Leaving Green Sleeves

Leonard Cohen's 'Leaving Green Sleeves' is a haunting reinterpretation of the traditional English folk song 'Greensleeves.' Cohen's version delves into themes of unrequited love, betrayal, and the inevitable passage of time. The song opens with a lamentation of a lover who feels wronged and cast aside, despite having loved deeply and devotedly. This sense of betrayal is compounded by the lover's continued captivation, even in the face of disdain, highlighting the complex and often painful nature of love.

The recurring imagery of 'Green Sleeves' serves as a metaphor for the lover's isolation and abandonment. The fallen leaves and the absence of men symbolize the end of a season, both literally and metaphorically, suggesting a time of desolation and loneliness. The repeated refrain 'Green sleeves, you're all alone' underscores the sense of solitude and the finality of the separation. The mention of 'Lady Green Sleeves' not being home further emphasizes the emptiness and the void left by the departed lover.

Cohen's lyrics also explore the physical and emotional intimacy shared between the lovers. The lines 'I sang my songs, I told my lies, to lie between your matchless thighs' reveal a relationship built on both truth and deception, culminating in a bittersweet farewell. The imagery of seeing the lover 'naked in the early dawn' and the subsequent realization of their absence encapsulates the fleeting nature of love and the inevitable departure. The song concludes with a resigned acceptance of the end, as the protagonist decides to leave as well, mirroring the desolate state of 'Lady Green Sleeves.'