Leonard Cohen pulls off a subtly sensational balancing act on his song “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye”. On the one hand, he suggests that the sorrow of his mate is excessive compared to the modest proportions of the relationship that’s ending.
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And yet, the lyrics also manage to imply that the narrator is kidding himself, that this farewell might be more impactful than he wants to admit. Songs like this are why Cohen is on the short list of greatest songwriters of our time.
Hello and “Goodbye”
Leonard Cohen managed to be both modest and brazen as he made his first album, Songs Of Leonard Cohen, in 1967. As a relative novice in terms of his skills with the guitar, he felt a little inadequate when established session musicians hit the studio to help bring life to his songs.
But he also went into the experience with a strong viewpoint about how his music was supposed to sound. In fact, he battled producer John Simon throughout the process. Cohan didn’t want a lot of embellishment, while Simon tried to fill up the sound so that it wasn’t too sparse.
In the end, the album turned out to be a masterpiece, not so much because of how it sounded. The LP soars on the strength of Cohen’s songs, many of which are now regarded as all-time classics. “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye” undoubtedly stands as one of those exquisite pieces of work.
The song gained recognition almost immediately thanks to a cover version by Judy Collins, who had encouraged Cohen to become a professional musician after hearing his work. Cohen claimed to have written the song while in a hotel room as a relationship was coming to its close. That would account for the tenderness that adorns the lyrics.
Explaining the Lyrics of “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye”
Leave it to Leonard Cohen to come up with an incredible song even while using a cliché as the refrain. Knowing the title, we go into the song half-expecting a series of trite aphorisms about loving and leaving. Instead, we get a touching, lived-in, complex treatise on how even a short tryst can leave a lasting scar.
In the opening verse, it’s all sunshine and roses with this pair, but the narrator doesn’t want to overstate their union. “Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,” he admits. “In city and in forest, they smiled like me and you.”
We then find out why he’s downplaying. He’s trying to soften the blow as it ends. “But now it’s come to distances and both of us must try,” Cohen sings, making an unspoken comparison to times of closeness and effortlessness. Even as they prepare to part, their chemistry is evident. “Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme,” he sings.
He doesn’t try to assign any blame. “You know my love goes with you, as your love stays with me,” he says. “It’s just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea.” As they endure their final moments, he doesn’t want any words that will bind them too closely. “But let’s not talk of love or chains or things we can’t untie,” he pleads.
Throughout “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye”, we note how much the girl is hurting, her eyes “soft with sorrow.” Leonard Cohen’s neat trick here is how he reveals the narrator’s words of encouragement and wisdom might actually be meant to combat the pain he himself is expecting to feel.
Photo by Terry Lott/Sony Music Archive via Getty Images
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