This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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 ya?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king 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 ya
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
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 ya?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
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 ya
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king 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 ya
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
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 ya?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
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 ya
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
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Ed Sheeran
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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Wow, everyone has such deep interpretations of these lyrics, and they're all a great read.
In a long long car trip my friend and I decided we should listen to the song and pause it, rewind, listen again, rewind, and analyze this song and here's what we came up with.
Many people have already mentioned the biblical references to the story of King David (who supposedly was a composer of God) and his struggles with lusting over a woman and King David kills her husband and thus does the dirty deed.
Possibly this Hallelujah is a corrupted Hallelujah. It's about sacrifice and love. King David sacrificed his morals and his relation with God by killing a man to obtain love, and that is why the Hallelujah is so dark.
The first verse is very very fascinating. It begins with sarcasm. "You dont really care for music do you?" Possibly the subject in this verse is the woman that David killed for, and that the sarcasm is that the woman doesn't realize how great David's sacrifice was through breaking his relation with God by displeasing him.
(Still talkin about the first verse here) The chord structure of the piece is exactly with the lyrics. The music actually plays the 4th and 5th chord progression in the piece and Cohen plays an a minor chord when he says "minor."
After it is established that the subject doesn't care for music, Cohen goes on to explain the music anyway. This establishes that King David is more interested in composing a dark Hallelujah and he is baffled by the dark love that came from his bloodshed. Like, how can something good come out of murder and adultry.
(The chorus) Obviously this Hallelujah isn't the typical Hallelujah that would be heard at Easter. The chords roll back and forward between F major and a minor creating a darker chorus. This being because the Hallelujah is a dark and repressed praise created by death.
(second verse) Supposedly King David commited his adulterous crime after gazing upon a woman in the moonlight on a balcony. This second verse reinforces the biblical theory that this is about King David finding love.
"She tied you to a kitchen chair" This part of the song could refer to King David being stripped of his morals. Symbolicaly speaking, he was tied to a kitchen chair, borke your throne and cut your hair, could be referring to a King David after he commited the murder and there was no turning back.
It could also be possible that Cohen sings "she broke your throne, and cut your heir." Throne and Heir are two words that would most likely be seen together as opposed to throne and hair. However, in the bible Solomon (King David's son) was hurt by his father's actions.
"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?" This could be King David speaking to God denying that he didn't take his name in vain because he killed for love.
With that stand point, even the dark Hallelujah has a "blaze of light" like the holy Hallelujah.
The final Verse The final verse is again King David talking to God basically admitting he was wrong, and he even standing behind the dark love is entirely wrong. However, by standing in front of the lord of song and only proclaiming his dark Hallelujah proves that it was worth it all to King David.
Many people see it as a sexual references, and that could be very much so correct. There is just a lot of small parallels in the verses of the song to the bible that make the bible theory of this song more concrete.
I still see this piece as a black love that comes through tragedy.
you posted this 6 years ago....<br /> however. I definitely want to go on a road trip with you and your friend!!<br /> <br /> I have been trying to interpret this song for years and this is the most amazing explanation..<br /> <br /> Cheers and xoxox!!
I was actually going to post kind of what you posted. The song seems to be both literal and metaphor. Like you said, the beginning is about David. But the second part about cutting hair, is probably about Samson. I think it's about how people get enticed with their own lust and love and take their eyes off God, but it fails. And at first, they're like 'Oh come on, I did it for this.' And they're trying to rationalize it to God and them self (which we all do when we really mess up). But then they realize they messed up and admit they screwed up and humble themselves to God. At the end, they all pretty much say, 'I'm sorry God. I didn't go to you and tried on my own. I gave in to myself. I got too caught up in this. I tried, but it wasn't hard enough.' And they then they usually go back with God and sing praises because He forgave them or helped them out.
Well put..Thank you!!!
