Wonderful song. As with all Cohen's work it is open to numerous interpretations - the 'miracle' could refer to his ideal woman changing her mind; or to his present relationship coming right; or possibly to the physical act of sex.
But that said, the basic meaning of the song seems to be along these lines:
The narrator has spent half his life waiting for the unattainable 'perfect' person or near-impossible event while letting reality slip away. The song seems to consist of him explaining and apologising to a woman over why he couldn't commit to her, even though she had made it embarrassingly plain she was interested (standing beneath his window with her bugle and drum). In the middle of the song he complains about how unhappy he is in his present situation with no entertainment and the severe judgments. When he can finally break free from the unhappy relationship he has been in, and his hands are no longer tied, he hasn't been so happy since the end of World War Two. But his joy is short-lived. It's too late and the woman with the bugle and drum doesn't want him anymore. He dreams of being naked with her but even then he knows she is dreaming of someone else. And the reality is even worse - she won't even give him a crumb despite him begging her to do 'something crazy'.
So he is left with nothing, lying in the rain and hasn't even got anyone to complain to anymore.
Wonderful song. As with all Cohen's work it is open to numerous interpretations - the 'miracle' could refer to his ideal woman changing her mind; or to his present relationship coming right; or possibly to the physical act of sex. But that said, the basic meaning of the song seems to be along these lines: The narrator has spent half his life waiting for the unattainable 'perfect' person or near-impossible event while letting reality slip away. The song seems to consist of him explaining and apologising to a woman over why he couldn't commit to her, even though she had made it embarrassingly plain she was interested (standing beneath his window with her bugle and drum). In the middle of the song he complains about how unhappy he is in his present situation with no entertainment and the severe judgments. When he can finally break free from the unhappy relationship he has been in, and his hands are no longer tied, he hasn't been so happy since the end of World War Two. But his joy is short-lived. It's too late and the woman with the bugle and drum doesn't want him anymore. He dreams of being naked with her but even then he knows she is dreaming of someone else. And the reality is even worse - she won't even give him a crumb despite him begging her to do 'something crazy'. So he is left with nothing, lying in the rain and hasn't even got anyone to complain to anymore.