--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: THERE FOR YOU When it all went down And…" description: "\"“THERE FOR YOU When it all went down And the pain came through I get it now I was there for you Don’t ask me how I know it’s true I get it now I was th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/leonard-cohen-448_drinking-wine_there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and_2690026.jpg" --- # THERE FOR YOU When it all went down And the pain came… ![“THERE FOR YOU When it all went down And the pain came through I get it now I was there for you Don’t ask me how I know it’s true I get it now I was there for you I make my plans Like I always do But when I look back I was there for you I walk the streets Like I used to do And I freeze with fear…” quote by Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/leonard-cohen-448_drinking-wine_there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and_2690026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/leonard-cohen-448_drinking-wine_there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and_2690026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/leonard-cohen-448_drinking-wine_there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and_2690026.jpg) > ““THERE FOR YOU When it all went down And the pain came through I get it now I was there for you Don’t ask me how I know it’s true I get it now I was there for you I make my plans Like I always do But when I look back I was there for you I walk the streets Like I used to do And I freeze with fear But I’m there for you I see my life In full review It was never me It was always you You sent me here You sent me there Breaking things I can’t repair Making objects Out of thoughts making more By thinking not Eating food And drinking wine A body that I thought was mine Dressed as Arab Dressed as Jew O mask of iron I was there for you Moods of glory Moods so foul The world comes through A bloody towel And death is old But it’s always new I freeze with fear And I’m there for you I see it clear I always knew It was never me I was there for you I was there for you My darling one And by your law It all was done Don’t ask me how I know it’s true I get it now I was there for you”” [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. The speaker reflects on being a constant presence for another, confronting fear, identity, and the weight of past actions while questioning truth and purpose. **In simple terms:** I was always there for you, despite fear and doubt. Key Takeaway Recognize your role and confront hidden fears. Themes identity presence fear truth responsibility Mood melancholic introspective hopeful Type poetic confessional philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - personal crisis - self‑reflection - healing - making peace Key Concepts existentialism self‑sacrifice memory dualities Questions to Reflect On - What does “being there” truly mean for you? - How do you reconcile personal identity with self for others? A Different Perspective The narrative may romanticize suffering without offering solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drinking wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking-wine/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodbye/) [Heartburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartburn/) ## Related quotes > [Drinking wine is just a part of life, like eating food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/drinking-wine-is-just-a-part-of-life-like-eating-food/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [“This is it I’m not coming after you I’m going to lie down for half an hour This is it I’m not going down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-is-it-i-m-not-coming-after-you-i-m-going-to-lie-down-for-half-an/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-isn-t-china-hold-me-close-and-tell-me-what-the-world-is-like-i/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Everywhere I went the pain of losing him went with me. It wore me like a backpack, slapping a rhythm of heartache against my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-kae-myers/everywhere-i-went-the-pain-of-losing-him-went-with-me-it-wore-me-like/) [Kate Kae Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-kae-myers/) > [“Since then, everywhere I went the pain of losing him went with me. It wore me like a backpack, slapping a rhythm of heartache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-kae-myers/since-then-everywhere-i-went-the-pain-of-losing-him-went-with-me-it/) [Kate Kae Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-kae-myers/) > [For me, 2016-17 was hell, and there's no way around it for me. I went through pain, depression, fear, doubt, and all of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/for-me-2016-17-was-hell-and-there-s-no-way-around-it-for-me-i-went/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [I went through pain as a child so my children wouldn't have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gardner/i-went-through-pain-as-a-child-so-my-children-wouldn-t-have-to/) [Chris Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gardner/) > [Ode to Pain . They came, As Many, Legion. Driven. Unstoppable. Fangs dripping, Claws extended, Ripping, Biting, Cutting, Wounds, Endless. I loath them, Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/ode-to-pain-they-came-as-many-legion-driven-unstoppable-fangs/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [I was about 17 or 18 years old, and Chris Rock's 'Bring the Pain' came out, and I was obsessed. You know, it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segura/i-was-about-17-or-18-years-old-and-chris-rock-s-bring-the-pain-came/) [Tom Segura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segura/) > [“With pain came insight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-spindler/with-pain-came-insight/) [Erica Spindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-spindler/) > [“before pain came to mean not what was lost but what remained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/before-pain-came-to-mean-not-what-was-lost-but-what-remained/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [“The hardest part was acknowledging I might never see you again. Realizing how much you mean to me and how much I'd miss your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-reed/the-hardest-part-was-acknowledging-i-might-never-see-you-again/) [J.C. Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-reed/) > [She expected the pain, when it came. But she gasped at its sharpness; it was not like any pain she had felt before. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/she-expected-the-pain-when-it-came-but-she-gasped-at-its-sharpness-it/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [ “Then Night came down like the feathery soot of a smoky lamp, and smutted\[9\] first the bedquilt, then the hearth-rug, then the window-seat, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-hallowell-abbott/then-night-came-down-like-the-feathery-soot-of-a-smoky-lamp-and/) [Eleanor Hallowell Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-hallowell-abbott/) > [“As the door closed behind them, the painter flung himself down on a sofa, and a look of pain came into his face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/as-the-door-closed-behind-them-the-painter-flung-himself-down-on-a/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More by Leonard Cohen > [The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold and it's overturned the order of the soul...