their singing 'If it be your will' was an emotional reminder not only do they have the beauty, they have the music as well."

"The Webb sisters were unbelievable when they had the floor to themselves, everyone was mind-boggled i think. The interplay between them in particular & LC was unreal."

So perhaps DB Cohen and Steven might just enjoy the memory of the best concerts in years in all these different countries, rather than 'wishing' some things were different.

Hi Asta ... they didn't say they "wished" it were different ... they said they were disappointed ... not the same thing

You're talking sense, asta. You make a very good point.

Back to BOM though, I was just moving through the site at the link below and heard Leonard say these words in the interview.
“...there is a source of mercy...and I experienced it.” (Leonard Cohen talking about his state of mind when writing The Book of Mercy;)
I think he is referring to a similar experience to the one Cruz mentions/quoted in my previous post.
Doron, (and all), I am not sure if this interview has been aired on this thread before. I can't remember it being mentioned; it is certainly worth the listen.
Click on the link below and then scroll down the page a little and click on "Cohen at 50" (number 6)
http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainme ... topics/93/

matbbgj

Hi Asta,

Didn't read anyone in this thread say that they wished to change things. I will enjoy
the memory of the concert I attended to the superlative degree that I posted about it afterwards,
in a different thread, the day after attending the concert.

Mat,

Indeed, I checked back and I don’t believe that this interview was mentioned before in our discussion. Thanks for posting the link. A really good interview, with a relatively knowledgeable interviewer, Peter Gzowski, and some interesting answers by LC (although relatively little about BoM itself).

As for the other point, brought up by Asta, I really don’t wish to start here a debate which is not related to BoM, but I must say that as a very dedicated fan of almost four decades, I reserve the right to express both my enthusiasm and criticism of LC’s performances, as well as songs and books, and I can’t see what’s wrong with that.

Mat,

I’ve listened again to the interview, and I’m trying to put down exactly what he said in this matter:

“Those kind of questions, ‘I believe’ or ‘I don’t believe’, those belong to the mind, and appropriately to the mind, but, you know, like they say ‘there’s no atheist in the foxhole’. When you find yourself in that landscape where the only thing you can do is prayer, it doesn’t matter whether you believe or not, because you’re not using this faculty that evaluates the reality of faith or the reality of God or not, it’s a completely different landscape. It is a cry, and there is an object of the cry, and it’s a certainty in that place. […]

“One is not interested in proving or in not proving the existence of the object… If you address yourself to the source of mercy, and you might have the good luck to discover that there is a source of mercy, that doesn’t turn you into an evangelist or… and it doesn’t serve an argument, it’s not theology. There is a source of mercy, as I experienced it, and these poems are the document of that address and that kind of deliverance.”

Notice the slight but meaningful difference between “and I experienced it” and “as I experienced it”… Notice once again that he calls the pieces in the book “poems”. I appreciate this whole quote very much, and thanks again for drawing our attention to it.

(although relatively little about BoM itself).

Hi DB.
"relatively little" may be accurate in terms of quantity but as many will tell us, it is not always about the size ,
but there was plenty of food for thought and some very relevant information in terms of our ongoing discussion and Leonard's work in general.
I was delighted with his statements about the frame of mind a person finds himself in and the response a song maker (like himself) may have in that frame of mind.
He defined each verse of the Book of Mercy as a "song". (no doubt in the spirit of Songs of Solomon)
He implied that a man in that frame of mind does not consciously compose poems; rather he responds through prayer/song; and the BOM is a record of that ongoing prayer/song.
He emphatically stated that there is a source of Mercy.
And then he says that he experienced that source of Mercy, (the central theme of the book).
The interviewer, Peter Gzowski, states that he ( Peter )is terrified of death and Leonard responds quietly that he is not, but is only worried about the various unsavoury ways a person can go through the process of dying. He is looking forward to death in a way, in a positive way; I suppose the implication is that once again he will unite with the source of Mercy, his G~d.
These are huge insights into the man himself, stated by the man himself.

Great interview. Our discussion is so much the richer for these short insights.
His attitude toward the Source, ( his g~d ), and his experience of It, is profoundly and simply stated.
From this pinpoint perspective we discover the unconscious and conscious meaning of his writing.
Prayers of longing resulting in the experience of divine mercy/blossoming into Song.

...like a bird on a wire


Regards, Mat.

Notice the slight but meaningful difference between “and I experienced it” and “as I experienced it”…

Yes, I see what you mean. Very subtle, but a real difference. I suppose any experience is more accurately expressed in terms of "as" I experienced it.
That is all we can contend/assert. We cannot assume that any two experiences are the "same" and/or any one stimulus is experienced the same by different people.
That being said, a lemon to me is recognisable as a lemon to you (and not an orange,lime or mandarin).
The sensation of sting and zap that is uniquely lemon is beyond objective description, but when we taste it our face contorts .

So whether it is Rumi or Cruz, Leonard or Lao Tsu.....we know they hit "citrus", and, probably "lemon" .

Notice once again that he calls the pieces in the book “poems”.

Yes, poems and "song", as stated in my post above which I posted contemporaneously with yours (above).

By the way, I found that site by following one of Casey's (and Cate) links on another thread, then "off forth on swing" through to that "Leonard at 50" post. So our thanks go to Casey and Cate.

all good things to you all,
MatbbgJ