A great theme of Leonard Cohen's seems to be modern man's agonized longing for God or some transcendent ideal that pre-rational-scientific-materialistic man had to orient his life - I think you can see that in Hallelujah but that's what this entire song, too, is about.
The vulgarization of the traditional divine ideal is clear in the "Iron Cross" and "Jezebel" and the traditional image of God in heaven is reduced to "Stardust" and "Balloons and paper streamers floating down on us."
The "tallest and blondest girl" is a representation of the ideal and Leonard Cohen goes up to her/it/God but he's incapable of pure and self-transcending love. Instead, all he can see is the material, not the spiritual - "her naked body," which is all he can attempt to summon with his pathetic faith (LC actually sings "pathetic faith" at the end in a live version), the pathetic faith of modern man.
What really kills me about LC is how clearly the agonized longing comes through via his voice: "I know you're hungry, I can hear it in your voice." I sure can LC, I sure can.
A great theme of Leonard Cohen's seems to be modern man's agonized longing for God or some transcendent ideal that pre-rational-scientific-materialistic man had to orient his life - I think you can see that in Hallelujah but that's what this entire song, too, is about.
The vulgarization of the traditional divine ideal is clear in the "Iron Cross" and "Jezebel" and the traditional image of God in heaven is reduced to "Stardust" and "Balloons and paper streamers floating down on us."
The "tallest and blondest girl" is a representation of the ideal and Leonard Cohen goes up to her/it/God but he's incapable of pure and self-transcending love. Instead, all he can see is the material, not the spiritual - "her naked body," which is all he can attempt to summon with his pathetic faith (LC actually sings "pathetic faith" at the end in a live version), the pathetic faith of modern man.
What really kills me about LC is how clearly the agonized longing comes through via his voice: "I know you're hungry, I can hear it in your voice." I sure can LC, I sure can.
@ZeksAtLiberty I'm pretty sure it's just a song about Cohen as a high school trying to come onto someone, but, okay.
@ZeksAtLiberty I'm pretty sure it's just a song about Cohen as a high school trying to come onto someone, but, okay.
@ZeksAtLiberty I hear it too. And I love it.
@ZeksAtLiberty I hear it too. And I love it.
@ZeksAtLiberty brilliant take, I love it
@ZeksAtLiberty brilliant take, I love it