Sisters of Mercy is a gentle, poetic ballad from Cohen’s 1967 debut album Songs of Leonard Cohen. It’s the second song to feature here from the record after his previous entry – Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye. Cohen has described the song as being about two women he met in Edmonton, Canada, who took him in when he needed shelter, providing him with solace.
Sisters of Mercy is an ode to the great bastions and redeemers in society who through ‘good deed’ and grace provide comfort to others in their hour of need. There are also philosophical aspects of atonement in the idea of surrendering the ‘ego’ to the will of the Holy and the devine. Cohen infers that until one relinquishes this heavy burden they will remain ‘pinned’, lonely and weighed down by sin.
When you’re not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you’ve sinned
The sisters come to those who have become brittle and torn. Like in Greek mythology the sisters represent Perspephone – the feminine in nature through Spring and Vegetation – rebirth.
They will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem
The closing lines: “We weren’t lovers like that / And besides it would still be all right” underscores the non-romantic nature of the relationship between Cohen and the women in the song. It indicates a clear boundary between physical love and the emotional or spiritual connection they shared. It also carries a sense of acceptance and gratitude.
[Verse 1]
Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone
They were waitin’ for me when I thought that I just can’t go on
And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song
Oh I hope you run into them, you who’ve been travelling so long
[Verse 2]
Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control
It begins with your family, but soon it comes round to your soul
Well I’ve been where you’re hanging, I think I can see how you’re pinned:
When you’re not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you’ve sinned
[Verse 3]
Well they lay down beside me, I made my confession to them
They touched both my eyes and I touched the dew on their hem
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem
[Verse 4]
When I left they were sleeping, I hope you run into them soon
Don’t turn on the lights, you can read their address by the moon
And you won’t make me jealous if I hear that they sweetened your night
We weren’t lovers like that and besides it would still be all right
We weren’t lovers like that and besides it would still be all right
More successful in Europe than in North America, Songs of Leonard Cohen foreshadowed the kind of chart success Cohen would go on to achieve. It peaked at number 13 in the UK, spending nearly a year and a half on it. In the US, it reached number 83. Critics have been far kinder to the album since its release, with many considering it a highlight in the Cohen canon. I have presented below the original studio release and a live version with Spanish subtitles.
References:
1. Songs of Leonard Cohen – Leonard Cohen
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Another great song by Leonard Cohen I hadn’t heard before. There’s just something about Cohen’s voice that draws me in.
When I saw the title, I was reminded of English goth rock band The Sisters of Mercy. I got to see them once in Germany, in June 1991, as part of the “Rock am Ring” open air festival – not exactly my cup of tea. I also don’t believe their name has anything to do with Cohen’s song.
That makes sense then since when I was searching this song by its title alone on you tube and an image on Brave, the band you saw ‘The Sisters of Mercy’ came up in nearly all the results.
I don’t think I’ve really heard a bad Leonard Cohen song. That’s wonderful you thought so highly of it.