Leonard Cohen: Hallelujah Meaning
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1TOP RATED
anonymous Mar 27th 2010, 19:45 report
The first time I heard this song it touched me. Both the melody and the words are really powerful. This is my interpretation.
The logic of the song is there can be many different hallelujah's. Hallelujah can be said in many different circumstances.
Lennard Cohen uses this theme to talk about the hardships of love.
There are many biblical references in the song (King David, Samson and Delilah). I will not go in to them, other have already explained these references in great detail.
There are many versions of this song. Even LC did not always sing the same verses.
I believe the version he performed during his 2008 tour (maybe still does) is the most logical (complete):
Verse 1:
Now 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
David loves music, but his love does not. He does not understand this (is baffled) and tries to explain (the cords are matched by the actual song), thus composing the Hallelujah.
I believe this is about unmatched intrests in a relationship.
Verse 2:
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, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
The man (David) falls in love, but the relation is not a healty one. It ends up with him submitting and losing his powers. It is a distructive relationship and the Hallelujah is one of dispair.
Verse 3:
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Maybe the most "black" verse, reflecting on the bitterness of love. When you hear a Hallelujah it's probably not because of joy (seeing the light), but because someone is hurting.
Verse 4:
Baby 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
The relationship still exists, but it's hollow. It is like it was when he was alone. He has seen the glorious side of love (the flag on the marble arch), but the love is not lasting and his hart is broken, therefore the Hallelujah is cold and broken.
Verse 5:
There was a time you let me know
What's really 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
He remembers when things were good, how their lovemaking made him feel like they were really together, and their Hallelujahs were those of joy and ecstasy.
Verse 6:
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
The conclusion of the song: Here LC turns from looking back to looking forward.
We try, but often fail in love. We start with the best intentions and though it can go wrong, we need to try. In the end it is worth it. This Hallelujah is optimistic, because it shows that the hardships have not defeated him.
This last verse is not included in most covers, but for me the last verse makes the song complete. It takes it full circle, bringing back the biblical relationship between the subject and a (the) Lord. It also gives the song a hyperbolic ending, which I prefer. -
2TOP RATED
crissy Feb 1st 2009, 19:27 report
Most of the interpretations I have heard refer to biblical stories and of course it is impossible to ignore the analogies with King David and Bathsheba. However,I think these can obscure the meaning of the song and I would rather go beyond them. Analyzing a poem line by line sometimes misses the core of meaning which may actually be not fully realized by the poet himself.What after all was Kubla Khan, Coleridges poem about? It came out of a drug-induced reverie and the words are impossible to interpret literally.
What I see in the poem is a man who finds it hard to reconcile his own singular personal quest for truth as a spiritual seeker and as a creative artist with earthly love.He is "overthrown" by the beauty of the woman bathing on the roof and intoxicated with desire for her yet with that comes compromise.Being tied to a kitchen chair suggests being bound to domesticity and having his hair cut recalls Samson whose strength was lost when Delilah cut his hair.He feels he has sacrificed his power for ephemeral sexual desire,emotional needs and freedom from the burden of loneliness.
And inevitably the hallelujah, the ecstasy fades and withit bitterness and disillusionment since his lover has no feeling for creativity as evidenced by her lack of interest in music,his explanation of which seems to fall on deaf ears.
At the same time,the sexual magnetism, "down below" has diminished or even gone in the way that the energy of many relationships weaken into dead habit.
So there is a sense he has been left with nothing, doubting a god above and likening earthly love to a gunfight.It is as if he has betrayed his deepest yearnings and is only left with a cold and broken hallelujah, an empty exhortation, a state of inner desolation.
Yet the tone of the song is so bittersweet, so beautiful and sad that there might be a suggestion that he has reconciled those feelings and accepted the limits of the relationship,knowing that even sharing a life with someone cannot assuage his inner loneliness.
Hallelujah is a beautiful,ironic and melancholy masterpiece. -
3TOP RATED
anonymous May 20th 2009, 23:07 report
Interpreted by : Francis O'Brien
**Many times Cohen says hallelujah in many different contexts; this is the core of the song and will be explained at the end of the analysis.
For the first part:
Now 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
This relates to the story of King David who was had an intimate relation with god and was also a great harp player (secret cord/pleased the lord). The hallelujah at the end of this verse is a happy and spiritual one.
