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Everybody Knows

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where
today’s theme is philosophical songs.
Here’s how the theme inspired me.

This week in Song Lyric Sunday, Jim Adams’ theme is “Meanings Found and Understandings Reached”; our challenge is to write about a philosophical song. One artist immediately came to mind … someone I’ve never featured before today.

© SoundCheck

Often called “the poet laureate of pessimism”, Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) was a Canadian poet, novelist and singer-songwriter known for his profound lyrics exploring themes of love, spirituality, mortality, and human connection. Born into a privileged Jewish family in Montreal, Cohen was immersed in the intellectual traditions of his family, Jewish theology and Old Testament stories which significantly influenced his later work. He was also an ordained Buddhist monk whose monastic name, Jikan, ironically means “ordinary silence”. After establishing himself as a poet and novelist in the 1950s and 60s, he transitioned to music in the late 1960s, launching a career that spanned decades and leaving behind a legacy of iconic songs.

Every once in a while, it’s good to get an update on the state of the world from someone with a point of view a bit more enlightened than some newspaper or the evening news. Co-written with his former background singer, longtime friend and singer/songwriter, Sharon Robinson, Leonard Cohen delivered just such an update on his 1988 classic “Everybody Knows,” a song that somehow remains chillingly accurate today about the threats facing this planet and the shortcomings of the people who inhabit it.

There are no words wasted on tact or restraint, setting the tone right off the bat in the opening lines. A generalized overview soon gives way to more specific concerns, as the relentless lyrics touch on topics such as greed, racism and drugs. Yet he also brings things down to a painfully personal level with a verse about infidelity between two lovers. As is his custom, Cohen also makes room for flashes of mischievous wit, like when he implies that the death of a parent and the death of a dog are equally disturbing. Running through this litany of horrors is a subtle criticism of those who ignore it all in favor of their own self-interested pursuits.

Described as “pessimistic philosophy” and a “bleak prophecy”, the song offers a cynical and rueful perspective on a world that is “rotten to its core”. The repetition of “Everybody Knows” serves to highlight that these unpleasant truths should be obvious to anyone paying attention.

This is “Everybody Knows” by Leonard Cohen


LYRICS

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That’s how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long-stem rose
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you’ve been faithful
Ah, give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you’ve been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knows
And everybody knows that it’s now or never
Everybody knows that it’s me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah, when you’ve done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe’s still pickin’ cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows
And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it’s moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there’s gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows
And everybody knows that you’re in trouble
Everybody knows what you’ve been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it’s coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Leonard Cohen/Sharon Robinson
Everybody Knows lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Meanings Found and Understandings Reached

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow the links and check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to my tunes.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

49 thoughts on “Everybody Knows”

  6. There are some music artists who have the powerful gift to draw you in with distinct vocals. To me Leonard Cohen has always been one of them. Objectively speaking, to the extent that’s even possible in music, Cohen didn’t even have a “great” voice. Oftentimes, it was closer to speaking than to singing. But it just draws you in. And all of that happens before even considering the poetry – at least in my case!

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    1. You’re absolutely right, Christian. I’ll never forget the first time I heard a LC song; the first thing that came to mind was Sebastian Cabot reading Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” (remember that one?) 😳 I didn’t take it seriously …. until I started hearing the poetry. I’ve been a fan ever since. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.

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  10. Awesome selection, Nancy as this song is an honest reminder of how bleak but widely understood our vision of how the world actually works. We all know these things, but it seems they are out of our control and all we can do is stare at them in disbelief.

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    1. Very true, Jim, and aside from Dylan’s “Positively Fourth Street”, I can’t think of another song of this caliber. That’s one of the reasons I had to go it. Leonard Cohen wrote words that were uncomfortable to hear, but he spoke the truth. As soon as I read what the theme was for today, I knew my choice would be Leonard Cohen. I’m surprised I never featured him before today. Thanks for a great comment and an excellent theme.

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  13. I have really only recently been introduced to Leonard Cohen by Ivor offering some selections. This was a great choice as I do love the pessimism of his take- no rose-colored glasses going on here! As usual you wrote an excellent commentary on him as well.

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        1. Absolutely George. Yes! There are two reasons I didn’t go with George: First, I’ve written a lot about GH and his music but I’ve never featured LC; second, Jim mentioned in his notes that he would be writing about GH and “All Things Must Pass” so I decided to take a pass.

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        1. That’s really a shame about “Hallelujah”, Lisa. It’s such a gorgeous song and the note progression is stunning. The problem with the song is that everyone and their Aunt Phyllis has recorded it; even Puddles Pity Party has done it, FFS! I still love Cohen’s original.

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          1. Honestly I hate the way he rhymes “you” with “hallelujah” and other things, using a lazy way out with “ya.” A pet peeve but it’s so overused in the song it makes it unlistenable for me. As mom always said, “to each their own.”

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  19. Leonard Cohen is revered here in Canada and I’m a huge fan. Thanks for posting a favourite song by a much-loved artist! 💖 He did have a cynical world view, which I also share. Happy Sunday to you, Nancy. 🥂

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