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-blizzard-of-the-world-has-crossed-the-threshold-and-it-s/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Don't matter if you're rich and strong Don't matter if you're weak Don't matter if you write a song The nightingales repeat Don't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/don-t-matter-if-you-re-rich-and-strong-don-t-matter-if-you-re-weak/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“You don't know me from the wind you never will, you never did I'm the little jew who wrote the Bible. I've seen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/you-don-t-know-me-from-the-wind-you-never-will-you-never-did-i-m-the/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“This is it I’m not coming after you I’m going to lie down for half an hour This is it I’m not going down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-is-it-i-m-not-coming-after-you-i-m-going-to-lie-down-for-half-an/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [My sense of proprietorship has been so weak that actually I didn't pay attention and I lost the copyrights on a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-sense-of-proprietorship-has-been-so-weak-that-actually-i-didn-t/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can... reconcile and embrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-world-is-full-of-conflicts-and-full-of-things-that-cannot-be/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [ I would say the hummingbird really deserves the royalties on \[some of my songs\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-would-say-the-hummingbird-really-deserves-the-royalties-on-some-of/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [One is given to self-dramatization from time to time. I intend to live forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/one-is-given-to-self-dramatization-from-time-to-time-i-intend-to-live/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [The basic function of popular music is to create an environment for courting, lovemaking, and doing the dishes. It's useful because it addresses the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-basic-function-of-popular-music-is-to-create-an-environment-for/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Blessed are you, embrace of the falling, foundation of the light, master of the human accident.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/blessed-are-you-embrace-of-the-falling-foundation-of-the-light-master/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I continually blacken pages and scribble away, so I always have a number of songs that are half-finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-continually-blacken-pages-and-scribble-away-so-i-always-have-a/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I have nothing against the Queen of England. Even in my heart I never resented her for not being Jackie Kennedy. She is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-have-nothing-against-the-queen-of-england-even-in-my-heart-i-never/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I loved you when you opened like a lily to the heat; you see I’m just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-loved-you-when-you-opened-like-a-lily-to-the-heat-you-see-i-m-just/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [It's time that we began to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/it-s-time-that-we-began-to-laugh-and-cry-and-cry-and-laugh-about-it/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“I followed the course From chaos to art Desire the horse Depression the cart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-followed-the-course-from-chaos-to-art-desire-the-horse-depression/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) [Explore all 543 Leonard Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## More Drinking wine quotes > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [I am falser than vows made in wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-am-falser-than-vows-made-in-wine/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Accordingly if the devil should say, 'Do not drink,' you should reply to him, 'On this very account, because you forbid it, I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/accordingly-if-the-devil-should-say-do-not-drink-you-should-reply-to/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-think-it-is-a-great-error-to-consider-a-heavy-tax-on-wines-as-a-tax/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I like drinking wine. Since I travel a lot in the league, I like to sit down with my wife and have a meal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-frye/i-like-drinking-wine-since-i-travel-a-lot-in-the-league-i-like-to-sit/) [Channing Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-frye/) > [Long before I became 'rich and famous' I just sat round drinking wine and staring at the walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/long-before-i-became-rich-and-famous-i-just-sat-round-drinking-wine/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [My only regret in life is that I did not drink more wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/my-only-regret-in-life-is-that-i-did-not-drink-more-wine/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Drinking wine is easy: tilt glass and swallow. Really tasting wine is more of a challenge. You need the proper tools and environment, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-shanken/drinking-wine-is-easy-tilt-glass-and-swallow-really-tasting-wine-is/) Marvin Shanken > [I fell in love with wine in Napa Valley. I fell in love with the culture and the restaurants and the way the wood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-woodson/i-fell-in-love-with-wine-in-napa-valley-i-fell-in-love-with-the/) [Charles Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-woodson/) > [ The custom of saluting \[i.e., embracing\] ladies by their relatives and friends was introduced, it is said, by the early Romans, not out of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/the-custom-of-saluting-i-e-embracing-ladies-by-their-relatives-and/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-can-certainly-see-that-you-know-your-wine-most-of-the-guests-who/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [“Everybody had his arms on everybody else’s shoulders, and they were all singing. Mike was sitting at the table with several men in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/everybody-had-his-arms-on-everybody-else-s-shoulders-and-they-were/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One day you are drinking the wine, and they next day you are picking the grapes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/one-day-you-are-drinking-the-wine-and-they-next-day-you-are-picking/) [Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/) > [“In all your days, so few of them will be spent drinking wine at its source. Those days are special.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laure-dugas/in-all-your-days-so-few-of-them-will-be-spent-drinking-wine-at-its/) Laure Dugas > [When a man drinks wine at dinner, he begins to be better pleased with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-a-man-drinks-wine-at-dinner-he-begins-to-be-better-pleased-with/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) [Browse all 102 Drinking wine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking-wine/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“THERE FOR YOU When it all went down And the pain came through I get it now I was there for you Don’t ask me how I know it’s true I get it now I was there for you I make my plans Like I always do But when I look back I was there for you I walk the streets Like I used to do And I freeze with fear But I’m there for you I see my life In full review It was never me It was always you You sent me here You sent me there Breaking things I can’t repair Making objects Out of thoughts making more By thinking not Eating food And drinking wine A body that I thought was mine Dressed as Arab Dressed as Jew O mask of iron I was there for you Moods of glory Moods so foul The world comes through A bloody towel And death is old But it’s always new I freeze with fear And I’m there for you I see it clear I always knew It was never me I was there for you I was there for you My darling one And by your law It all was done Don’t ask me how I know it’s true I get it now I was there for you”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard Cohen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and-the-pain-came-through-i-get/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Drinking wine" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and-the-pain-came-through-i-get/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/leonard-cohen-448_drinking-wine_there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and_2690026.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/leonard-cohen-448_drinking-wine_there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and_2690026.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ed/leonard-cohen-448_drinking-wine_there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and_2690026.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“THERE FOR YOU When it all went down And the pain came through I get it now I was there for you Don’t ask me…” — Leonard Cohen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leonard Cohen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“THERE FOR YOU When it all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and-the-pain-came-through-i-get/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/there-for-you-when-it-all-went-down-and-the-pain-came-through-i-get/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```