I see this whole song as Cohen's attempt to reconcile his emotions with his deteriorating relationship with Jane. Perhaps he knew that Jane was never really satisfied with Cohen emotionally, yet they continued to stay together, and Cohen is having trouble coming to terms with the fat that he would never completely satisfy his "woman."
The "brother" was close to both parties and was suffering from manic depression and drug addication. The line that describes the "brother" as going to the station to meet every train and coming home without Lili Marlene refers to his depression - his manic ambition to get better (meeting every train) and the inevitable return of the depression and drug abuse (Lili Marlene being as strictly symbolic figure). I think it's possible that Jane and the "brother" had an emotional but Cohen assumed it was sexual and because of his own insecurity (knowing he knew he wasn't making Jane happy but unwilling to see it as his own fault or too emotiaonally immature to be proactive about it) labels the problem as Jane's.
Jane knows the "brother" needs help and because she is also a close friend to the "brother" (and maybe because she could identify with depression) believes that she can make him better. She brings back the lock of hair (which I see as Jane's attempt to literally clean him up with a haircut and shave) to Cohen because she knows how much the friend means to him. Maybe Jane has even fallen in love with the brother, but realizes that the "brother" will never "go clear" from the drugs or make the commitment to get better so a relationship would never work. I think when Cohen refers to the "brother" as a thin, gypsy theif, it's a sarcastic remark at how disappointed he is in the "brother" - that he perhaps has a certain amount of disgust in the fluctuation of his moods and senses Jane's emotional bond with the "brother" that Cohen sees as being stolen from him.
I feel that Jane and Cohen were living together and their relationship worked enough to keep them together, dispite their differences and emotional needs. Maybe Jane really longed to be with the "brother" but knew she could never deal with the drug addication and while Cohen didn't provide her with the excitement and whirl-wind romance she wanted, he was stable - so the two remained together as companions, too afraid to break away from each other. So they're together and both still quite concerned for the "brother." I see Cohen writing to the "brother" after a night of reflection and drinking - a letter he doesn't really intend to send. And maybe he's doing it to punish Jane. I think he's trying hard to resolve his inner conflict - he wants to forgive the "brother" and obviously thinks of him enough to not want to cut him out of his life although he might have for a short time. I think Cohen went through a period when he tried to dismiss the "brother" or forget about him altogether, but in the end he just couldn't do it because he of his love for him...hence the lyric "I'm glad you stood in my way."
I think the line in which Cohen writes "if you ever come by here for Jane or for me, your enemy is sleeping and his woman is free" is his bitter invitation to the "brother" to visit him - he admits he's still very angry and hurt but has gotten over it for them moment; he also eludes to his own emotional detachment to Jane. While he's struggling to resolve his bitterness, anger and sadness over the situation, he realizes that the "brother's" relationship with Jane was necessary in order for Cohen and Jane to be together at all. Maybe it's his way of saying that he knew that Jane had feelings for the "brother" (maybe still does) but if she hadn't gone to visit him and try to "fix" him she would never have come to terms with the fact that the "brother" was never going to "go clear" - that he would never take the steps necessary for him to treat his depression and kick his habit.
Cohen ending the song with a line he uses at the beginning of the song (the lock of hair) emphasizes the crux of Cohen's conflict - he let Jane go to help the "brother" and when Jane returned somehow uplifted he made up his mind that they'd had an affair and knew it was silly but just couldn't get over it and constantly struggles to resolve it.
@Bohemian Pearl
i can see so much likeness between Famous Blue Raincoat's message and "Amores Perros's" meassage, a film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu ( in my opinion the best movie he ever made) who is divided in three parts, each part narrates a short love story. the film begins with a love story between three individuals, two brothers and a girl. all of them live in bad conditions, not much to live, no jobs, no friends, no society, drugs, criminals etc. in fact everybody there has the same life, each one try to find a way...
@Bohemian Pearl
i can see so much likeness between Famous Blue Raincoat's message and "Amores Perros's" meassage, a film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu ( in my opinion the best movie he ever made) who is divided in three parts, each part narrates a short love story. the film begins with a love story between three individuals, two brothers and a girl. all of them live in bad conditions, not much to live, no jobs, no friends, no society, drugs, criminals etc. in fact everybody there has the same life, each one try to find a way to survive.
perhaps it's not a similar case as Cohen case but they show us a story when three persons are depended from each other in different ways.t the fact is that the outsider of this relationship suffers more than anybody. he can see how badly is his relationship with his wife (but not everything u can see is true), and how much his wife suffers from his violence and his drugs. seeing this girl suffering affected him so much plus the fact that he loves her with all his heart. and than he do everything to earn money and to have a life a better life with his brother's wife.
i'm not linking Cohen or his manic-depressive brother with this two brothers but it tells so much likeness about love and how important is to love the right person, and how important is to avoid those kind of people who seems to be interested in you and that kind of thoughts (thinking that somebody loves you) that makes you give up perhaps from everything and in the end even cause you are not regret for anything you have done, even cause u try do anything, u simply aren't enough to make her happy. or in other words u just can't be together even if the whole world consist just in you and her.
and it hurts because we have there three life extinguished.
