The Song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen?

Question

The Song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen or perhaps more popular by Jeff Buckley,
What is it means?
Is it about god (for or against?)?
Is it about love?

Hallelujah
i heard there was a secret chord
that david played and it pleased the lord
but you don't really care for music, do you
well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth
the minor fall and the major lift
the baffled king composing hallelujah

well your faith was strong but you needed proof
you saw her bathing on the roof
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
she tied you to her kitchen chair
she broke your throne and she cut your hair
and from your lips she drew the hallelujah

baby i've been here before
i've seen this room and i've walked this floor
i used to live alone before i knew you
i've seen your flag on the marble arch
but love is not a victory march
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

well there was a time when you let me know

Thanks the first 3 guys answered:)
But already did a search on Wikipedia before I posted this.
What was Leonard Cohen's general position about god?
I was hoping more specific answers.
For example, why the frequent and title word ''Hallelujah"?

Answer 1

Here is my interpretation of this song.....you may or may not agree.


First off, the first 4 choruses of Hallelujah's are an unsure, disbelieving prayer. They refer to faith in God, but that faith is barely existent. A rough relationship has caused doubt and guilt about everything that is.

I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
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


The whole song is told from the point of view of a doubting, depressed believer. Here he alludes to a relationship problem (line 3), possibly just expressing a newfound incompatibility (what he sees as beautiful, she can't appreciate). Also, lines 5 and 6 may refer to both his religious and personal struggle. He admits things aren't going well ("The minor fall"), and looks to the possibility of some divine reassurance ("the major lift"). The songwriter is "The baffled king" and out of desperation, he is "composing Hallelujah."

Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

This first allusion to sex is a critique of his relationship. His lust and the sexuality of the relationship have caused him to lose his faith. As Samson, his "throne" and "hair" are elements of his faith, which this woman has stripped him of (I would guess that Samson allowed Delilah the opportunity to take advantage of him). "And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah." Again, his faith has been stolen away, so that he can no longer praise God.

Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah

Maybe I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Lines 1-3 of this verse refer to his faith in God, whom he had to ponder and recognize before this relationship distracted him. Lines 4 and 5 pretty directly refer to a battle (a spiritual one maybe), with "your flag on the marble arch" symbolizing the pedestal that should have been reserved for God, but was instead used for this woman. "Love is not a victory march" is a humble admission of his fault. In line 6, he's left with nothing. It's a sad realization at the end of what was to be a great thing that it was all wrong. Nothing was gained, and in fact, "everything" may have been lost.

Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know
What's real and going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was
Hallelujah

I think this verse gets into the psychology of sex quite a bit. Prior to the inception of sex into the relationship, "There was a time you let me know what's real and going on below." "But now..." (with the sexual element as a deterrant to true emotional correspondence) "you never show it to me, do you?" Line 4 is obviously referring directly to the act of sex (holyt dove --> orgasm? maybe) "Every breath we drew......Hallelujah" is celebrating the pleasure of sex. In the confines of this relationship, the "Hallelujah" expressed may be worship of a false idol (his partner, or more likely the act of sex itself).

Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah

Maybe there's a God above
And all I ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
And it's not a cry you can hear at night It's not somebody who's seen the light It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Again, he questions his faith, which he has to do since his false idol is no longer a part of his life. I would submit that in this verse, he no longer sings to his lost love, but to the love he wants to rediscover (God). If this is the case, then "someone who outdrew you" could be interpreted as the woman he sings of, who served as an opposition to God. Lines 4-6, then, sound like a desperate prayer, a proclamation of a man's lack of faith. His proclamation, made out of the lowest state of shame is "a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah," but it's an honest form of worship. Here he bows down to God, confesses his error, and pleads for help.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah

These last intense Hallelujahs are a prayer, a supplication, and an earnest appeal. A sincere conviction and a new hint of hope can be heard.

Answer 2

I believe It's about love, i do know it's and it's a beautiful song
but heres some extra details taken from wikipedia

The original recording from 1984 is noted for containing explicit biblical references in the lyrics, alluding to David's harp-playing used to soothe King Saul (I Sam. 16:23), and his later affair with Bathsheba after watching her bathe from his roof. The line "she broke your throne and she cut your hair" is likely a reference to the source of Samson's strength from the Book of Judges. The third verse mentions "the name" (Tetragrammaton).

In 1994, Cohen released a substantially different version on the album Cohen Live (recorded in 1988), retaining only the final verse from Various Positions. In this version, the lyrics became more explicitly sexual, and the music was slightly reworked. Many cover artists mix lyrics from both versions, and occasionally make other changes (such as Rufus Wainwright singing "holy dark" and Allison Crowe singing "Holy Ghost" rather than "holy dove").

As well as recording a cover of the original version, in February 2007 Alistair Griffin rewrote the lyrics to reference the soccer player Mark Viduka. Leonard Cohen gave permission for this to be released as a charity download in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Welsh rock-outfit Lostprophets uses the song's setence "I've seen this room and I've walked this floor" in their track 'Can't Catch Tomorrow (Good Shoes Won't Save You This Time)' on their latest album Liberation Transmission. It's not clear if this use is coincidental or not.

Answer 3

The original recording from 1984 is noted for containing explicit biblical references in the lyrics, alluding to David's harp-playing used to soothe King Saul (I Sam. 16:23), and his later affair with Bathsheba after watching her bathe from his roof. The line "she broke your throne and she cut your hair" is likely a reference to the source of Samson's strength from the Book of Judges. The third verse mentions "the name" (Tetragrammaton).

In 1994, Cohen released a substantially different version on the album Cohen Live (recorded in 1988), retaining only the final verse from Various Positions. In this version, the lyrics became more explicitly sexual, and the music was slightly reworked. Many cover artists mix lyrics from both versions, and occasionally make other changes (such as Rufus Wainwright singing "holy dark" and Allison Crowe singing "Holy Ghost" rather than "holy dove").

Answer 4

People ask about that song quite a bit; it's one of my favorites.

Cohen weaves religious/Biblical references throughout his works despite coming from a Jewish family with many rabbis and having embraced Buddhism.

Here he's merging his own love life with that of King David and Bathsheba. Pure, sacred love being lost by the body's physical needs.

The best explanation I've found of that song is "One Haunting Ballad Has Been the Soundtrack to Many Lives Recently. But Why?" by Bryan Appleyard, which can be found at:
http://www.webheights.net/speakingcohen/denver.htm

Answer 5

My favourites are the jeff buckley and the leonard cohen versions

Answer 6

Cohen only ever wrote songs about god and love. And he frequently merged them into a female fantasy (see "Suzanne")

Answer 7

2

Answer 8

1