Second part:
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, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
In this part Cohen relates to the story of David and Bathsheba when David was walking on the roofs he saw her bathing and seduced her ending up committing adultery and lost a lot of influence and weakened his link with god (broken throne). Then we move to the story of Samson who gets his hair cut and loses all his powers, once again, a broken throne. In this verse, the hallelujah is a very sad and desperate one.
Third Part:
Baby 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
In this part Cohen talks about the ambivalence of love and its effect on your faith. It can be glorious like a flag on a marble arch or it can be cold and broken. And when in heart break you may lose or strengthen your faith, in this case it is strengthened because he still praises the lord in the end. In this case, the hallelujah is (obviously) cold and broken.
Fourth Part:
There was a time you let me know
What's really 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
This is an obvious reference to sexuality and that even through an act as disgraceful as sex you can still praise the lord. In this verse the hallelujah can be interpreted as an “orgasmic” one.
Fifth Part:
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 a reference to one of the ten commandments and through this Cohen is trying to make the listener understand that religion and faith is not etched in stone and that every one should interpret the holy texts and religion in his own way and that there is no “Right Way” to believe. This is an uncertain hallelujah, meaning that he is not sure what to believe but he believes anyway.
Sixth Part:
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
In this part, he has found what to believe in and realizes his past errors but he is ready to face the lord because he now has complete faith. This hallelujah is one of total faith and love for “the lord”.
Hallelujahs:
The song revolves around the word Hallelujah, which is a Hebrew word which means praise Yah/Jah or the Lord. And through the song, he says that all Hallelujahs are of equal value no matter the circumstance or the cause of the act. Weather it is in complete blissful faith or is from broken desperation, all ways and goals to prise the lord mean the same and are all equal. -
anonymous Apr 30th, 08:38 report
I find Leonard Cohen to be one very highly egotistical individual. His sexual impurities and how he makes them out to be almost divine are repungnant. He does not know God and frankly he values himself more than he does God. His life of fornication, his cowardiceness to commit to marriage, his out of wedlock children, his mishmash belief that every religion is acceptable, and that there is no right or wrong only further demonstrates his lack of knowing who God is and what His teachings are. I hope for his sake, that now that he is nearing the end of his life, that he finally grows up and will embrace God's teachings on purity and the sacrament of marriage which primary purpose is the procreation and education of children for God's glory. The light is there Leonard. Quit turning it off.
Jesus most patient, have mercy on us -
gbcobra Feb 25th, 10:32 report
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. -
laura.burtthorpe Feb 10th, 23:30 report
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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anonymous Jan 28th, 15:41 report
Perhaps the best way to interpret this song is to just get it from the horses mouth. Anyone find Leonard Cohen's interpretation?
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anonymous Dec 15th 2012, 13:57 report
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah is a Hebrew word meaning "Praise God." This song praises God in the very good times and in the very bad times.
Verse 1:
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
This is a biblical reference; David plays the harp to sooth King Saul, but the music doesn't help, King Saul moves to kill David. The Lord God Himself is pleased by David. However; the baffled King Saul has a mixture of jealousy, unhealthy love and envy for David. Ultimately King Saul loses his throne to David and David becomes King. King Saul has been brought to his knees and his Hallelujah is a lament to what he could have been in God's eyes.
Verse 2:
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, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
This verse speaks to me in that King David was a man after God's own heart, King David's faith in God was strong, but in a moment of weakness his head is turned by the beautiful Bathsheba. King David sins against God when he has her husband killed and removed so David can take her as his wife. The sinful lust David has for Bathsheba removes him from favor with God and brings David to his knees. David is so broken, all he can do is cry out to God, praising Him and begging for forgiveness to once again be in God's favor.
Another reference is to Sampson, whom God had blest with great strength, God loved Sampson, but Sampson too is lured into a relationship with a beautiful woman that is his enemy. God has told Sampson not to take Delilah as his own, and ultimately Delilah ruins Sampson by tying him up and cutting his hair, and removing his source of strength. Sampson is captured by his enemies, his eyes burned out and is made to grind wheat like an animal. He too laments to God, a broken Hallelujah, praising God and begging His favor once more.
Verse 3:
Now, maybe there's a God above
As for me all I've ever learned from love
is how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
but it's not a cry that you hear tonight
It's not some pilgrim that claims to have seen the light
It's a cold and it's a very broken Hallelujah
The writer of these lyrics has had a love relationship that has ended and he too is broken, all he can say is a "broken hallelujah." This reflects on the bitterness of love, his love interest has hurt him very deeply.
