Ríos Verticales: You Want It Darker

A million crimes enabled by my country and my religion; a million crimes unpunished by my god.

–???????

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Leonard Cohen was born into a Jewish family, which likely made him well-acquainted with Judeo-Christian traditions and scriptures. His songs explore themes such as religion, politics, isolation, sexuality, and love. He wrote the song “You Want It Darker” in 2016, shortly before his death. This piece is an example of poetry in which the author suggests and implies meanings through symbolic language, leaving the precise message known only to him. The rest of us can only try to interpret it.

Some assumptions can be made with certainty. The speaker is facing his impending death, believes in the god of the Bible (which I will call God), in Jesus Christ, and in life after death. The poem makes references to Jewish and Christian concepts concerning death, sacrifice, and salvation. It takes the form of a monologue directed at his god, who neither listens nor responds. Rather than seeking reconciliation, the speaker’s words seem to criticize his god, religion, and sacred texts, expressing a resignation to a power that he feels helpless against. The speaker seems to be having a crisis of faith or engaging in a longstanding debate with his god—one that has persisted for millennia—blaming the divine for human suffering. The poem can be interpreted as a manifestation of conflicting rage and eventual capitulation towards a deity that cannot be ignored but, at the same time, cannot be loved. Below are some possible interpretations of the poem.

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If you are the dealer, I'm out of the game.

The speaker opens with a direct critique against his god that accuses him of refusing to alleviate the speaker’s suffering. He seems to be saying: “If you are the one in control, I want nothing to do with this ruthless game.” Alternatively, it expresses a feeling of helplessness: “I am at your mercy. I’ve already been defeated. There’s no reason to continue playing.”

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If you are the healer, it means I'm broken and lame.

If you are my only hope, then I don’t stand a chance. If I believe you are the one who can heal me, I must be mentally insane.

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If thine is the glory then mine must be the shame.

If your idea of glory is allowing others to suffer while the churches and the priests praise you and place the blame on those who are suffering, then I would rather embrace the shame. The speaker may be seeking answers from his god about why we live in such a cruel world.

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You want it darker,

We kill the flame.

Violence has often been used as a vehicle to sanctify your name. Maybe your intention is for humans to suffer. If that’s the divine plan, we will act accordingly; we will obey. Regardless of what your wishes are, we will be ready to extinguish the light, even when it is evident that doing so brings destruction upon ourselves. In other words, if the speaker’s god wishes for darkness, humanity will snuff out the flame.

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Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name.

This is a straight English translation of the opening four words of the Mourner's Kaddish, which is a Jewish prayer for the dead.

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Vilified, crucified, in the human frame.

This is obviously a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the belief that it enhances the glory of his god and offers humans the chance for redemption. The speaker may be implying that what is often viewed as an act of supreme love—sacrificing his son for our benefit—might actually be interpreted as an act of extreme cruelty on the part of his god.

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A million candles burning for the help that never came.

Millions of people pray to their gods, asking for help. But the gods don’t listen or answer. The universe is silent. Millions of Amerindians were exterminated by the European Christian powers. Millions of Africans were kidnapped and enslaved by the European Christian powers. Over one million Tutsi were slaughtered by the Hutu animist-Christian regime in Rwanda. Over one million Armenians were killed by the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Millions were killed in China by the communist-atheist regime under the leadership of Mao Zedong. Millions were exterminated in the Soviet Union by the atheist-communist regime under the leadership of Josef Stalin. Over one million were massacred in Cambodia by the Hindu-Buddhist Khmer Rouge regime, under the leadership of Pol Pot. Millions were exterminated in Europe by the Christian Nazi regime under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, including six million Jews. Over one million were killed in North Korea by the communist-atheist regime of Kim Il Sung. Hundreds of thousands have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan by local Muslims and Christian invading powers during the so-called “war on terror.” Hundreds of thousands have been killed in Syria under the Muslim regime of Bashar Al-Assad. About 20 million have been killed in 37 “Victim Nations” since World War II by the mostly christian American empire, directly or through its proxy governments and puppet regimes. Thousands of children have been physically and sexually abused by Catholic priests. Over 100,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Jewish state of Israel. A million crimes committed by my country and my religion; a million crimes unpunished by my god.

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There's a lover in the story,

But the story's still the same.

There's a lullaby for suffering,

And a paradox to blame.

For a long time believers have struggled with the paradox of a loving god and the existence of suffering. One form of the “Epicurean paradox” is expressed as follows: "Either the gods do not exist, or if they do exist, they desire to eradicate evil but lack the power to do so, which would mean they are not omnipotent and therefore not gods. Alternatively, if they exist and possess the ability to remove evil and suffering yet choose not to, this would imply they are psychopaths."

If God is truly loving (the lover), then why does the story (the scriptures) simply read like a lullaby for suffering? God is supposed to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; he created everything, knows everything that has and will happen, and has the power to intervene. Yet, the suffering and tragedy that humanity faces still persist. It is a paradox; it doesn’t make sense. However, religious apologists don’t see it that way; they dismiss it as a matter of free will, shifting the blame onto humanity. We want it darker; we kill the flame. For them, we are responsible for the pain and suffering caused among our own kind. God, on the other hand, despite knowing it will occur and having the power to prevent it, escapes accountability.

