This album is so deep, rich and layered that it begs to be thoroughly analyzed and I'm sure there's enough material to discover here to fill up a complete brick-sized book's worth of theories and opinions. I'll settle for approximately ten lines, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. One could easily enjoy this album at face value as the music is absolutely simple yet gorgeous throughout; the gentle minor folk melodies are sad and evocative and Cohen's incredibly deep voice is simply hypnotizing. After a few listens, I invite everyone to dig deeper into Cohen's explorations of sin, lust, humility and the average man, his successes and failures. The man was a brilliant poet, an accomplished (and published) author and his talent with the english language is refreshing and boundless. It's no wonder songs like Suzanne, Sisters Of Mercy and So Long, Marianne went on to become timeless classics. This beautiful hardcover re-release includes two bonus tracks.