Verse 4:
Oh people I've been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
You see, I used to live alone before I knew you.
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
But listen, love is not some kind of victory march
It's a cold and it's a very lonely Hallelujah
The writer has been in love many times, and it has turned out badly. This verse speaks of the very human love relationship, in this instance his love has declared victory and has placed a flag on the marble arch. Love is not a competition to see who wins most of the time, this love is not lasting either and his heart is broken once again, bringing him to his knees where all he can do is proclaim a very lonely Hallelujah.
Verse 5:
There was a time you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never even show it to me, do you?
I remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove she was moving too
And every single breath that we drew was Hallelujah
He remembers when things were good, how their lovemaking made him feel like they were really together. Their Hallelujahs were those of joy and ecstasy.
Verse 6:
I've done my best, I know it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I learned to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come here to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand right here before the Lord of Song
With nothing, nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
In the end, the writer realizes he's made mistakes, he's told the truth and he doesn't want to appear he is something he is not. He comes before the "Lord of Song" which is a reference to God I believe. He stands before the Lord with nothing on his tongue but Hallelujah, praising God realizing that God is all sufficient and deserves his honor and praise in everything. -
anonymous Dec 15th 2012, 13:33 report
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah is a Hebrew word meaning "Praise God." This song praises God in the very good times and in the very bad times.
Verse 1:
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
This is a biblical reference; David plays the harp to sooth King Saul, but the music doesn't help, King Saul moves to kill David. The Lord God Himself is pleased by David. However; the baffled King Saul has a mixture of jealousy, unhealthy love and envy for David. Ultimately King Saul loses his throne to David and David becomes King. King Saul has been brought to his knees and his Hallelujah is a lament to what he could have been in God's eyes.
Verse 2:
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, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
This verse speaks to me in that King David was a man after God's own heart, King David's faith in God was strong, but in a moment of weakness his head is turned by the beautiful Bathsheba. King David sins against God when he has her husband killed and removed so David can take her as his wife. The sinful lust David has for Bathsheba removes him from favor with God and brings David to his knees. David is so broken, all he can do is cry out to God, praising Him and begging for forgiveness to once again be in God's favor.
Another reference is to Sampson, whom God had blest with great strength, God loved Sampson, but Sampson too is lured into a relationship with a beautiful woman that is his enemy. God has told Sampson not to take Delilah as his own, and ultimately Delilah ruins Sampson by tying him up and cutting his hair, and removing his source of strength. Sampson is captured by his enemies, his eyes burned out and is made to grind wheat like an animal. He too laments to God, a broken Hallelujah, praising God and begging His favor once more.
Verse 3:
Now, maybe there's a God above
As for me all I've ever learned from love
is how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
but it's not a cry that you hear tonight
It's not some pilgrim that claims to have seen the light
It's a cold and it's a very broken Hallelujah
The writer of these lyrics has had a love relationship that has ended and he too is broken, all he can say is a "broken hallelujah." This reflects on the bitterness of love, his love interest has hurt him very deeply.
Verse 4:
Oh people I've been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
You see, I used to live alone before I knew you.
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
But listen, love is not some kind of victory march
It's a cold and it's a very lonely Hallelujah
The writer has been in love many times, and it has turned out badly. This verse speaks of the very human love relationship, in this instance his love has declared victory and has placed a flag on the marble arch. Love is not a competition to see who wins most of the time, this love is not lasting either and his heart is broken once again, bringing him to his knees where all he can do is proclaim a very lonely Hallelujah.
Verse 5:
There was a time you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never even show it to me, do you?
I remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove she was moving too
And every single breath that we drew was Hallelujah
He remembers when things were good, how their lovemaking made him feel like they were really together. Their Hallelujahs were those of joy and ecstasy.
