Analysis of The Bus - Leonard Cohen 9 1936)



The Bus
Leonard Cohen (Canada, b. 1936)

I was the last passenger of the day,
I was alone on the bus,
I was glad they were spending all that money
just getting me up Eighth Avenue.
Driver! I shouted, it’s you and me tonight,
let’s run away from this big city
to a smaller city more suitable to the heart,
let’s drive past the swimming pools of Miami Beach,
you in the driver’s seat, me several seats back,
but in the racial cities we’ll change places
so as to show how well you’ve done up North,
and let us find ourselves some tiny American fishing village
in unknown Florida
and park right at the edge of the sand,
a huge bus pointing out,
metallic, painted, solitary,
with New York plates.


Scheme AB XABXXBXXXXXXXXXBX
Poetic Form
Metre 01 10101001 1101100101 1101101 11110101110 11011110 10110110101 110111110 1010101100101 111010110101 10010111011 10010101110 1111111111 011100111001001010 001100 011101101 011101 01010100 1111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 684
Words 130
Sentences 4
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 2, 17
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 267
Words per stanza (avg) 65
Font size:
 

Submitted on March 03, 2021

Modified on May 03, 2023

39 sec read
671

Leonard Cohen

 · 1934 · Westmount

Leonard Norman Cohen was a highly gifted and varied writer — novelist, playright, songwriter and poet. He was already quite famous as a poet before embarking on a music career as a singer-songwriter. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and his songs have been recorded by countless other performers. Born in Montreal, Canada, in 1934, Cohen had a long and productive career. He was working right up to his death, in 2016 at the age of 82. more…

All Leonard Cohen poems | Leonard Cohen Books

3 fans

Discuss this Leonard Cohen poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Bus - Leonard Cohen 9 1936)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/62734/the-bus---leonard-cohen-9-1936%29>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    December 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    8
    days
    10
    hours
    26
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which of these famous poems is written in villanelle form?
    A Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
    B Funeral Blues
    C Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
    D The Owl And The Pussycat