I honestly cannot believe no one has fully understood this song, which to me is the most clever lyric ever written. Yes it is a song about love and heartbreak, but there are strong religious undertones, not quite anti-religious, more satiric of the bible and supportive of the theory that people only turn to God to complete the holes left by imperfections in there life. The first verse combines these two meanings, beginning with a biblical reference to David being Gods favored man on earth, before a lyric with two meanings, "it goes like this, the fourth the fifth// the minor fall and the major lift" the first cleverly refers to the musical structure of the song, but it also refers to the rollercoaster of love, peaks of emotions from the best to the worst. The doubt in religion is also proclaimed in "the baffled king composes hallelujah", this refers to the Old Testament, in which David composes the book of Psalms, turning to religion only because he has found imperfection in his own life (Sleeping with Bathsheeba and ordering Uriah dead).
The second verse is a reference to Sampson and Delilah as was previously stated, although "you saw her bathing on the roof" is another reference to David and Bathsheeba. It finished by telling how a failed relationship can break your life apart, (e.g. Sampson and Delilah), and again another relationships to how people in for instance mid-life crises 'find God'. ("and from your lips she drew the hallelujah")
@bob33 I disagree, I think it beats with the beauty of an immortal all knowing God who we can't fool that understands our imperfections and weaknesses. We will stand before Him with every thought bared and say here is my miserable broken heart...thanks for the only love I could ever count on.
@bob33 I disagree, I think it beats with the beauty of an immortal all knowing God who we can't fool that understands our imperfections and weaknesses. We will stand before Him with every thought bared and say here is my miserable broken heart...thanks for the only love I could ever count on.
I honestly cannot believe no one has fully understood this song, which to me is the most clever lyric ever written. Yes it is a song about love and heartbreak, but there are strong religious undertones, not quite anti-religious, more satiric of the bible and supportive of the theory that people only turn to God to complete the holes left by imperfections in there life. The first verse combines these two meanings, beginning with a biblical reference to David being Gods favored man on earth, before a lyric with two meanings, "it goes like this, the fourth the fifth// the minor fall and the major lift" the first cleverly refers to the musical structure of the song, but it also refers to the rollercoaster of love, peaks of emotions from the best to the worst. The doubt in religion is also proclaimed in "the baffled king composes hallelujah", this refers to the Old Testament, in which David composes the book of Psalms, turning to religion only because he has found imperfection in his own life (Sleeping with Bathsheeba and ordering Uriah dead).
The second verse is a reference to Sampson and Delilah as was previously stated, although "you saw her bathing on the roof" is another reference to David and Bathsheeba. It finished by telling how a failed relationship can break your life apart, (e.g. Sampson and Delilah), and again another relationships to how people in for instance mid-life crises 'find God'. ("and from your lips she drew the hallelujah")
@bob33 I disagree, I think it beats with the beauty of an immortal all knowing God who we can't fool that understands our imperfections and weaknesses. We will stand before Him with every thought bared and say here is my miserable broken heart...thanks for the only love I could ever count on.
@bob33 I disagree, I think it beats with the beauty of an immortal all knowing God who we can't fool that understands our imperfections and weaknesses. We will stand before Him with every thought bared and say here is my miserable broken heart...thanks for the only love I could ever count on.