Verse 6:
I've done my best, I know it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I learned to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come here to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand right here before the Lord of Song
With nothing, nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
In the end, the writer realizes he's made mistakes, he's told the truth and he doesn't want to appear he is something he is not. He comes before the "Lord of Song" which is a reference to God I believe. He stands before the Lord with nothing on his tongue but Hallelujah, praising God realizing that God is all sufficient and deserves all his honor and praise in each and every aspect of life. -
anonymous Dec 13th 2012, 09:23 report
Hallelujah: Praise God (Yahweh)
This song speaks to me of the brokenness of (wo)man. First Saul is broken by God through David, the only thing that soothes his soul and calms him is David's harp (which pleased the Lord). Then David is broken (separated from the blessings of God and his love relationship with God) by his adultery with Bathsheba, in the same sentence there is a reference to Sampson who was broken and separated from God by his lust for Delilah. Both these men were separated from the blessings of God through sin. Then the writer goes on to explain his brokenness and separation from his love interest and how he is also is brought to his knees with Hallelujah on his lips. He has nothing left but to praise God. I belive the final verse speaks of mans separation from God, how can sinful man be reconciled to a holy and righteous God? All man can say in his separation and brokenness to cry out to God (the Lord of Song) a broken and contrite Hallelujah. Each instance shows a brokenness and separation from love and how we are separately and collectively brought to our knees with only a broken Hallelujah on our lips as our only and sometime final recourse. This speaks to me as our eternal struggle until we reconcile ourselves to a holy and righteous God. Hallelujah! -
anonymous Dec 11th 2012, 04:47 report
Okay, heaps of people are doing other ones so mine will be quick.
The word 'Hallelujah' means 'faith.'
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
This part is about David and Bathseba, their story is at 2 Samuel 11
Bathesba was a married woman that King David saw on the roof one night when she bathed. He had her brought to him, they slept togethor and she fell pregnant. Her husband died and she married David and God wasn't a happy about his chosen king's behaviour.
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
This references Samson and Delilah. Samson made an oath when he was very young to God that made him REALLY strong as long as he never cut his hair, or his strength would be diminished to its length. Delilah was a prostitute that he visited and fell in love with. However, Delilah's loyalties lied with the Phillistines, and after asking again and again what was the source of his strength and though knowing she was probably working for the enemy he told her the truth. Delilah waited for him to fall asleep in her lap and she cut off his hair. He was arrested and forced to work grinding wheat, but his hair began to grow and no-one cut it. He was summoned to entertain his Phillistine captors and as soon as he was no longer shackled he pushed against one of the support pillars, causing the building to collapse and killing hundreds of Phillistine men and women. This was the first time Samson ever prayed to God, and God helped him with his final task, giving him the strength he needed. -
anonymous Oct 24th 2012, 22:45 report
I just want to comment on a couple specific lines. I've read through a few interpretations and so far. Nobody has gotten the same message from these lines.
First:
"I've seen your flag on the marble arch"
This line implies that his lover has claimed "victory" in love which is impossible. Hence the next line.
"Love is not a victory march"
I take this line to mean that being in love is not the end game in and of itself. Relationships are like a battle. They can be lost if celebrated as a victory while still underway. Ultimately that victory march could never happen because the only two possible outcomes are that you die while still together (you can't celebrate if you're dead) or you split up (not a victory).
P.S. The Jeff Buckley version is my favorite. -
anonymous Oct 12th 2012, 21:27 report
I think it is incredibly bitter and sarcastic as song by LC himself. I've been through exactly the same stuff. am a prof. singer for 25 years. really well trained and educated. went thru a bitter divorce and have been suicidal, but live for my 19 yr. old son and my cat. am unemployed,flat broke and 20K in debt. I have not heard too many others sing this yet, but no one I have heard does it like LC, and at that deadly slow tempo! I've sung so many songs, and must do this one, but cannot find my guitar pegs. I believe in god, or at least angels, am not Jewish, but sang as a cantor at a reform synagogue- it is a profoundly beautiful religion. OH, the silent rage! It sounds so beauty-pageant-like(barf), but I strongly realize that I must use my music for peace and love, or I have not done my lifetime work. I am extremely ill(not fatal- except for possibly my very bad diabetes and stress/depression. This is one of the most profound songs I have ever heard, and baby, Ive heard a lot of songs! I really am sucky on the computer, 55 and female.
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anonymous Sep 26th 2012, 09:35 report
I definitely love this song. With my "band" (long time ago, unfortunately) we performed a cover of this song and we discussed a lot about its meaning before set up our arrangement.
For sure, it has something to do with the spiritual side of a person. But I would not reduce it to religion, sin or love.
So, I would not focalize attention to single lines that remind the Bible, because they could hide the general meaning.
I think this is what LC would say in front of the "Lord of Song", explaining all his relationship with Music (seen as a higher power or better an "ultima Thule" - this could explain why he used so many biblic phrases). A relationship that is almost sexual, in some part. And everyone who has ever walked a stage (even in a smoky pub, in front of ten people) can say that the sensation of playing music is a sensation that can't be described, like an orgasm.
