Famous blue raincoat who is it about

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Learn more and compare subscriptions content expands above. Full Terms and Conditions apply to all Subscriptions. Or, if you are already a subscriber Sign in. With no doubt Cohen heard the song many many times in his youth, and the symbol Lilly Marlene stuch to hes mind at one of "missing love".

Through piecing together the characters and the quotes I have come up with this explanation, here presented in a chronological order of events Cohen and Jane are a couple. Not married, but living as such for the moment, being faithfull towards each other.

Cohen however is troubled by the concept of "owning another person" by demanding faithfullnes. The naturally ocuring jealousy in the realationship between 2 people "going steady" is eating at not only him but Jane to, and Cohen can clearly see that. Then into this scene comes "The Brother". He comes home to Cohen and Jane, resignated to his fate that he will never see his loved one again , and Jane comforts him.

This however is just a 1-time event, and nothing serius. But after coming clean to Cohen about it, his and Janes previously exclusive relationship is never the same again.

They still loves each other, but something have changed. He dosent feel the urge to "own" Jane anymore to be exclusive , and becuse of that. Jane is no longer living with Cohen permanently perhaps they never did?

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record. No idea, but probably not that important in the context of the lyrics. Seeing the lock of hair however, trigger memories of the event and questions in Cohen, and it is becuse of this he is writing the letter. This "going clear" has often been interpreted to as drug-rehab or such, something i think is taking teh easy and wrong way. Hence the question "Did you ever go clear?

When he came back to Jane and Cohen he was in despair, and after comforting him Jane ended up having pity-sex with him ;- ] Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth One more thin gypsy thief Well I see Jane's awake -- She sends her regards. Jane and Cohen has obviusly talked about it and decided to let it go. I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you I'm glad you stood in my way. If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

And with all rights! But i guess the easiest way to explain it is to say that hes not happy about the Brother nad Jane screwing around, but he is happy over the result it brought in the relationship between him and Jane. Cohens and Janes relationship has become better since the event and that is why he says "I'm glad you stood in my way. Why be happy that your girlfriend is being unfaithful?

The "trouble you took from her eyes" is trouble brought on by jealousy and the feeling of being "owned" in a relationship. No matter how much Cohen loved her, he could never release Jane from that pain, just becous he loved her and it was that love that brought on the pain!!

Through this dramatic turn of events and through the influence of this Brother, hes beloved Jane is no longer troubled. She is free to what she pleases, and in the end that means tha he himself is truly free. With no doubt this will neither be the last or final text written about the Famous Blue Raincoat, but I hope that my analyzis have brought some light to the subject.. Cohen, but by another gigant from the same era - Richard Bach L.

Cohen born - R. Bach born Strangely, but possibly not without reason, this famous quote summorize Cohens lyrics perfecly in my opinion If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were. I have had similar experiences in my life and believe this is another example of the "gates of Love they budged an inch". They probably ended up with a more honest and loving relationship, but he was still struggling with the wounded part of himself the enemy he had put to sleep like a small child.

That childish part of himself was the possessive one, but it was still a part of him. I trully like your interpretation, though it is hard for me to get it morally. It whole sounds like cuckold paradise, You Know, those people who just get arroused to see her wife or couple banged by other Its hard but true. Idk for me those people who justify an infidellity are just big cinical liars when they said that's an act of love, those are mean acts.

You may not hurt those who love you, if not then they don't really love you. HectorAlonso28 on November 05, Interpreting this epistolary song is made difficult by the ambiguity surrounding the specific relationships of it's subjects. Cohen's description of a love-triangle is none-the-less tremendously astute, provoking great tenderness and empathy for his intense, and often contradictory emotions.

Certainly 'Jane' was an intimate of the author, referring to her both in the first and third person as 'his woman', however Jane's relationship with 'Famous Blue Raincoat' is less clear. Unquestionably she was unfaithful to Cohen with him, however the extent to which is speculation. The evidence purports that Jane's involvement was somewhat more than a single act of infidelity.

The line, 'And you treated my woman to a flake of your life, And when she came back she was nobody's wife' definately implies that their relationship was sustained for some duration, and sarcastically, that it was an honor. For her to come back, she must have gone away, surely for more than a single night. Moreover, for the incident to inspire such beautiful verse, and such interest and knowledge in the adulterer you would expect the affair to have spanned some time.

Cohen's 'enemy', his rival in affection for the woman, deserts her, leaving her with neither Cohen, who is cuckolded, or of course, himself - grown tired of the engagement. The heart of this song is it's exposition of envy.

Cohen reluctantly and with devastating resignation, thanks his rival for removing the sadness that pained the face of his woman - something he was impotent to.

