They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin." - Meaning and context.">

They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin.

— Leonard Cohen

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin.
" in the context of ""First We Take Manhattan" (written in 1986) - Leonard Cohen video - Jennifer Warnes & Leonard Cohen video" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Leonard Cohen" (Quotes, I'm Your Man (1988)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Leonard Cohen

About Leonard Cohen

Leonard Norman Cohen, CC, GOQ (21 September 1934 - 7 November 2016) was a Canadian poet, songwriter, singer, and novelist noted for the bold exploration of religion, politics, sexuality, personal relationships and personal isolation in his works.