The song is a modern adaptation of the Unetanneh
Tokef, an 11th-century piyyut (liturgical poem) traditionally recited on Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The original prayer lists various ways people may pass
away (e.g., "who by fire, who by water, who by plague"). Cohen
maintained the theme of listing ways to die, while adding his own lyrical
variations, such as "who by barbiturate" and "who in her lonely
slip". The repeated line "And who shall I say is calling?"
introduces a sense of doubt about a higher power, shifting the prayer from
divine certainty to a personal question.
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