Because of his love for Jane, his humiliation; his rejection and loss, even though at her hands is abated by her improvement. Furthermore, Cohen is with hindsight, 'glad' that he was prevented from reclaiming his woman, recognising again with reluctance that regardless of his love for her, she could never be his. Not after such disloyalty.

The tale is composed some time after the conclusion of the affair. The three members of the triangle are essentially independant, although Cohen and Jane remain close enough for a memento of her one-time-only suitor to be brought over to his residence.

Perhaps this is the most vague aspect of the song. Cohen and Jane are separated, coming by 'with a lock of your hair' seems an incredibly insensitive act on the woman's part, excusable only if both the author and she, feel together the abscence of 'Famous Blue Raincoat', a man who we are informed has aged, remains unsettled, is dissatisfied perhaps. Such a supposition though, disagrees with the rest of the song.

The detail, 'The last time we saw you Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder' suggests the loss of eligibility, possibly giving Cohen some form of wicked consolation and the song's proviso, 'Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free', reveals the author's present temper; he refuses to see the man that stole his woman, but cannot inhibit him, should he return for Jane.

He is too badly wrecked, made passive by rejection. I have to say, I never thought of the song as being as sexual as all that.. I always thought it had to do with that strange relationship when a couple are close friends with another person. Both man and woman platonically loving another man. When Joan turns to the other man to see her through her depression or boredom or inertia or whatever it is - perhaps because this 2nd man battles the same demons - she betrays Cohen by castrating him emotionally.

She effectively cancels his usefulness to her. The woman can come back head high, 'with a lock of his hair' because she did not technically cheat on her partner. She was right to do as she did. He cannot help but welcome her back. He cannot help but be thankful the trouble she felt is gone. That his woman would rather place her wellbeing with another is a hit, especially to a man.

It's the kind of betrayal that you cannot speak about, so fine and minute are its grains of discomfort. But discomfort is there. The 3 friends have been torn apart by subtle jealousy and ill advised confidences; the letter wishes the damage can be undone, now the fault lines are fading.

Anniepaints on March 02, I agree with you Anniepaints. Very well articulated. The hurt and infidelity suggested in this song is definitely not as technicolor as sidebeard suggests.

Its a lot more subtle Cohen and Jane are definitely still a pair it seems He talks in parts as if a couple referring to an old friend that they mutually care about "the last time we saw you" , but some kind of uniquely strong bond developed at some point between Jane and "famous blue raincoat" that took her pain away, something that Cohen appreciates in spite of the fact that it "killed" him.

But in the same phrase he still refers to him as his brother. The other thing sidebeard left out is that "famous blue raincoat" is gone. Hence, the letter. He left, to "go clear. The imagery suggests "raincoat" is somewhere out there in the world living like an ascetic vagabond Cohen hopes he's keeping a record of living such a life - "living for nothing".

I always feel like this is a letter he can't or won't actually send because he doesn't know the whereabouts of "famous blue raincoat" or whatever became of him, but he regrets any bitterness he's harbored towards the old friend and wishes to express that anyway.

He sings, records, and releases on an album the contents of a letter that he has no way of mailing to him wherever he is. Post by Chashire » Wed Jun 09, pm.

Post by Rob » Wed Jun 09, pm. Post by Rob » Thu Jun 10, am. Post by tomsakic » Fri Jun 11, pm. Post by glyn » Sat Jun 12, pm. Post by tomsakic » Sun Jun 13, pm. Post by peter danielsen » Mon Jun 14, am. Post by goblinski » Mon Jun 14, pm. Post by Broken Hill » Sun Sep 19, pm. Post by John Etherington » Mon Sep 20, pm. Post by lizzytysh » Mon Sep 20, pm. Post by Rob » Mon Oct 04, am. Post by Paula » Wed Mar 15, pm. Post by lizzytysh » Wed Mar 15, pm. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser.

For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Let's start with a question: Is "Famous Blue Raincoat" a song about betraying or about being betrayed? Common sense tells us that it's about being betrayed.

From the beginning, we learn that the song is written in the form of a letter: "I'm writing you now just to see if you're better. And if we had any doubts, the letter is signed, "L. The song's about being betrayed. There's this strange thing about having someone sing a letter to you. Namely, you don't know if they're singing a letter that they have written , or a letter that they have received. In other words, we don't know if the person singing is the duped friend who's writing to his betrayer, or the betrayer reading a letter from his duped friend.

This is the question that we carry through the entire song: Who is singing? Is this the voice of a depressed cuckold? Is it the lilt of a remorseful traitor? The song is a mystery, start to finish. We want to know how to feel, but the song refuses to tell us.