The Traitor

[Richard Fangnail]

Do you know what the song The Traitor is about? From reading the
lyrics, it's hard to tell.

[Linda]

On Jul 28, 2:47 pm, Richard Fangnail <richardfangn...@excite.com>
wrote:

> Do you know what the song The Traitor is about?  From reading the
> lyrics, it's hard to tell.

There was a discussion of this question on the Leonard Cohen forums in
late 2007:

http://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9794

The song is mentioned in a very interesting essay in the Chicago
Reader (1992, 1998)

http://www.webheights.net/speakingcohen/whiteis.htm

on Cohen's mix of erotic and military images in his lyrics, including
The Traitor.

I personally can't think of an historical event involving England,
Barcelona, and some of the apparently medieval and courtly love
imagery of the song, but a lot of it might not be literal. In addition
to obvious sexual imageries, in England Roses generally refers to the
houses of Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose) almost all of
whom were wiped out in the Battle of Bosworth Field 1485, leading to
the rise of the House of Tudor (Henry VII married Elizabeth of York,
and their son was the famous Henry VIII). But that time period doesn't
bring Barcelona to mind.

Linda

[Manna]

Barcelona is a romantic word to say. When you say it, you have to
slow down and say it properly. There's no Bars'lona. It just flops
(in the sexiest way possible) around your mouth, making your tongue
work, and it's rhythmic.

Someday I will go there, and then I'll tell stories that start with,
"When we were in Barcelona..."

[Véritable Rosbif]

"Manna" <myhol...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ff486660-58fb-4ecf...@79g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...

Same goes for Chorlton-cum-Hardy and Nempnett Thrubwell. Hey, there's a
challenge, Mr Cohen; work Nempnett Thrubwell into a lyric, why doncha! Adge
Cutler managed it, after all.