Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
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?
Remember when I moved in you?
The Holy Dove 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,
Hallelu...
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah.
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?
Remember when I moved in you?
The Holy Dove 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,
Hallelu...
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah.
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"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
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It seems simply, to me, a song about a broken man; disillusioned with love, religion and life.
On one hand, the biblical references allude to the demise of a man's faith, and the demise of his relationship with God. The faith he once firmly had, has been questioned and ultimately torn apart.
The lyrics can also convey a man disillusioned with (romantic) love, through his own bitter experiences. Love is a competition, or a power struggle.
The things he once celebrated, he has lost confidence in; his celebrations have become cold and broken.
Ditto. And love this song =]
i love john cale's voice...takes a welshman to convey pure sadness, eh?
I found some additional information about Leonard Cohen's comments about what the song means at perso.wanadoo.fr/pilgraeme/hallelujah.htm.
Jeff Buckely also does a haunting version that is simply beautiful. Other people who covered it are Allison Crowe and Rufus Wainwright (which I heard was also on Shrek).
Everyone has their own interpretations. But based on the article cited above, from LC's own words, I really think it is about pure emotion, and it is both good and bad at the same time.
There is a spiritual Hallelujah, and the biblical references are the starting point for the idea of the song. He says he got the idea from the "tradition" of compusers who said Hallelujah.
But Cohen takes it much further, and the song really gets into Hallelujah in everyday life...in the emotion of things like beauty, pain, love and sex.
An in my interpretation, the most important thing to me was how the song/music made me feel when he sings the word "Hallelujah." I love the other lyrics, they are so simple but deep. But the emotion in that one word, hallelujah, is both beautiful and sad.
It is a very powerful and intense song. The songwriting is compared to Shakespeare in the Stylus Magazine article cited by ablack8 above.
This song always seemed to me as like a break up song, in a sense. Really like a bitter ex-lover being like "you're gone, I'm in pain, hallelujah" and also the feeling that its hard to believe in god when you have such intense heart ache. I dunno, just my thoughts.
The song has a truly dark meaning "He saw her taking a shower on the roof" she an exhibitionist who traps him she ties him to a chair and cuts his hair she then breaks his throne the composer is referring to, Jesus Christ and the baffled King is God the Father now do you understand?
This song is a really nice, meaningful song. It's lovely and slow, and the words show very descriptive words. SDM777
I love this song... It's very kind of spiritual and it's amazing how someone can make a song out of bible readings. I caught that the second verse was about Samson and Delilah. Very cool indeed. One thing I wanted to know was why no one else has any lyrics on this great guy...
Yes, this song is very beautiful.
However, it was written by Leonard Cohen-- one of the greatest lyricists (spelling?) ever. It was sung by John Cale on the Shrek soundtrack.
And yes! why has no one else posted any lyrics for John Cale?! Cale is fantastic! I posted a few songs... hopefully they'll go up and people can put what they think, etc.
This song bespeaks Biblical references, but also deals with the same things--struggling to praise God in the middle of a messy life. It may be cold, but it's still praise.
Anyway, I found a link while searching for Leonard Cohen that explains this song quite well:
stylusmagazine.com/feature.php
Well folks, you can't always define the absolute meaning of a song, but I think most of you have missed the boat on this one. First, read the original lyrics (Leonard Cohen). This version has confused the meaning. The is obviously about King David, his thankfulness and appreciation for his creator, and God's unlimited grace and forgiveness. Throughout his life David loved God, but he had flaws. Despite the gravity of David's (and our own) sin, God's love is bigger. The meaning of the hebrew word hallelujah is "praise God" not love stinks. Cohen had some jewish influnces in his life. After David's sinful ways he repented (see Bible), and went on to follow God with a deeper understanding of God's love and forgiveness. The word hallelujah is written 34 times in the original version of this song!.....praise God...when I'm flying high and when I'm disappointing...praise God because He's still there for us.