I have been thinking about this song a lot recently. I think it's right to say he is using both references from the King David story AND the Samson story. But where I differ is I really think he's talking about the fact that someone can have faith and it IS strong but if you don't act within the ideal believer confines (ex: the way you look(they didn't like "your" hair so they "cut your hair")and not watching your tongue(You say I took the name in vain) or they will break you down (broke your thrown) saying that you are weak and not right in faith even if you are a good person (I did my best, it wasn't much<br /> I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you) then show you how it should be done(She broke your throne, and she cut your hair and from your lips she drew the hallelujah).<br /> <br /> Then throughout the the song he's referencing "hallelujah" to something sad and broken (hence the reason you feel a little sad when you listen to the song AND lyrics). He sees this sadness and he is seeing it's wrong to have this mindset of being closed minded. It doesn't matter if you use words that might offend because "They just don't like it" and if anything it should be a way to shed light on great and true no matter what the word ( 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) <br /> <br /> The last verse touches on how he thinks it's sad that he could be a good and honest person and STILL people are telling him he's wrong and and he isn't "A man of faith" but he doesn't care because when he faces his faith and where his heart is in the end, he will still feel like he is as "holy" as any other person<br /> <br /> I did my best, it wasn't much<br /> I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch<br /> I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you<br /> And even though<br /> It all went wrong<br /> I'll stand before the lord of song<br /> With nothing on my tongue but hallelujah<br /> <br /> and last but not least The first verse. I chose this last because this is what set the scene and emotion that makes the foundation of this song, which makes it the strongest part. He is saying that he has something to say to people in the only way he knows through song. And he believes it is a strong message but, he let's the audience know that they might not care for it.<br /> <br /> Now I've heard there was a secret chord<br /> That David played, and it pleased the Lord<br /> But you don't really care for music, do you?<br /> It goes like this<br /> The fourth, the fifth<br /> The minor fall, the major lift<br /> The baffled king composing hallelujah<br /> <br /> I think the only reason he pulled the bible into it was to set his audience to those who relate themselves to the bible BUT, I think this song is FAR from religious in fact I think he was making a statement AGAINST the church, if anything.<br />
I like this interpretation best...however, in the part where she cut his hair...its hair, not "heir"....and I believe this is also a biblical reference to Samson and Delilah. His holy strength was in his hair. He was a Nazarite, and took a vow to never cut his hair, as a commitment to God. He lusted for Delilah, and the woman broke him down......and he told her that his secret to his strength was in his hair.... she cut it. Publicly exposing his weakness. -Judges 16.
This related way to much to the bible. Cohen has been quoted as saying:<br /> <br /> "It had references to the Bible in it, although these references became more and more remote as the song went from the beginning to the end. Finally I understood that it was not necessary to refer to the Bible anymore. And I rewrote this song; this is the 'secular' 'Hallelujah.' "<br /> <br /> So, while I defintely don't mean to discount your relationship to the song, your interpretation just doesn't match what he has said and the other parts of the verse. <br /> <br /> Read more:<br /> rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-book-excerpt-leonard-cohen-writes-hallelujah-in-the-holy-or-the-broken-20121203
@bluedrummajor Love your analysis!
@bluedrummajor I made this account just to say you've brought a new meaning to this song for me even 14 years later.
@bluedrummajor thank the LORD I want in that car ????
thank the lord I WASNT in that car ???? HOW the BLEEP do you REMOVE bleeped up replies ????? ????
To me, this song is all about how love can be so wrong, such a mistake, and yet at the same time, when all's said and done.. at the end of our life when we "stand before the Lord of Song", that it's never wrong, and it's never a mistake. C.S. Lewis wrote once that the only place where we can be safe from the dangers of love is hell.. And why would we want to be? :)
And on another level, the whole song could be seen as a prayer, as the previous writer noted. Cohen's music makes me crazy sometimes because when I'm looking at lyrics, I'm not sure whether he's talking about a human relationship or a divine one. And a friend suggested that maybe I was analyzing way too much, and that, "maybe, if it's done right, all songs are a prayer at some level or another."
I can't pretend to have an answer for that.. but the line quoted above, "There's a blaze of light in every word / It doesn't matter which you heard/ The holy or the broken Hallelujah.." pretty much says it all, for me. ;)
that's beautiful:<br /> "all songs are a prayer at some level or another"<br /> <br /> I believe it.<br /> Listening to music is as close as I've ever come to a religious experience.
i agree with your interpretation...it's about the struggle of love and relationship
Just as an aside, the Cohens ( כֹּהֲנִים ) are descendants of Israelite priests assigned to the temple music, under the Aaronic priesthood.
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.
i like it. there is a lot of sense in your words.
