The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Now the flames they followed joan of arc
As she came riding through the dark;
No moon to keep her armour bright,
No man to get her through this very smoky night.
She said, I'm tired of the war,
I want the kind of work I had before,
A wedding dress or something white
To wear upon my swollen appetite.
Well, I'm glad to hear you talk this way,
You know I've watched you riding every day
And something in me yearns to win
Such a cold and lonesome heroine.
And who are you? she sternly spoke
To the one beneath the smoke.
Why, I'm fire, he replied,
And I love your solitude, I love your pride.
Then fire, make your body cold,
I'm going to give you mine to hold,
Saying this she climbed inside
To be his one, to be his only bride.
And deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of joan of arc,
And high above the wedding guests
He hung the ashes of her wedding dress.
It was deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of joan of arc,
And then she clearly understood
If he was fire, oh then she must be wood.
I saw her wince, I saw her cry,
I saw the glory in her eye.
Myself I long for love and light,
But must it come so cruel, and oh so bright?
As she came riding through the dark;
No moon to keep her armour bright,
No man to get her through this very smoky night.
She said, I'm tired of the war,
I want the kind of work I had before,
A wedding dress or something white
To wear upon my swollen appetite.
Well, I'm glad to hear you talk this way,
You know I've watched you riding every day
And something in me yearns to win
Such a cold and lonesome heroine.
And who are you? she sternly spoke
To the one beneath the smoke.
Why, I'm fire, he replied,
And I love your solitude, I love your pride.
Then fire, make your body cold,
I'm going to give you mine to hold,
Saying this she climbed inside
To be his one, to be his only bride.
And deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of joan of arc,
And high above the wedding guests
He hung the ashes of her wedding dress.
It was deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of joan of arc,
And then she clearly understood
If he was fire, oh then she must be wood.
I saw her wince, I saw her cry,
I saw the glory in her eye.
Myself I long for love and light,
But must it come so cruel, and oh so bright?
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I think this is a metaphor for love, using the strong ideas behind Joan of Arc's religious love. She submits herself to the fire... if her love is fire, then she must let herself be wood and give her ashes to him. It can be about any form of love/passion and the paradoxal combination of pain and glory found in the process.
I've enjoyed reading the previous thought-provoking comments on the Leonard Cohen song, “Joan Of Arc” @ songmeanings.net. I personally consider the 'fire' in his lyrics as neither the devil, nor God. Over the years, Cohen has expressed himself as not only a sensual, hopeless romantic but as also a sometimes dubious yet hopeful believer in God. I can only imagine his concerns over the life and untimely death of Joan of Arc. Past and continuing manipulations by religious groups must revolt him. Paradoxes abound. Though condemned at the time as a heretic, she's been hailed as a saint. Though emotionally and mentally confused, she's still offered up by many as a visionary. Cohen advises us differently. Before dying a virgin, she previously lived a delusional life of darkness. Her pride and blind religious zeal evolved into ill-advised love and false light. When she's rendered to dust, the “fire” becomes not only her cruelly misguided mental burden but also her painful physical downfall. She simply continued to supply "fire" with the fuel it needed to even exist. With his song's sardonic "la-la-la" refrain, I can sense the pragmatic, yet feel the ever romantic Cohen. He is emotionally mourning the unfulfilled love life of Jeanne d'Arc as a truly terrible waste.
Tom Puszewski 8/12/12
"Past and continuing manipulations by religious groups must revolt him." LOL. Do tell us what Leonard Cohen thought of arrogant, bigoted atheists ;) Did he have a song for your type as well?<br />
There is certainly something paradoxical about these lyrics. In the song Joan surrenders, whatever it is she surrenders to, but the actual Joan never surrendered. She tried to flee captivity several times. She was convicted as a political point with no evidence of her guilt.
At first glance this song comes through as extremely patriarchal in nature. Joan longs for female innocence and the security of a man. Her lacking a man to get her through the night is presented as a problem. The man in turn yearns for to "win" this heroin who is "cold and lonesome", a story that completely ignores Joan's vow and choice to abstain passionate love for a greater cause, a cause which is in fact a fire burning within her.
Might it be though, that it is her own passion she yields to. Or God, if you will. She gives herself completely to nothing but her mission. Odd that the follower would crave her though and not simply invite her. She does beg him for mercy, to make his body cold so he can embrace her, but he betrays her and she burns. As she does she realizes this is the true sacrifice. He can only burn through her. It a a martyrs death in deed. And don't we all, like the observer here in the final line, sometimes wish to die a martyr's death, to give ourselves completely for something greater than us, whatever that may be, never being 100% certain what we sacrifice for is good or evil.
The song "Joan of Arc" captivated me as a teenager when I first heard it on a Judy Collins album I had purchased. I pondered the words and message. I also noted that it was written by Leonard Cohen. I remember my twin sister remarking that she could not understand why I liked that song because she thought it was weird. I remember friends we had in common thinking the song was weird also and wondering what I could like about that song. I have continued to really like that song as I have grown older because of the lyrics and the message it conveys. My twin sister and our mutual friends changed their mind about that song as they grew older and deepened in spiritual matters.
These lyrics might reflect the way Joan of Arc could have interpreted her own death. Many thought she had gone mad. I find the song close to perfection, loaded with metaphor, and incredibly beautiful. Life, at its best, always seems to be simultaneously painful and delightful somehow. This song brings me there.
The song is about the Joan of Arc witchcraft trial and portrays they execution of Joan as a very poetic, unition between her and the fire, the "wedding dress or something white" quote is very important here as it symbolises the clothing of an angel indicating she wishes to be rid of this world, The wedding also represents the unition between joan and the fire, or unition of the elements "she must be wood".Also the idea of it being called a wedding is intersting as the it was the complete antithesis and was in fact an execution, one way which i believe in which they are connected is that both lead you on to a new life and new beggining The idea of the fire representing the devil i believe is just as valid as the idea of it being god. Joan of Arc was put on trial for witchcraft and burnt at stake, witchs in medievil times were seen as followers of the devil and so therefore burning her was the final stage of her invokation. The idea that it is god speaking to her is also important as Joan believed that god was the one who had told her to lead the french army to victory so the fact that god is speaking to her once again could have been a possibility.
-These are just my thoughts on the song, if i work out any further in depths ideas i shall add them.
Matt age 15
Kudos Matt.
I love this song, I love how it's like a poem. I think it's my favorite Cohen song. Up there anyway, it's hard to pick.
My mom used to say that the "voice inside the smoke" was the Devil. A very Shakespearean interpretation. I think, though, that it must be God.
I always thought of the fire as god, or karma in some way...Like fire was her destiny, it ruined her but was also her redemption in some wierd way.
the Fire might also represent Jean d'Arc's own fire burning with pride, like other saints, she was executed, she would'nt have been a saint if she wasn't, which explains her unity with this fire. just a thought.