I think all the song can be summarize in a "Thank you music".
However, as TS Elliot said (I think it was him), poetry must never be explained: everyone must find his own meaning. -
anonymous Sep 16th 2012, 22:25 report
To me, "Hallelujah" is a poetic and beautiful expression of the artist's soul... I think it's about how the creative mind is eternally restless, the music and life in its depths forever smothered by its love of something that can never entirely love it back- the artist is in love with his own imagination and ideals, his words and his melodies, but they are cold and unfeeling in response; he is in love with mankind and its complexity, but it fails to appreciate him and his creations; it's not so much about unreciprocated love as it is unreciprocated passion.
As in, "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?" I believe the singer is referring to other people here; the biblical referrence lends the idea power, bringing forth people's strong feelings of faith and holyness and then associating those feelings with music. "It goes like this- the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift; the baffled king composing Hallelujah." Then, despite stating that "you" don't care for music, he goes on to show you the music anyway- the way that the artist's resiliant idealism and limitless faith in his music force him to come back to it, despite the fact that it falls on deaf ears.
"Your faith was strong but you needed proof, you saw her bathing on the roof, and her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you." Now, this is where the metaphor begins to sound far-fetched, so bear with me. I believe that the girl being described in the song is a metaphor for art (I use the word "art" to refer to all forms of self-expression, primarily music in this context). The singer believed in the importance of his art- but perhaps believing wasn't enough, until he saw it in its raw beauty, realized how unbelievably gorgeous it was when it came forth - undisguised, unedited, unhidden - from inside of him, cast in stark moonlight. "She tied you to a kitchen chair; she broke your throne, she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah." So now he is hopelessly in love with this art. But the art is not tangible, just a dream, and it shows him no mercy; when he gives it all of himself and it leaves him still attached to reality (the kitchen chair being an object of bland domesticity), it tears him from his "throne" - his sense of being above the rest of the world in his state of delusion - and crushes his pride ("cutting your hair" referring to a part of one's appearence that people take pride in). But even so, it draws from him an Hallelujah, because - cruel as it is - he has created something.
"Baby, I've been here before; I know this room, I've walked this floor. I used to live alone before I knew you." Having lost his vision, he expresses that he has been a part of this "real" world before - he knows this place, or did at one time. He used to live the same restless, lonely existance before he'd found deliverance in art. Now he's been torn from that state. "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." This part, I think, implies that he still sees sparks of inspiration in places that strike him as poetically powerful; he is also reminded, however, of how desolate he feels at the loss of something that had been important to him- something that he'd loved.
"There was a time where you let me know what's really 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 talks about the fact that there was a time where he felt the magic beneath artistic expression, but now he feels no sense of it; that he used that sensation to explore and to comprehend (to move) and that the feeling was something sacred and special, and filled him with joy.
"Maybe there's a God above, but all I ever learned from love was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you." So we've seen the artist in love with his craft, and then be pulled away from his lofty romanticism by a cold reality check; the world beat him to the punch and forced him to realize that his ideals are not the same as his reality; but this line implies, also, that he's still fighting for it (still "shooting at someone who outdrew you"). "It's not a cry you can hear at night; it's not a person who's seen the light; it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah." I think this refers to the spectrum of emotions that art can express. Over the course of the song, the term 'hallelujah' is used to express a huge variety of emotions, whether celebratory or mournful- because with art comes emotion of all sorts, but he no longer experiences visions of cries in the night and people discovering enlightenment, and instead is left with his cold and broken hallelujah. There is no longer a story to tell; just a bitter memory of something he's lost.
"You say I took the name in vain, but I don't even know the name. If I did, well, really, what's it to you? There's a blaze in every word; it doesn't matter which you heard- the holy or the broken Hallelujah." This one, I think, offers explanation for the disjointed - almost random - feel of the song. He is trying to say that these words contain power, and it doesn't matter whether they are showing you joy or sorrow, because they are there and they are blazing with the capacity to create something of beauty; he realizes that it doesn't much matter what his reality is meant to be ("what's it to you?") because he has found something with meaning and importance to him.
"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." In the end, he decides that he has something of magnificence in his life; he vows to live his life within that. He has done his best to let go of something "unreal" but it is a part of him- and that's why he'll go to his grave singing "Hallelujah!" -
anonymous Sep 11th 2012, 02:55 report
I think this song is about a long term relationship that's at the tipping point - either the hurts are mended, or it's over.