@TheStef112 When I 1st read your " may actually be not fully realized by the poet himself" I thought oh great, here's another one who thinks he knows better than anyone else, even the one who created it. I chuckled in realizing how arrogant it is for judging someone because they were being judgemental. lol That being said, I'm glad I kept reading. I recognize your interpretation as one I agree with. The truth in which it holds is solid for all experiences of our humanness. Although we may come to know our I AM, we will always have our human ego to contend with.
@TheStef112 Thanks for this great interpretation!
@TheStef112 hi ! you have got the biblical references and the crux of the song right. except you did not focus on the two magical verses <br /> <br /> Well, it goes like this<br /> The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift<br /> (“the minor fall, the major lift” may not refer to musical structure at all #)<br /> The baffled king composing Hallelujah (playing harp to bring the rains to his parched land)<br /> the broken harp/ anguished heart does not sing of it’s own accord,<br /> in the broken harp descends the lord and it sings (lord is my shepherd psalm 23) “hallelujah” (praise be the lord) and it rains (god’s mercy/ blessings)<br /> <br />
king David fell when he coveted another man’s wife (Bathsheba) and committed a cardinal sin “thou shall not kill” (sent Uliah to his death) had a minor fall (god never abandon’s his disciples) and major lift (deliverance) when he left himself in god’s hand.<br />
<br /> and again <br /> <br /> And I've seen your flag on the marble arch<br /> And love is not a victory march<br /> It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah<br /> <br /> (David marries Bathsheba but the victory march is hollow, philistines capture samson and blind him, all metaphorical, Delilah has her wish but her victory rings hollow. the victory march is always bereft of god (human touch) and it’s broken (without reference to god ) and so praise be the lord for god is with down trodden not the victorious )<br /> <br /> Delilah takes away Samson’s strength (cuts his hair (individuality as in lion’s mane ) and ties him to domesticity, kitchen chair) and the blinded Samson sings hallelujah, by now his hair a metaphor for his individuality has grown back and he destroys the pantheon to philistine god by shaking it’s foundational pillars - living by man made rules instead of god’s rules.<br /> <br /> I'd heard there was a secret chord (when you let go and ask lord for deliverance) <br /> That David played and it pleased the Lord<br /> But you don't really care for music, do you?<br /> Well, it goes like this<br /> The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift<br /> The baffled king composing Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof<br /> You saw her bathing on the roof<br /> Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya<br /> She tied you to the kitchen chair<br /> She broke your throne and she cut your hair<br /> And from your lips, she drew the Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Well baby, I've been here before<br /> I've seen this room and I've walked this floor<br /> I used to live alone before I knew ya<br /> And I've seen your flag on the marble arch<br /> And love is not a victory march<br /> It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Well, maybe there's a God above<br /> But all I've ever learned from love<br /> Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya<br /> And it's not a cry that you hear at night<br /> It's not somebody who's seen the light<br /> It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Hallelujah, Hallelujah<br /> Songwriters: Leonard Cohen
@TheStef112 I like this interpretation a lot. I definitely agree with you about how analyzing songs/poetry line by line can make you lose the meaning of the song/poem in its entirety. If you only read one chapter of a book, you only get a tiny piece of the whole story. I think it's the same way with songs and poetry. It gives a sliver of information, but without the context of the complete idea, it doesn't make much sense. I also agree with your view on the song being a beautiful, ironic, and melancholy masterpiece. That description is pretty perfect.
Here is my (long) interpretation for the longer version of this wonderful song.
To begin with, I think the religious references have to do with the fact that the speaker's love was so strong that he nearly deified her. It probably also refers to the fact that many people, when they become desperate or depressed, turn to religion for hope. I am certain the religious references are not as literal as many people believe; Cohen was not a Christian. (However, he IS interested in the Bible and he believes there is a greater power judging our actions.)
"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"
The speaker used to be a "king". He was in charge and in control of himself. He knew what he wanted and how to get it. He wooed women with loving words; by singing "Hallelujah". He knew all the right "chords" and everything. But the woman this song is about is not moved; she doesn't care for such "music", even though it is enough to move the Lord. But, though confused by all of this, he continues to compose his song of Hallelujah/Love, which leads into the next verse.
