I more likely see this song as ironic; he's saying "and I thank you, I thank you for doing your duty", but in truth he's not grateful at all. He's facing problems because of a song he has done, or simply an opinion he has stated, for public, or more likely only for one woman - something he has said, his opinion has "smudged the air". He still thinks that what he thinks is right, but because of the reaction all he can now do is to give up and surrender. "I was wrong, you all are right, whatever, I surrender in front of the public vision".
The defences behind his song are now "hid in the clothes of a woman", so I believe this song is about his feelings for a woman. Maybe he simply confessed his love (I've understood that Leonard Cohen often links words "singer" and "lover") to a woman, got a very wrong reaction, something like "You never should have said that!" and their relationship got very complicated. "In the hinge of her thighs, where I have to go begging in beauty's disguise" - maybe their relationship was purely sexual, and that's the way the lady wanted to keep it. And now the poor man has to feel sorry for his pure feelings.
But any ideas what he's meaning with the word "night" here, he repeats it quite a lot?
I more likely see this song as ironic; he's saying "and I thank you, I thank you for doing your duty", but in truth he's not grateful at all. He's facing problems because of a song he has done, or simply an opinion he has stated, for public, or more likely only for one woman - something he has said, his opinion has "smudged the air". He still thinks that what he thinks is right, but because of the reaction all he can now do is to give up and surrender. "I was wrong, you all are right, whatever, I surrender in front of the public vision".
The defences behind his song are now "hid in the clothes of a woman", so I believe this song is about his feelings for a woman. Maybe he simply confessed his love (I've understood that Leonard Cohen often links words "singer" and "lover") to a woman, got a very wrong reaction, something like "You never should have said that!" and their relationship got very complicated. "In the hinge of her thighs, where I have to go begging in beauty's disguise" - maybe their relationship was purely sexual, and that's the way the lady wanted to keep it. And now the poor man has to feel sorry for his pure feelings.
But any ideas what he's meaning with the word "night" here, he repeats it quite a lot?