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But it's written in the scriptures,

And it's not some idle claim.

The speaker perceives human suffering as a fundamental aspect of the scriptures, which presents a contradiction, since these texts are believed to have been delivered to us by a loving God through his prophets. Nonetheless, religions often incite violence, death, and devastation. Examples include the genocide of the Canaanites, the forced conversion of the indigenous peoples of the Americas through military might, the unholy alliances of churches and governments, religious wars, and conflicts among different faiths. In many instances, suffering, death, and destruction are inflicted on humans by humans in the name of their gods and religions. This situation doesn’t merely stem from religious fanaticism or individuals distorting their god’s will and words for their own purposes. It goes beyond simple misinterpretation of sacred texts; rather, such actions are explicitly stated in them.

The Pentateuch, which comprises the first five books of the Old Testament, recounts how God summoned His people from slavery in Egypt to return to the land of their ancestors. He instructed them to eliminate all the Canaanite tribes residing there (Deuteronomy 7:1-2; 20:16-18). The annihilation was to be thorough, with every man, woman, and child facing death. The book of Joshua narrates how the Israelites executed God's orders in various cities across Canaan.

Other so-called sacred books encourage their followers to commit acts of violence against the nonbelievers, or infidels. Directives such as “Kill the disbelievers wherever we find them,” “Murder them and treat them harshly,” and “Fight and slay the Pagans, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem” illustrate this call to violence. They advocate for drastic measures against unbelievers, stating, “Slay or crucify or cut the hands and feet of the unbelievers, that they be expelled from the land with disgrace and that they shall have a great punishment in the world hereafter”; “Smite them above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.” The texts also declare that “Non-believers will go to hell and will drink boiling water”; “For them (the unbelievers) garments of fire shall be cut and there shall be poured over their heads boiling water whereby whatever is in their bowels and skin shall be dissolved and they will be punished with hooked iron rods.”

American physician and evolutionary anthropologist John Hartung expressed a similar view when he wrote, “The Bible is a blueprint for in-group morality, complete with instructions for genocide, enslavement of out-groups, and world domination. But the Bible is not evil by virtue of its objectives or even glorification of murder, cruelty, and rape. Many ancient works do that—The Iliad, the Icelandic Sagas, the tales of the ancient Syrians, and the inscriptions of the ancient Mayans, for example. But no one is selling the Iliad as a foundation for morality. Therein lies the problem. The Bible is sold and bought as a guide to how people should live their lives. And it is, by far, the world’s all-time best seller.”

In the words of American physicist Steven Weinberg, “Religion is an insult to human dignity. Without it, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion”.

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They're lining up the prisoners,

And the guards are taking aim.

This might be understood as either, “I realize my time is up and I am aware that I’m about to die,”; or “there's always some form of killing happening in the world, justified by various reasons.”

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I struggled with some demons,

They were middle class and tame.

Here the speaker could be saying: “I acknowledge that I've done some bad things in my life, but nothing compares to the wrongs committed by those in power. My transgressions are insignificant next to the crimes carried out by the Church and the State.

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I didn't know I had permission to murder and to maim.

The speaker is actually saying, “I didn't know you had given us permission to murder and to maim." This verse is suggesting that individuals, churches, and states commit atrocities in the name of God, and he allows it. In this sense, it is as if he were giving them implicit permission to do so. Hence, evil is not only human but also divine. While it is humans who inflict pain, ultimately it is God who has to answer for these acts.

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Hineni, hineni.

I'm ready, my lord.

This verse refers to the Kaddish, a mourning prayer, where those grieving affirm God’s greatness even though their faith is being tested. The Hebrew word Hineni translates to “Behold!” or “Here I am!” and refers to the biblical story of Abraham, who was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. This verse could be interpreted as an acknowledgement of surrender: “Who am I to question your designs?. I summit to your will. Here I am my lord. I am ready.” Alternatively, it could express the speaker’s weariness with human suffering and a readiness for death. Another interpretation would suggest a sense of futility: “There is no sense in revolting. I have no choice; you decide my fate.” They could be words of resignation, meaning: “Here I am, on my knees, bowing my head and pleading for mercy.” Conversely they could also convey rebellion: “Behold! Here I stand, ready to leave; I’m done with this charade. I want out of the game.”

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In the end, there is no resolution for the speaker’s conundrum. The song raises difficult questions without offering any clear answers. At the conclusion, it appears that the speaker comes to terms with the fact that his unanswered questions, as well as his own mortality and God’s indifference, are realities he must deal with. He still refers to God as “my Lord,” indicating God retains control over him. The speaker acknowledges that he will never fully understand the workings of the world, including suffering and death. This feeling is shared by everyone. We all grapple with the reality of death, facing it in various ways depending on our beliefs. In this poem, the speaker surrenders to a relationship in which he will remain in the dark—because that’s how God intends it.

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