"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 is his current Hallelujah song. It is no longer written to her, but to himself. He recalls how he fell in love with her, and how in that way he was at her mercy. She broke his throne; he was no longer the "king" he once was. She cut his hair, which is a reference to the Biblical story of Samson. (All of Samson's power was in his hair. He had romantic encounters with several women, and fell in love with one of them, Delilah. She cut off all his hair and thus destroyed his strength.) She drew "Hallelujah" from his lips, meaning he was in love with her when she kissed him; he loved her despite the fact that she toppled his power.
"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"
She doesn't believe he loved her. She believes he lied when he took the Name—in this case, "Love"—in vain. He admits that he doesn't really know what love is, but it doesn't matter, because he means it.
"Baby I've 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 But love is not some victory march It's a cold and broken Hallelujah"
He's felt lonely like this before; he was lonely before they became lovers. Her flag he's seen on the arch is the happiness and pride she once felt for their love, which she now believes is gone. But he claims there is nothing about love to be happy or proud about; it is painful and lonely.
"There was a time when you let me know What's really going on below But now you never show it to me, do you? But I remember when I moved in you And the holy dove was moving too And every breath we drew was Hallelujah"
They used to be closer. She would tell him all about the things she felt inside, but she doesn't do that anymore. And he remembers when they had sex; it was beautiful, and he fell more in love at every breath.
"Now maybe there's a God above But all I ever learned from love Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you It's not a complaint that you hear tonight It's not someone who's seen the light It's a cold and lonely Hallelujah"
Maybe there is hope or a point to it all, but he can't see it. All he learned from love was how to hurt one another. She moved to hurt him first—she "outdrew" him—and so he hurt her—"shot at" her. He is not meaning to complain. He is not claiming to know more. All it is is painful love.
"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"
He didn't understand her (he "couldn't feel") but he tried to be there for her (he "tried to touch"). He never meant to trick her. Now the relationship has gone all wrong, but he still loves her. I especially like the last part of this verse. It implies that he's more or less given up on trying to move on; he's standing before the Lord now, ready to be judged, and he will no longer pretend or lie; all he has left to say now is Hallelujah—he still loves her.
@SwampHermit To a "T", spot on with your interpretation of the lyrics. Exacting and intuitive! The words & melody of the song make much more sense to someone who has felt that "slipping away" of a once passionate love. Yes, of course there are references to the biblical stories mentioned, BECAUSE Both David & Samson experienced this "tainted love" and both were burned by this "love" and so their stories have been included as examples only. Not for actual literalness. To make you, the listener, realize that what most people experience is not really "love" that is the pure emotion we dream of having with a like-minded person, but rather a twisted, emotional lust that we fool ourselves into believing is love...and so you when your heart has been damaged enough times by an "unrequited love" you begin to believe/realize/accept, that "love" doesn't truly exist & the made up emotions we fool ourselves with, will eventually fade away and die once the "shine wears off"- (apologies for rambling) Fantastic overview again @swamphermit, I couldn't have said it better myself!
@SwampHermit I recently learned this wasn't a religious song. It's a very popular song played at weddings, funerals, and other religious events so I never looked into it any further. I've known the words and felt a deep sadness in them every time I hear the song, and it always struck me as odd since it's widely regarded as a "spiritual" song that some people even sing during church services. I'm part of a Facebook group called oddly specific playlists, and someone made a post looking for 'songs that don't mean what you think they mean'. Someone commented this song and I had to find out the actual meaning. This interpretation makes so much sense and is so well said that it made me emotional just reading it. I had to sign up with this site so I could reply to your interpretation. I couldn't scroll by and not express how amazingly insightful it is. I also love the other reply to this when they said it has references to biblical stories because of the way David and Samson were blinded by a toxic and lustful love, and not because it's a gospel type song. I'm so glad I can fully enjoy the song knowing the actual meaning behind it. Thank you for posting this.
The best version of this song is this version by Leonard Cohen.
You obviously understand Cohen, and are absolutely right. No one, repeat NO ONE, can come close to Cohen's own version, no matter how pretty the voice. I am constantly astounded by the number of morons out there who think Buckley wrote the song. The liner notes in "Live In London" DVD include a review, and the writer says Cohen finally took his song back. Finally, and Hallelujah!
I'd agree that Cohen's is the best, his delivery sounds the most genuine, the most bare and honest with a subtle hint towards brokenness.
