I like this solemn and meandering song from Leonard, which whisks you away with its personal chant and reflection on love, its prodding medieval-like sound, and the sense that the thoughts are just appearing to him there and then. On the surface it can sometimes feel like clichés strung together, but after a few listens nearly all the deficiencies seem to vanish. So much that is complicated is stated and implied through what seem like deceptively simple lines.

Take for example: “I didn’t see the time / I wasted half my life away.” As the article below describes it – it’s not like he’s saying, “I thought it was 4:00, but it’s really 4:30” here; this is the much more powerful “I thought I was 20, but I’m really 55.” It’s like time has swept away anything that could ever have been while you’re just waiting for a miracle to come.

Example 2: “I know you really loved me, / but, you see, my hands were tied.” This is really chilling; wasting your life away through perfectionism while great chances wait for you – is that what “having your hands tied” means here?

For a more in-depth distillation of the lyrics I point you to the illuminating article below from Michael and Steven Dube.

Familiarity breeds admiration, as is often the case with Leonard’s music. There’s also a profundity to it, showing how time simply passes by, the bleakness and weariness to which the human soul can descend, and how you can preach patience as if it’s a form of asceticism. Sure, patience may outlast hunger, but I’m not sure it outlasts love. Love conquers all. It’s like he’s waiting for a sort of divine love – a probably unattainable miracle cure.

Waiting for the Miracle was written as Cohen approached his 60th birthday and was released on his ninth studio album, The Future. The song was co-written by Sharon Robinson and also features her soothing background vocals. They frequently collaborated over the years, including co-writing and duetting on one of my all-time Leonard favourites – Alexandra Leaving.

According to Genius Lyrics – the song was influenced by Cohen’s relationship at the time with actress Rebecca De Mornay, who was also co-producer of the album.

For movie buffs out there – Waiting for the Miracle was used prominently on the soundtrack to Natural Born Killers by Oliver Stone. It also appeared in Wonder Boys starring Michael Douglas, which featured here on Friday’s Finest in 2021. 

[Verse 1]
Baby, I’ve been waiting
I’ve been waiting night and day
I didn’t see the time
I waited half my life away
There were lots of invitations
And I know you sent me some
But I was waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come

[Verse 2]
I know you really loved me
But, you see, my hands were tied
I know it must have hurt you
It must have hurt your pride
To have to stand beneath my window
With your bugle and your drum
And me I’m up there waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come

[Verse 3]
Yeah, I don’t believe you’d like it
You wouldn’t like it here
There ain’t no entertainment
And the judgements are severe
The Maestro says it’s Mozart
But it sounds like bubble gum
When you’re waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come

[Interlude]
Waiting for the miracle
There’s nothing left to do
I haven’t been this happy
Since the end of World War II

[Chorus]
Nothing left to do
When you know that you’ve been taken
Nothing left to do
When you’re begging for a crumb
Nothing left to do
When you’ve got to go on waiting
Waiting for the miracle to come

[Verse 4]
Yeah, I dreamed about you, baby
It was just the other night
Most of you was naked
Ah, but some of you was light
The sands of time were falling
From your fingers and your thumb
And you were waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come

[Verse 5]
Ah, baby, let’s get married
We’ve been alone too long
Let’s be alone together
Let’s see if we’re that strong
Yeah, let’s do something crazy
Something absolutely wrong
While we’re waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come

[Chorus]
Nothing left to do
When you know you’ve been taken
Nothing left to do
When you’re begging for a crumb
Nothing left to do
When you’ve got to go on waiting
Waiting for the miracle to come

[Verse 6]
When you’ve fallen on the highway
And you’re lying in the rain
And they ask you how you’re doing
Of course you say you can’t complain —
If you’re squeezed for information
That’s when you’ve got to play it dumb:
You just say you’re out there waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come

References:
1. Waiting For the Miracle by Michael Dube with Steven Dube – Leonard Cohen Files
2. The Future (Leonard Cohen album) – Wikipedia