I would also like to indicate that the line "be the truth unsaid and the blessing gone / if I forget my Babylon" is almost the same like the Jewish prayer "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither" (Psalms, 137:5). This line is cited in so many Jewish rituals (including weddings!) to remind of the longing to Jerusalem (after the Babylonian exile).
I believe this is the peak of the song. Leonard Cohen, knowing how important this line is in Jewish tradition, twisted it so it refers to Babylon instead of Jerusalem, and thus strikes the listener who knows this prayer (which again is very prominent in Jewish tradition) with great astonishment - the act of betrayal has been completed! The singer pledges allegiance to BABYLON, not Jerusalem!
For me, this is a very strong line.
I would also like to indicate that the line "be the truth unsaid and the blessing gone / if I forget my Babylon" is almost the same like the Jewish prayer "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither" (Psalms, 137:5). This line is cited in so many Jewish rituals (including weddings!) to remind of the longing to Jerusalem (after the Babylonian exile). I believe this is the peak of the song. Leonard Cohen, knowing how important this line is in Jewish tradition, twisted it so it refers to Babylon instead of Jerusalem, and thus strikes the listener who knows this prayer (which again is very prominent in Jewish tradition) with great astonishment - the act of betrayal has been completed! The singer pledges allegiance to BABYLON, not Jerusalem! For me, this is a very strong line.