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THIS ISN’T CHINA Hold me close and tell me what the world…

“THIS ISN’T CHINA Hold me close and tell me what the world is like I don’t want to look outside I want to depend on your eyes and your lips I don’t want to feel anything but your hand on the old raw bumper I don’t want to feel anything else If you love the dead rocks and the huge rough pine trees…” quote by Leonard Cohen
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““THIS ISN’T CHINA Hold me close and tell me what the world is like I don’t want to look outside I want to depend on your eyes and your lips I don’t want to feel anything but your hand on the old raw bumper I don’t want to feel anything else If you love the dead rocks and the huge rough pine trees Ok I like them too Tell me if the wind makes a pretty sound in the billion billion needles I’ll close my eyes and smile Tell me if it’s a good morning or a clear morning Tell me what the fuck kind of morning it is and I’ll buy it And get the dog to stop whining and barking This isn’t China nobody’s going to eat it It’s just going to get fed and petted Ok where were we? Ok go if you must. I’ll create the cosmos by myself I’ll let it all stick to me every fucking pine needle And I’ll broadcast my affection from this shaven dome 360 degrees to all the dramatic vistas to all the mists and snows that moves across the shining mountains to the women bathing in the stream and combing their hair on the roofs to the voiceless ones who have petitioned me from their surprising silence to the poor in the heart (oh more and more to them) to all the thought-forms and leaking mental objects that you get up here at the end of your ghostly life””

Leonard Cohen

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A surreal, stream‑of‑consciousness meditation on longing, perception, and the desire to create meaning beyond ordinary reality.

In simple terms: Year yearning for connection and creative power.

Key Takeaway

Embrace imagination and share affection.

Themes

longing creativity perception solitude

Mood

melancholic hopeful introspective

Type

poetic philosophical musical

When to use this quote

  • personal reflection
  • artistic creation
  • coping with isolation
  • expressing love
  • contemplating nature

Key Concepts

surrealism existentialism poetics

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does “China” symbolize for you?
  • How can imagination reshape everyday experience?
A Different Perspective

The abstract imagery may alienate listeners seeking concrete narrative.

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