Leonard Cohen: Hallelujah Meaning
Song Released: 1984
Covered By: Rufus Wainwright (2007), Jordan Smith (2015), Pentatonix (2016)
Hallelujah Lyrics
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King David's gift of a lifeline to G-d through all ... the Praise of Him:
At the height of the Jewish Kingdom King David composed/played (for Israel) the most beautiful of songs praising The Creator who is pleased by it, even though He [The Creator] doesn't care about [seek] praise, baffling David, yet...
We Praise You
We Praise You
You want clarity:
Babylon enticed me (Israel) to stray, then humiliated me and destroyed my kingdom and grandeur [exiled me], and brought out of me...
We Praise You
We Praise You
I was not always grand, I had been without You before, but now I see that in the praise which comes in sorrow, is a love that was lacking in the praise that came in grandeur, and now...
We Praise You
We Praise You
It's real to me now...
I knew this when all was grand, yet now in the darkness [exile] You have hidden it, I still remember when we [Israel and The Creator] were as one, and my soul was moved, and in everything I did was...
We Praise You
We Praise You
In a further darkness with a faith in doubt, through praising You insofar, in my praise I overcome those [Babylon] who overthrew you, with my exiled Praise [which they tried to eradicate]...
We Praise You
We Praise You
Now [so deep in exile] I (Israel/Leanord Cohen) know nothing, not even Your name which I seemingly am taking in vain [in this contemporary song], but [with chutzpah] don't you not care [as you don't for praise], so praising you is praising you whether holy or ignorant, so [here and now]...
We Praise You
We Praise You
It's all I have here in my coldness, this praise [with "your name in vain"] is how I reach for you, that's what's up! Even though we've gotten here [to the deepest darkest exile, by our own doing!?], here I stand before You ... with nothing [empty] ... with nothing [of our ways] ... with nothing at all, but... King David's...
We Praise You
We Praise You
We Praise You
We Praise You
We Praise You
We Praise You
We Praise You
We Praise You........ -
I can only add to two additional points, as I think overall the interpretations are good. The reference to Samson is mistaken. Cutting of hair is a loss of power. David lost power in his love for Bathsheba.
Also in the prior verse, regarding music, there are minor and major chords but the fifth is referred to as the "perfect fifth" and maybe this is an inability to see perfection that surrounds us through the Creator. -
I can't be the only one who thinks this:
***Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya***
means that despite a probable existence of a supreme being, all I have learned from my experiences is how to survive. Isn't it obvious that the writer was talking about shooting a gunslinger who is faster in drawing his gun out, than the writer himself is? Just my $0.02.
Disclaimer: I have only read first two pages of various amazing top voted interpretations of this song but I did not find anybody referring to this 'how to shoot somebody who outdraws you" metaphor. -
In the context of the cease fire the song sung by IDF soldiers is a metaphor for the love of Isreal. If you think of it that way it brings tears to your eyes.
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It's a spiritual, but not necessarily religious song. It's pretty evident from the lyrics that he is not particularly devout or faithful, in particular with the lyrics "Maybe there's a God above" (lack of faith) and the ending of "I'll stand before the Lord of Song", indicating that even without his faith he still has his music.
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Just because the word Hallelujah is used in the song and its title does not make this a religious song, praising god. Far from it.
Most uses of the word in the song is done so sarcastically as the song is about finding and losing love to the typical battles in a relationship, describing how those battles soured what was once a passionate romance.
The lyrics themselves even say that the writer isn't a believer in god and how, in the end, all he has is his music. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This might be too short to measure up to the many profound and detailed interpretations of this haunting, yet hopeful song. It is the author's reflective and revealing meditation toward God. Hallelujah is a term used to express praise to God. The author paints a rather impersonal and Holy God, (though He is), but rather a treatise on the unholiness of all humanity. Samson, David (a man after God's own heart), the author's imperfections in good times, troubled times, cynical and skeptical times are offered as the events in life in which we reflect fallen mankind rather than God's Holiness.
In all of these situations and seemingly failed occasions, the author does not turn from God, mock His Holiness, or disbelieve His existence. Instead he chooses to bring His crippled, broken, inadequate offering to The Lord anyway... His broken Hallelujah... Trusting God to understand that "we are but dust". (Psalm 103:14) in other words... God, you created man to bring you praise... and he has screwed up from the beginning of time (from the who's who of Biblical history til now) But I lift my song to you anyway...cuz it is all I have! HALLELUJAH, -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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So much analysis, so much, to my mind, missing the point - wrapping up the purity of the song with complexity. I suspect Cohen's battle to finish the lyrics was this very same tension - how to express an idea that is so simple, so intrinsic, that we have to resort to metaphors to get close to it.
For myself, I find the most succinct explanation in these two lines:
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
By sketching out all these different expressions of the word (or if you prefer 'The Word'), look not to what the differences between the emotions or the rationale for each of the verses; only by looking on what is _constant_ in each and every Hallelujah does the simple purity shine through.
So is this song directly about some concept of God, Yahweh, G-D etc, or not???
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah -
I’ve chosen not read the other analyses so i don't get influenced.
