Samson In New Orleans (2014) – Leonard Cohen

Samson In New Orleans is the third song to be presented here so far from Leonard Cohen’s 2014 album Popular Problems. It stands as a poignant, elegiac piece, embodying both personal and collective grief and is peppered with arcane religious reference and the cryptic playfulness that so characterises Leonard Cohen’s work. It is heartbreaking to hear how solemn his voice is here around this sombre, but beautiful melody.

Although debate surrounds its meaning, it seems inspired by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The title itself invokes the Biblical figure of Samson, known for his extraordinary strength and tragic downfall. In the Book of Judges, Samson is a flawed hero whose physical might is ultimately his undoing. Cohen’s choice of Samson as a symbol is poignant; it suggests both the grandeur and vulnerability of New Orleans. The city, like Samson, was strong and vibrant but was brought to its knees by the forces of nature and perhaps human negligence.

Others like the author of the Song Meanings article below suggest it evokes imagery and themes reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 making the song a multi-layered piece of art that speaks to different historical moments of suffering and recovery:

The song refers to falls of the temple (‘take this temple down’) and the crumbling pillars in the story of Samson (‘stand me by those pillars’). It is no coincidence there are two pillars in the biblical story of Samson. And two world trade towers that were destroyed in acts of terrorism.

[Intro]

You said that you were with me
You said you were my friend
Did you really love the city
Or did you just pretend?
You said you loved her secrets
And her freedoms hid away
“She was better than America,”
That’s what I heard you say

You said, “How could this happen?”
You said, “How can this be?”
The remnant of dishonor
On the bridge of misery?
And we who cried for mercy
From the bottom of the pit
Was our prayer so damn unworthy
The sun rejected it?

So gather up the killer
Get everyone in town
Stand me by those pillars
Let me take this temple down
The king so kind and solemn
He wears a bloody crown
So stand me by that column
Let me take this temple down

[Bridge]

You said, “How could this happen?”
You said, “How can this be?
The chains are gone from heaven
The storms are wild and free.”
There’s other ways to answer
That certainly is true
Me I’m blind with death and anger
And that’s no place for you

There’s a woman in the window
There’s a bed in Tinseltown
I’ll write you when it’s over
Let me take this temple down
You said you loved her secrets
Her freedoms hid away
She was better than America
That’s what I heard her say

Popular Problems is the thirteenth studio album from Cohen and received uniformly positive reviews from critics. The album peaked at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 20,000 copies in its first week.

References:
1. Samson in New Orleans – Song Meanings
2. Theology of Leonard Cohen – Leonard Cohen Forum
3. Popular Problems – Wikipedia