I see this whole song as Cohen's attempt to reconcile his emotions with his deteriorating relationship with Jane. Perhaps he knew that Jane was never really satisfied with Cohen emotionally, yet they continued to stay together, and Cohen is having trouble coming to terms with the fat that he would never completely satisfy his "woman."
The "brother" was close to both parties and was suffering from manic depression and drug addication. The line that describes the "brother" as going to the station to meet every train and coming home without Lili Marlene refers to his depression - his manic ambition to get better (meeting every train) and the inevitable return of the depression and drug abuse (Lili Marlene being as strictly symbolic figure). I think it's possible that Jane and the "brother" had an emotional but Cohen assumed it was sexual and because of his own insecurity (knowing he knew he wasn't making Jane happy but unwilling to see it as his own fault or too emotiaonally immature to be proactive about it) labels the problem as Jane's.
Jane knows the "brother" needs help and because she is also a close friend to the "brother" (and maybe because she could identify with depression) believes that she can make him better. She brings back the lock of hair (which I see as Jane's attempt to literally clean him up with a haircut and shave) to Cohen because she knows how much the friend means to him. Maybe Jane has even fallen in love with the brother, but realizes that the "brother" will never "go clear" from the drugs or make the commitment to get better so a relationship would never work. I think when Cohen refers to the "brother" as a thin, gypsy theif, it's a sarcastic remark at how disappointed he is in the "brother" - that he perhaps has a certain amount of disgust in the fluctuation of his moods and senses Jane's emotional bond with the "brother" that Cohen sees as being stolen from him.
I feel that Jane and Cohen were living together and their relationship worked enough to keep them together, dispite their differences and emotional needs. Maybe Jane really longed to be with the "brother" but knew she could never deal with the drug addication and while Cohen didn't provide her with the excitement and whirl-wind romance she wanted, he was stable - so the two remained together as companions, too afraid to break away from each other. So they're together and both still quite concerned for the "brother." I see Cohen writing to the "brother" after a night of reflection and drinking - a letter he doesn't really intend to send. And maybe he's doing it to punish Jane. I think he's trying hard to resolve his inner conflict - he wants to forgive the "brother" and obviously thinks of him enough to not want to cut him out of his life although he might have for a short time. I think Cohen went through a period when he tried to dismiss the "brother" or forget about him altogether, but in the end he just couldn't do it because he of his love for him...hence the lyric "I'm glad you stood in my way."
I think the line in which Cohen writes "if you ever come by here for Jane or for me, your enemy is sleeping and his woman is free" is his bitter invitation to the "brother" to visit him - he admits he's still very angry and hurt but has gotten over it for them moment; he also eludes to his own emotional detachment to Jane. While he's struggling to resolve his bitterness, anger and sadness over the situation, he realizes that the "brother's" relationship with Jane was necessary in order for Cohen and Jane to be together at all. Maybe it's his way of saying that he knew that Jane had feelings for the "brother" (maybe still does) but if she hadn't gone to visit him and try to "fix" him she would never have come to terms with the fact that the "brother" was never going to "go clear" - that he would never take the steps necessary for him to treat his depression and kick his habit.
Cohen ending the song with a line he uses at the beginning of the song (the lock of hair) emphasizes the crux of Cohen's conflict - he let Jane go to help the "brother" and when Jane returned somehow uplifted he made up his mind that they'd had an affair and knew it was silly but just couldn't get over it and constantly struggles to resolve it.
@Bohemian Pearl i can see so much likeness between Famous Blue Raincoat's message and "Amores Perros's" meassage, a film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu ( in my opinion the best movie he ever made) who is divided in three parts, each part narrates a short love story. the film begins with a love story between three individuals, two brothers and a girl. all of them live in bad conditions, not much to live, no jobs, no friends, no society, drugs, criminals etc. in fact everybody there has the same life, each one try to find a way...
@Bohemian Pearl i can see so much likeness between Famous Blue Raincoat's message and "Amores Perros's" meassage, a film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu ( in my opinion the best movie he ever made) who is divided in three parts, each part narrates a short love story. the film begins with a love story between three individuals, two brothers and a girl. all of them live in bad conditions, not much to live, no jobs, no friends, no society, drugs, criminals etc. in fact everybody there has the same life, each one try to find a way to survive. perhaps it's not a similar case as Cohen case but they show us a story when three persons are depended from each other in different ways.t the fact is that the outsider of this relationship suffers more than anybody. he can see how badly is his relationship with his wife (but not everything u can see is true), and how much his wife suffers from his violence and his drugs. seeing this girl suffering affected him so much plus the fact that he loves her with all his heart. and than he do everything to earn money and to have a life a better life with his brother's wife.
i'm not linking Cohen or his manic-depressive brother with this two brothers but it tells so much likeness about love and how important is to love the right person, and how important is to avoid those kind of people who seems to be interested in you and that kind of thoughts (thinking that somebody loves you) that makes you give up perhaps from everything and in the end even cause you are not regret for anything you have done, even cause u try do anything, u simply aren't enough to make her happy. or in other words u just can't be together even if the whole world consist just in you and her.
and it hurts because we have there three life extinguished.