The first verse describes the singer's love by comparing it to the love King David had for God and how he found a way to show his love that was appreciated by God. The singer says he hasn't found an equally successful way to show his love yet.
The second verse describes the initial love starting with lust and infatuation, that even though it wasn't perfect, still he loves her.
The third verse describes the relationship drifting apart, the estrangement,the ultimate loneliness, but still, even though it makes no sense, the love.
The fourth verse talks about his memory of happy times together, when she demonstrated her love for him. How wonderful and fulfilling their shared love and sex was. But now, she doesn't communicate at all.
The fifth verse shows how the singer protects himself from rejection by rejecting her first. It doesn't make him feel better though. He still doesn't know how things went so wrong but he doesn't know how to turn back and despite it all, he still loves her.
The sixth verse tells us that the partner has accused the singer of never really loving her in the first place. That its his fault everything is going wrong. He responds by saying she can believe what she wants, but he still knows that he has always, and still loves her.
The last verse, the singer tells how much he loves her. He's sorry he hasn't found the one thing to demonstrate his love that she'll accept and understand but he's still doing his best, and trying his hardest to prove his never-ending love, through thick and thin.
The repeated word hallelujah throughout is the singer saying "I love you" over and over in as many ways as he can as often as he can. His prayer that their love can be rekindled and the assertion that he will keep on loving her anyway.
I believe they get back together and start having a better relationship after this revelationary song. -
anonymous Sep 9th 2012, 03:50 report
I believe that this song is about a man who heard so many stories about the pains of love, and that made him synical yet he fell in love anyways. At first, the hallelujah is praising god for giving him this love, but as he loses his power, and as his relationship seems to diminish as his lover loses interest in him, his hallelujahs become sarcastic as he does not understand how god could send him such pain. In the end, the narrator resembles a broken hearted man that is unsure of how he, the man who doubted the benefits of love, has fallen for this woman and is now just like the subjects of all his stories. He wonders how he has gotten to this point, and although his faith is now wavering and uncertain, he still believes that a god exists.
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anonymous Aug 10th 2012, 20:09 report
I've listened too it over and over; it sounds to me like the song of someone who didn't loose their faith really, but lost an intimate spiritual connection (with the almighty). don't feel like over analyzing it, but I don't know if a better song could be written about a dissipated spiritual reality.
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dmaestas Aug 1st 2012, 17:40 report
I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
If you know your bible King David was favored and blessed by God, but King David had his weaknesses just like any other man or woman. King David used to play the harp just for God and it greatly pleased the lord God Almighty, King David played a certain chord or chords that greatly pleased the lord and today every musician that loves and knows the lord has prayed at one time or another for God to bless them with the cords that King David knew.
But you don't really care for music, do you.
Music is not just played by a musical instrument or in songs sung, music is our actions and faith that are a sweet savor and pleases the Lord, but people have lost their faith and hope, they just don’t care anymore.
Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
This is an effort to motivate, stimulate and educate people not to give up, its not too late to start trying. Learn the music that pleases the Lord. What is your music? The music that is inside you that pleases the Lord.
The baffled King composing Hallelujah
Kind David in all his weaknesses kept on trying, he never gave up, King David Loved the Lord and God Loved him just as he loves all of us, even in all our weaknesses we should always keep on trying, we may stumble, we may fall but never give up, just like King David.
Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
King David in all his weaknesses had tremendous faith in God, his test was no t to God but to himself. King David was hoping and believing that God would not leave nor forsake him. Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She broke your throne
This can happen to any one of us, we are human and live in the world and in the flesh and sometimes we are overwhelmed by our circumstances, by what we see. The Bible says; “ we are not moved by what we see, we walk by faith and not by sight”, King David was moved by what he saw and experienced that night, and was overwhelmed by lust, and being in a position of power he gave strategic orders to have her husband moved to the front line in battle, That was a death sentence, knowing that he would be slain therefore removing any opposition and any commitment she might have had to her husband therefore setting her free to love another.” She broke your throne” symbolizes the consequences of King David’s action.
She cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
This refers to Samson, his hair was a symbol of his strength, his strength was of God and when Samson in his weakest moment and letting his guard down trusted a woman, the woman having ulterior motives cut his hair. The symbol of Samson’s strength and the power given to him by God was now removed, all because he let his guard down and now the powerful Samson was just as you and I, a regular person. Samson’s praise and glory, his Hallelujah was removed, Sampson was ashamed. Even though Samson was ashamed he never gave up, he prayed and worshiped God therefore Hallelujah.