I agree that his is the best version. However, I am grateful that others have made this song popular so that more people could discover Leonard Cohen through it.
It's great that people love this song, and I don't mean to "troll", but this song IS Leonard Cohen's. He wrote it. All others are covers.
@mafiachuck I massively respect Cohen and he crafted this song and that can never be taken from him and is the highest honor, but I have to disagree and say Buckleys version is better. His delivery is. He did not write the masterpiece though
@mafiachuck I think different versions speak to different people. My favorite version is by rufus wainright, but I think it is different for each person esspesially becuase of how up for interperetation this masterpeice is
@mafiachuck agree, there are lots of nice sounding versions but you can\'t express a song correctly if you don\'t really know what it means, the emotions and tone of it. You can express emotions just not the right ones lol
verse #1 (first three lines)... refers to david of the bible but also eludes to the playing of the harp (consider that many guys talk about interacting with a woman the way they would a musical instrument, both physically and emotionally/socially, and tells of the woman not being interested in physical or emotional interaction anymore - (next three lines plus hallelujah): reminder of how they used to interact and what it was like
verse #2 (first three lines): references batsheva's capture of david's interest and of a woman's power over a man - (next two lines): references delilah's betrayal of samson, forewarning of how a man can be hurt by woman - (continued with last line plus hallelujahs): in knowing delilah, samson's hair was cut, thereby robbing him of his strength; various hallelujahs elude to something stolen and something expressed - as in a man being 'released' from his independence and his subsequent appreciation of what he would not have otherwise known
verse #3 (missing on this page): "Baby I have been here before... I know this room, I've walked this floor... I used to live alone before I knew you." - reasserting the idea that he had been with her, had shared a bedroom, and that before he became one with her he had been an individual but now he was only one half of something broken.- (continued): "I've seen your flag on the marble arch... Love is not a victory march" - love is destroying him because he can't move on having known what she was like - (continued): "It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah... Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah" - (various hallelujahs: a pleading for her return, a remembrance and appreciation for the past)
verse #4 (missing on this page): "There was a time you let me know... what's really going on below... But now you never show it to me, do you?" - they are not intimate anymore, physically, emotionally, or otherwise - (continued): "And remember when I moved in you... The holy dove was moving too... And every breath we drew was Hallelujah" - their physical and relational oneness reflected one another, it was spiritual and beautiful - (continued): "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah" - (various hallelujahs: reflecting on how it was and reminding her of how great it was, etc.)
verse 5 (first three lines): he knows he's not perfect or possibly even a good man but he doesn't pretend to be either, and maybe she is or feels it necessary to at least try to be, but why should she care whether he pretends to be or not? - (next two lines): there was an argument, and one or both were acting self-righteous - (next two lines): she was going to be upset no matter what he said - (hallelujahs): whether he went with the i'm-gonna-win-this-argument-at-any-cost type or the i-want-you-back-and-i'm-secretly-sorry type or the i'm-going-to-say-i'm-sorry-just-to-win-you-back type, any could have applied but none would have done him any good
verse 6 (first three lines): it felt to him like they had fallen apart at that point so he tried just going through the motions afterward to see if it could still work, but she didn't come back to him in the way he needed, meaning he couldn't the relationship to go back to the way it used to be - (next two lines): it didn't work in the sense of them being together intimately - (next two lines): but, if it is over, he's still glad to have known her, the motions were still nice in some ways, he considers it a welcomed and righteous experience, no regrets but a certain sadness that it didn't last - (hallelujahs): all of the other kinds of hallelujahs mentioned before and possibly several others, unspoken and heart-felt, or as the listener might imagine were they in that situation.
He's not even a good man?
There are no good men of God only a good God of men
what an excellent interpretation. you're right, it's about true love and true loss. about forgiveness, and acceptance. <br /> one little comment: verse #1; you interpret the music reference in the way how a man 'playes' a woman like a musical instrument.(that is a nice one). but i take it more literally: music can make a person feel divine, it can be a source of great joy(a secret chord, and one can play it and it will please the lord). however, i've met lots of people( and women have more reserves in this then man (in very general)) who can't or won't open there hearts for that. they treat music like a sound, a noise(can be pleasant, but almost never touching/moving). and if you try to explain it they miss the point. (but you don't care for music, do you?) <br /> what do you think about that?
