The Top 10 Leonard Cohen Songs of Spirituality, Faith and God

By Gary Nguyen --
11 Nov 2016 --

Leonard Cohen Top 10 and new single “You Want It Darker”

Legendary singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen’s death was announced yesterday. He was 82-years-old.

Leonard Cohen released his final album earlier this year titled You Want It Darker. He’s never been one to shy away from religion and spirituality in his songs and poetry, and his new release is no exception.

The Top 10 Leonard Cohen Songs of Spirituality, Faith and God.[/tweetthis]

The first single from the album, also called “You Want It Darker,” has lyrics which don’t contradict the title one bit. Here’s a sample:

“Magnified, sanctified be thy holy name/Vilified, crucified in the human frame/A million candles burning for a help that never came/You want it darker, we kill the flame.”

While not all of Cohen’s songs are religious in nature, among his best secular titles are “Famous Blue Raincoat,” “Bird on a Wire,” and “Everybody Knows,” he does have an impressive list of spiritual songs many might recognize. Below is the top ten list, as decided by Christian Today:

10. “You Want It Darker” (2016)

Discussed above, and is the titular piece for his final album, released October 21.

9. “Born in Chains” (2014)

“I was born in chains but I was taken out of Egypt/I was bound to a burden but the burden it was raised”

8. “Almost like The Blues” (2014)

“There is no God in heaven, and there is no Hell below”

7. “Show Me The Place” (2012)

“Show me the place/Where the Word became a man/Show me the place/Where the suffering began”

6. “Anthem” (1992)

“There is a crack in everything/That’s how the light gets in”

5. “If It Be Your Will” (1984)

“From the broken hill all your praises they shall ring/If it be your will to let me sing”

4. “Hallelujah” (1984)

“And even though it all went wrong/I’ll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah”

3. “The Window” (1979)

“For the holy one dreams of a letter dreams of a letter’s death/Oh bless thee continuous stutter of the word being made into flesh”

2. The Butcher (1969)

“I saw some flowers growing up where that lamb fell down/Was I supposed to praise my Lord, make some kind of joyful sound?”

1. Suzanne (1967)

“Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him
He said ‘All men will be sailors then Until the sea shall free them’
But he himself was broken long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him and you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you’ll trust him for he’s touched your perfect body with his mind”