Well 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
But I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch
And love is not a victory march
It’s cold and it’s broken Hallelujah
This referrers to being not alone but lonely, He has been lonely and knows the sadness of it. We have all been lonely at one time or another. We could be in a room filed with people and still be lonely! We can also be alone and by ourselves and not be lonely. We can all relate to this, but remember we are never alone if we have God. God files the loneness in our hearts, he fills the void in our hearts and comforts us in our most lonely times, God will never leave nor forsake you as long as you call out to him and ask God to be Lord of your live, God promised to send us the comforter. Even though we put on appearances that everything is great in our lives, we put on a good show for others to see, “we hang our flag on the marble arch”, our flag of love or that everything is ok in our lives, but love is not a victory march because we are not victorious at or in love, it’s cold and it is broken, expresses our true feelings and although we praise God, we have to remember he is the God that knows the hearts and minds of man, God knows when we are lonely. Never give up, even in your lonliest times, God can see your loneliness and will send you the comforter. Sing Hallelujah
Well, there was a time when you’d let me know
What’s really going on below
But now you never show that to me, do you
This is deep, it has to do with more than just physical, it is emotional and it is spiritual, and its powerful. What is down deep inside of you? You used to share it with God but now you don’t. Maybe you have given up, or maybe you think that no one is listening; but God wants you to remember when He moved in you through the Holy Spirit and every word that came out of your mouth was a praise, Hallelujah. Never give up, always praise and worship God. NEVER GIVE UP!
Well maybe there is a God above
But all that I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
“Well maybe there is a God above” is the Start of believing. “But all that I’ve ever learned from love” is the excuse we use, we blame our current and failed relationships on our past failed relationships, and what we have experienced in them for the hurtful things we say today to the people we love the most today. “was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you” is part of the excuse we use because of our past relationships that didn’t work out. Maybe they were quick to say hurtful things to you before you had a chance to open your mouth, maybe they were verbally abusive, so now we say things that are hurtful to the ones we love the most before they have a chance to speak. We are practicing what we have been taught or experienced.
It’s not the cry that you hear at night
And it is not somebody who has seen the light
It’s cold and it’s broken
When your by yourself in your most dark times, your spirit speaks to you, God cries out to you, he is calling “It’s not the cry that you hear at night”, or in the most dark times of your life, and it’s not someone that has seen the light, someone who lives in the light of God sharing revelation with you, it’s your spirit crying out in the wilderness and in the dark, “It’s cold and it’s broken” never give up, sing Hallelujah, take courage and comfort knowing that God is your strength when you are weak, God is a faithful God even in the midst of what seems so horrible and unexplainable, He is your refuge and your fortress, He will make perfect that which concerns you, submit to God and rejoice, NEVER GIVE UP, sing Hallelujah. -
anonymous Jul 25th 2012, 04:10 report
All I need to add is this: how can you use the word 'disgraceful' relating to sex?
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nicodiamonds Jul 3rd 2012, 01:34 report
why he said "it's not a cry you hear at night" and "it's not somebody who's seen the light"
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anonymous Jun 16th 2012, 19:57 report
I beg to differ about the "sex act as disgraceful". Something that God created Himself cannot be disgraceful. What's disgraceful is how mankind took something that is as intimately sweet, depth and breadth of spiritual beings as we are. Is actually representation of God's Holy Spirit that moves within us, filling us, rejoicing and singing in THE most intimate act of Worship of God Himself.
Mankind has made sex a commonplace and removed the "soul" from intercourse and made it "fun" like its going to an amusement park.
This song is about those of us who are hungry for something, but nothing satisfies that longing in our souls. So we try to feed that need with all those things that involve all five senses. Only to find that we're still hungry. But we don't want just another religious gimmic because that is going to come with all the rules, do's and don'ts; and we WANT something that is real, never changes because it's true blue and spontaneous every time. It satiates our longings, feeds our desires, surrounds us in peace....
THAT, my friend, is how my walk with God is like. Just as we hunger and reach for our mates to sate those natural and spiritual needs that GOD made in us. I go back into the privacy of my home, and get closed off with God. Worship Him and praise Him, and love on HIM. I make Jesus my Lover and God my Friend.