Great explanation. Also, the story that I remember from childhood was that Samson first told Delilah that he would loose his strength if he was tied with new ropes. She tied him up and called the Philistines in but Samson still had his strength. She pouted that he didn't love her enough to confide in her and he told her the truth ....that his strength came from his hair.
there was a time when you let me know what's really going on bellow the surface, bellow your pose, you act, bellow your belt, bellow your cloths, bellow your everyday thoughts, bellow what you are willing to show to everybody else, but now you never show that to me, your eyes are sealed to me, i can't see your insides anymore, you are locked, do you? your soul is blocked. but remember when i moved in you, when i moved in with you and we were living together, when i moved in your body and your eyes were infront of mine such as every other limb of ours, and we were flying like doves and felt in peace surrounds us and moving us towards better air, colorful air, we breathed it in and then out and it came out as hallelujah.
this verse is so sad, sad like tears.
The verse you are referencing is in the Jeff Buckley version, not in the original Leonard Cohen version. I prefer the Buckley version; just pointing this out for accuracy/credit where credit's due sake.
Actually, you are not wrong. There were many verses Cohen wrote - some he used at different times, some not at all. But when the song was originally recorded by him in 1984, this verse was present. And it is sad - I can't listen without crying - takes me back to early days with my (now ex) husband. I think your interpretation of that verse is right on the money - it certainly echoes mine.
Actually, you are not wrong. There were many verses Cohen wrote - some he used at different times, some not at all. But when the song was originally recorded by him in 1984, this verse was present. And it is sad - I can't listen without crying - takes me back to early days with my (now ex) husband. I think your interpretation of that verse is right on the money - it certainly echoes mine.
@nati1271 same opinion
This song is a combined biblical reference and commentary about a relationship. Jeff Buckeley explicated this aspect of the song in his additional verses, but its clearly in the original. Brilliant song...
Forget all the over interpretation, all the breaking down of the song into little pieces, all this discussion of King David and Bathsheba, masterbation (???), etc. - even to the point of breaking down what Cohen meant by using the word Hallelujah !
The point is all these lines, all these references, ARE the tools to the meaning, not the meaning. What is the meaning? That inspite of all our mistakes, misunderstandings, inperfections and pain in love, life and our understanding of God we should — we must — still cry out thank-you, thank God, knowing it will never be perfect. This is clear to me. But you don’t have to believe me — I heard Leonard Cohen himself say this.
the power of HALLELUJAH!
That is a very good reply. The lyrics are very hard to interpret. They leave a lot of room to think about and for everyone to find his own truth.<br /> <br /> I mean, there's so much to think about "3 wise men" (James Blunt), so what can one say about this piece of art?<br /> <br /> The general tone is dark, that's clear. Lot's of problems, lot's of guilt.<br /> <br /> I don't know know that much about Leonard Cohen (RIP) but I see him as as a man who sees life as an ever ongoing struggle to find out what's right and what's wrong. With no clear answers, lots of decisions, which both are right and wrong at the same time. And it's only YOU who'll have to make a decision and live with it.<br /> <br /> Love and sex are (if given freedom of choice and leaving war and starvation outside) the major decisions we'll make in our live.<br /> <br /> So I think Leonard is talking about these things a lot and that you'll find yourself inescapably guilty if you'll given in to your lust. And also if you don't.<br /> <br /> It's about making decision and live with them.
Jesus, Svenner80 Why did you bury Leonard? I didn't hear about his passing
The short interpretation is that Leonard Cohen wrote this song to describe my first marriage...
Without dissecting ever word - It is a song about choosing a lover based upon physical beauty (infatuation) rather than inner beauty (true love) and what that mistake can do to your soul when you wake up and see the person you are sleeping/living in their true light, and beyond the superficial beauty of this person you have little in common and no substance to hold your relationship together, especially during the hard times, so it slowly fades into a personal hell that you feel trapped in, an ultimate loneliness that is worse then when you were alone and single. Yet, the sex was so good in the beginning, it was in itself a type of love, a type of hallelujah, and so it still feels bittersweet when you think back and reflect upon it, because as flawed humans we always imagine we can have it all, even perfect love, which does not exist.
@Jdziu this is the absolutely perfect interpretation of how I hear the lyrics as well. Well done