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

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

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

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Maybe 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
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

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

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

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

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


Lyrics submitted by tjordaan

Hallelujah Lyrics as written by Leonard Cohen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover) song meanings
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  • +8
    General Comment

    I think this song is one that comes from a deep place in the artists' soul and has deep meaning both spiritually and personally. I think Dundada77 is close when they says it's about Sampson, but I think it more strongly speaks of David. In fact I think the Rufus is drawing a parallel between himself and King David of the Bible. David played his harp and it was soothing to King Saul and pleased the Lord. Notice how the arpeggios mimic the soft plucking of harp strings. Later in David's adult life, after he became King, he succumbed to temptation observing Bathsheba (The wife of Uriah, one of David's Generals)) bathing on the roof. He sent for her, they slept together, she got pregnant and David secretly had her husband killed during a battle. This action brought calamity upon the house of David. So in a sense this event did break the throne by breaking David. The idea of cutting hair is not so much linked to Sampson as it is a reference to a Nazarite (of which Sampson was one) who take a vow not to cut their hair. In My opinion this is a song about broken relationships and broken vows. How all of us are tempted to break the “vows” of relationships. Through the heartache of these tragedies we gain perspective on life. In the third and fourth verse introspection seems to be in the forefront of the lyrics. Wainwright is openly gay and perhaps he’s seen more than his share of heartache. Love is not a victory march; it’s filled with agony and heartbreak as well as magic and fulfillment. Real love is painful, it’s not a cry in the night, nor is it all bright lights. At times it can be a cold and broken hallelujah – but it’s still a hallelujah.

    Delamarteron January 21, 2002   Link

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