All the below is a mere psychological approach to a written dramaturgy, I’m not even sure if LC knew why he wrote in this manner, the only way i see it, is more like a personal diary and this extract is regarding one of his relationship…
the hallelujahs are calls to an emotion each verse has a different hallelujah,
even though there is a lot of biblical references it’s not quite about faith or God
1st verse: a hallelujah of Seduction, how far would you go to get what you want.
2nd verse: a hallelujah of Wisdom for the young man becomes a man, freedom became compromises and lust became responsibilities.
3rd verse: a hallelujah of Pain, he opened his eyes to himself being used by love
4th verse: a hallelujah of pleasure, he remembers with regrets their embraces
5th verse: a hallelujah of Pain, he’s learned that ignoring her will hurt her
6th verse: a hallelujah of Trust, he is asking people to trust his decision
7th verse: a hallelujah of Faith, for he praises god
Looks like a psychological approach to some well-known mourning phases such as a lost love => denying, fighting, fearing, accepting and healing..
The Song:
I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord*
biblical reference to king David, meaning that music “his passion” can be beautiful
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah*
Meaning, it’s disconcerting, how can she not love something this perfect.
2nd:Your faith was strong but you needed proof*
He was already in love but had yet to consume it( could be a reference to the forbidden fruit)
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you*
meaning that she was perfect at the perfect moment( could be compared to a glass of fresh water after 12 hours in the desert)
She tied you To a kitchen chair*
Meaning the end of celibacy.
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair* Meaning he has to start compromises and biblical Samson who had power in his hair and got betrayed by his forbidden love when she cut it. in this song the ripped power is passion itself
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah*
Meaning she exchanged his youth and freedom for her love.
3rd: Baby I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor*
Meaning the 3 sentences to say one thing
"i’ am not scared"
I used to live alone before I knew you.*
Meaning, a strong warning that she also has to compromise
I've seen your flag on the marble arch*
well like in every relationship's disputes the winner is the one that will go further than reasonable
Love is not a victory march*
Meaning it's not because i love you that you own me
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah*
meaning this Call is heartless and unfair ( he could have written it’ a her cold heart living him heartbroken)
4th: There was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below*
Meaning, when in love she used to share her intimacy with him, physically and mentally..
But now you never show it to me, do you?*
Meaning she has retracted herself towards him
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah*
Meaning that when they made love it was blissful.
5th Maybe there’s a God above*
Meaning, he is not the master of his destiny
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
Meanings he has learn how to get rid of his pain
It’s not a cry you can hear at night*
Meaning he has to stop thinking about it
It’s not somebody who has seen the light*
Meaning don’t ask God for help
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah*
Here is a clever revenge, the solution is to not care so it hurts the other
6th You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well, really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah*
This is not part of the relationship but more of a collateral, I would guess his close family
Being judged by someone he tell them that it’s their problem whether they rather believe in god than in him referring to himself has “the broken”
7th I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Again he is talking to someone, maybe the world actually, saying that he wrote this song honest and humble
with a broken heart hoping it would reach out (hey LC it did big time :))
Alex -
Perhaps the appreciation -- not interpretation -- on this page may interest some among us to love the song: http://www.jesusjazzbuddhism.org/for-david-after-his-love-affair-a-process-appreciation-of-leonard-cohens-hallelujah.html
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A lot of people see this song as a song about faith. I see it as a cynical look at faith.
In every verse, it's about someone who has either lost their faith, or is in the process of losing their faith.
People don't praise God when things are going good. They praise God when they have no where left to turn.
A few other notes: You say I took the name in vain, but I don't even know the name: This is a reference to the 3rd Commandment, thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain. In Jewish tradition, the actual name of God is never spoken. Most Jewish cultures use the term Adonai meaning "Lord" while orthodox Jews use the term Hashem meaning "Word".
The person in this song has lost all faith, but even if it all went wrong, he'd stand before the Lord Of Song with nothing on his tongue but Hallelujah.-Until he stands before God, he has lost faith. If he's proven wrong, all he'll have to say is Hallelujah. -
This is a great song, composed by one of the best composers of the past centuries, and hes a canadian brother...
This song has touched me, and has done the same for many others in society, even though lnerd cohen does not have the best voice, he sure knows how to make you feel what hes saying and he makes you think abou it while the sond is playing, not many songs do this for me.
This song is insperational and just plain amazing. -
It is amazing how many people think they are an authority on the meaning of this song. We all seem to take different things from it. Many do not understand that the "Hallelujah" is a Hebrew word which is a mini doxology to God. It is being said in many different contexts by people without them really understanding the meaning. Sorry, you can try and change the meaning all you want, but the original definition has not changed to please you. Cohen, if you read some of his bio, is Jewish, a practicing Jew. Even though he is also a Buddist monk. He justifies this by saying Buddism does not worship a god so it is not in conflict with his judism. That is his choice and only he knows why he wrote the song as he did. It also says he kept writing verse after verse, about 100 of them, but kept many of them out, obviously for good a reason, no one has a song that long. I think we all need to appreciate the song for what it provides each one individually and not say there is an "absolute" interpretion for it for anyone else. None of us are an authority on how someone else should interpret a work of art, even the artist. This is where freedom applies lavishly.
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