Sounds silly? Then explain to me how in my younger years I went from bar to bar looking for someone to fit in my "God-shaped Hole", and found none who could satisfy me where I would awaken the next morning with no peace. "Will he ever call me again?"
But when I started spending a weekend with God, I knew this was real, satisfying, peaceful, and HE'S always near to hear my call, when I spent my first New Year's Eve party on my living room floor in worship of the God of All Creation.
Of course, I'm human, I would get lonely feelings at times, especially when I first started to spend time with God. So I asked Him to talk this gift called sex and fill my longings. And HE did, with Himself.
If it is to be, I will find someone to have and hold on this earth too. And that too, will be a Gift from God.
This song, Hallelujah is about all the things that man desires, all the rules to be saved, it comes down to those who have really been broken, and not out of a religious bunk to make me more acceptable to God. I'm going to listen to those who will stand there and sing hallelujah to God, because they know what their old lives were truly saved from, relief from fear, disgrace, shame, grief. I'm gonna listen to those who have been to hell ...and came back from it. Not those who think it's how christianized they appear on the outside that make them the best testimony of the works from their "own" hands. -
anonymous May 16th 2012, 18:01 report
The song uses biblical metaphors to dissect a recently failed relationship that the singer is desperate to find some iota of redemption in, because if he doesn't he is merely left with the pain and loss.
The first 2 verses are sung to himself. The secret chord refers to David playing his harp for King Saul, so beautifully that David cured Saul's chronic long-term illness. The singer laments he does not know this chord that can bring instant joy and happiness, otherwise he would use it on his broken self. The "don't care for music" line is pure irony. A musician is singing to his broken self, so broken that he no longer cares for the one passion that usually brings him happiness - his music.
The next verse is exposition. The bath and the moonlight is another King David reference, David seeing Bathsheba bathing in the moonlight, falling instantly in love, a king "overthrown" by love, just like the singer fell instantly upon seeing this unnamed woman. Beauty can be immensely powerful, as I’m sure we all know. This reference also tells us the inherent danger of this relationship. David discovers that Bathsheba is married to one of his best generals, Uriah. He orders Uriah into a dangerous battle, hoping he’ll be killed, which he is, and proceeds to marry Bathsheba for himself. He essentially commits murder. The verse goes on to talk about how this woman changes his life, he is “tied to a chair” (killing his art via bounded domesticity), “cutting his hair” (another biblical reference, Samson and Delilah, destroying the singer’s creative strength). But it’s not all destruction. She is able to “draw alleluia” from his lips, meaning the ecstasy (physical and mental) that come from being head over heels in love. She gave him a happiness he had never known, blinding him to the destruction she was also causing.
Starting with the third verse the singer’s focus turns to her, and know he’s speaking directly to her. The first two verses explained his current situation, and know he wants to know why it all happened. He tells her he’s familiar with loneliness, since that was his experience before he met her, but it’s a broken loneliness now, and he has no idea how to function any longer. He understands that love can bring unrivaled joy, but also permanent pain. “Cold and broken alleluia” is wonderful phrasing. Alleluia means “praise” in Hebrew, but over time it has become synonymous with joy and happiness. This relationship has left him with a broken heart. The heart, the organ of life, metaphorical organ of emotion and love, the biological source of human happiness, is now cold and broken.
The fourth line is all about sex, and how great it was once, frigid at the end, and obviously non-existent now. But damn it was really good once. Please note that by really good I don’t mean technique or specific physical acts, it’s the euphoria that comes (pun intended) when you have sex with the person you truly love. The physical pleasure is magnetized times 1,000 when you’re lucky enough to have this happen to you. And the singer knows this. And tells us.
The last verse is a capitulation. The “God above” line means maybe the world is good, but he clearly doesn’t see it that way now, and maybe never will again. He then jokingly states that the only thing he learned about love from this relationship is make sure that next time, you break her heart first before she breaks yours (“how to shoot at someone who outdrew you”). In the final lines the singer realizes that there are no answers as to why and how everything happened. All he’s left with, as he stated earlier, is a “cold and broken” alleluia. In the end, he really is left with pain and loss.
However, this pain and loss inspires him to create this beautiful song, meaning his art is now coming back to him, and with that will come the ability to love and enjoy life again. Alleluia (joy and happiness), will eventually return to him too.
More Leonard Cohen song meanings »
Hallelujah lyrics
Hallelujah is considered:
Songs with Religious Themes
Songs about Love
Songs about Sex
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