Hallelujah lyrics meaning line by line

The song is actually about a devastating ending of a love between two people. However, the song acquires a religious undertone due to the many Biblical references. Hence, this song can be categorized as a secular hymn.

You might think that makes sense because of how big a role religion plays in America in general, and in the Republican Party in particular… except that Hallelujah, despite its title, is emphatically not a religious song. Which is why I hate it when people have it played at weddings and funerals. The song itself, again, despite its title, is not about God or Jesus or Heaven. You see, King David got a hard-on for Bathsheba, who had been bathing, naked, on the roof of her house. He had her brought to his palace where he slept with her actually, he more than likely raped her , and got her pregnant.

Hallelujah lyrics meaning line by line

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. 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.

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. Lot's of problems, lot's of guilt.

By Rolling Stone. Bob Dylan was one of the first to recognize its brilliance, playing it at a couple of shows in This excerpt was originally published in December A group of musicians from Tulsa provided the backbone of the arrangements. Sid McGinnis — who joined the band at Late Night with David Letterman that same year and has remained with the show ever since, in addition to recording with the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and Dire Straits — provided additional guitar parts. Lissauer, a Yale graduate who has gone on to a successful career scoring films, beamed when he spoke of these sessions that took place almost thirty years earlier. Seated in the larger of the two studio rooms he operates from his thirty-five-acre farm about an hour north of Manhattan, he described working on Various Positions as pure pleasure.

Written by the Canadian-born poet-songwriter-performer Leonard Cohen and released on his album Various Positions , the song has earned global significance. But that is for several reasons. He wrote something like 80 drafts of the song. Love, though desired and cherished, is not only blissful. Cohen references the stories of Samson and Delilah from the Book of Judges, singing, She cut your hair. He also talks about King David and Bathsheba: Now I heard there was a secret chord that David and it pleased the Lord and You saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you. This stanza warns against this common behavior in people.

Hallelujah lyrics meaning line by line

The song has been widely performed and it has been featured in TV shows and films. The scandalous story is a tale of infidelity and betrayal that would rival any scandal amongst celebrities and world leaders in the modern era. Bathsheba was married to another man, a soldier named Uriah. When David saw Bathsheba bathing on the roof, he was mesmerized by her beauty and asked that she be brought to him. He knew that Uriah was away at war, so the timing was perfect. David and Bathsheba began a passionate love affair, and eventually, Bathsheba became pregnant. Desperate to cover up the scandal, David plotted a scheme to get Uriah back home so that Uriah could sleep with Bathsheba. However, Uriah had other plans.

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Videos by American Songwriter. Leonard Cohen Dead at Bathsheba becomes pregnant and informs this to the King. His holy strength was in his hair. Jdziu on May 20, Link. He did not write the masterpiece though. Lissauer had never even seen that review until I sent it to him after our interview. Piggybacking off of that, Buckley took the torch and added his drippy, delicate vocals to the song. Become a member. The author of this article obviously has not read nor understands the Bible. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. No one sings this song as well as Leonard Cohen! He is not claiming to know more. Svenner80 on January 02,

Released in , this timeless masterpiece has been covered by countless artists, becoming a staple in popular culture.

I think your interpretation of that verse is right on the money - it certainly echoes mine. Privacy Terms. Robert says:. December 14, at pm. I want all the thrills of being in love, but none of the risks. Search Advanced search. I remember Leonard kept asking me to put more and more reverb on his voice. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. He's felt lonely like this before; he was lonely before they became lovers. I have been thinking about this song a lot recently. Indrani M says:. This excerpt was originally published in December But when the song was originally recorded by him in , this verse was present. But it is not a nice song about God or Heaven, it is a dark indictment of affairs of the heart, and is not appropriate for weddings, or funerals, or for the Republican National Convention. IhaveQuestions on September 12,