Thanksgiving is a heartfelt celebration of gratitude, honoring the abundance and blessings that enrich our lives. Among the myriad things I cherish, I extend profound appreciation to the late Leonard Cohen. His musical legacy is a treasure, particularly his song “Hallelujah.”
“Hallelujah” elevates gratitude, encouraging us to embrace all life’s moments — joyous or challenging, triumphant or sorrowful.
My love for this song was ignited during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. k.d. lang’s breathtaking rendition of Cohen’s (a fellow Canadian) timeless masterpiece at the opening ceremony was truly unforgettable. Her performance, coupled with the song’s poignant lyrics, sparked a deep curiosity in me to explore the deeper meanings and nuances of this iconic song.
In short, here’s what songwriter Cohen said of the song’s meaning:
“It explains that many kinds of hallelujahs do exist, and all the perfect and broken hallelujahs have equal value.”
Cohen further elaborates on the meaning of the song:
“Finally there’s no conflict between things, finally everything is reconciled but not where we live. This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled but there are moments when we can transcend the dualistic system and reconcile and embrace the whole mess and that’s what I mean by Hallelujah. That regardless of what the impossibility of the situation is, there is a moment when you open your mouth and you throw open your arms and you embrace the thing and you just say ‘Hallelujah! Blessed is the name.’ And you can’t reconcile it in any other way except in that position of total surrender, total affirmation. That’s what it’s all about.”
The Most Perfect Song Ever Took Five Years to Write
In 2008, Q Magazine held a poll in which “Hallelujah” was voted “the most perfect song ever.” According to Cohen, it took him at least five years to write the song:
“Hallelujah was at least five years. I have about 80 verses. I just took verses out of the many that established some sort of coherence. The trouble that I find is that I have to finish the verse before I can discard it. So that lengthens the process considerably. I filled two notebooks with the song, and I remember being on the floor of the Royalton Hotel, on the carpet in my underwear, banging my head on the floor and saying, ‘I can’t finish this song.’”
Cohen trimmed the number of verses and released the song in 1984 on his album titled “Various Positions.” However, the song did not receive popular acclaim until 1991 when John Cale, a Welsh singer-songwriter, recorded a cover version of the song.
As of November 2024, the song “Hallelujah” has been covered and recorded by over 500 artists in various languages. The song’s simple, yet profound lyrics and its adaptable melody have made it a favorite for musicians to interpret and re-imagine, contributing to its enduring popularity and the growing number of versions available.
A breathtaking cover of “Hallelujah” by the late Jeff Buckley reached the top position on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart in March 2008.
The Meaning of Lyrics to Hallelujah
The word Hallelujah is of Hebrew origin and is commonly translated as “Praise God” or “Praise the Lord.” It is a compound word, consisting of two elements: Hallelu, which is an exhortation to praise, and Jah, a shortened form of Yahweh, which is the name of God in the Hebrew Bible.
Thus, Hallelujah is praise directed towards God, often used in religious contexts. It has been adopted into many languages and used in various forms of Christian worship, as well as in Jewish liturgy. Additionally, the term has permeated popular culture and music, often retaining its connotation of joy, relief, or gratitude.
Below are the lyrics to “Hallelujah” and one of the many interpretations of the lyrics from lyricinterpretations.com, this one by Francis O’Brien:
First part:
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
This relates to the story of King David who had an intimate relationship with God and was also a great harp player (secret cord/pleased the lord). The hallelujah at the end of this verse is a happy and spiritual one.
Second part:
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
In this part Cohen relates to the story of David and Bathsheba when David was walking on the roofs he saw her bathing and seduced her. He ended up committing adultery, lost a lot of influence, and weakened his link with God (broken throne). Then we move to the story of Samson who gets his hair cut and loses all his powers, once again, a broken throne. In this verse, the hallelujah is a very sad and desperate one.
Third Part:
Baby I have 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
In this part, Cohen talks about the ambivalence of love and its effect on your faith. It can be glorious like a flag on a marble arch or cold and broken. And when in heartbreak you may lose or strengthen your faith, in this case, it is strengthened because he still praises the lord in the end. In this case, the hallelujah is (obviously) cold and broken.
Fourth Part:
There was a time you let me know
What’s really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
This is an obvious reference to sexuality… In this verse, the hallelujah can be interpreted as an orgasmic one.
Fifth Part:
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
This is a reference to one of the Ten Commandments and through this Cohen is trying to make the listener understand that religion and faith are not etched in stone and that everyone should interpret the holy texts and religion in his own way and that there is no “Right Way” to believe. This is an uncertain hallelujah, meaning that he is not sure what to believe but he believes anyway.
This alludes to one of the Ten Commandments, with Cohen subtly encouraging listeners to recognize that religion and faith are not rigid or unchangeable. He suggests that sacred texts and beliefs should be interpreted personally, emphasizing that there is no single “right way” to believe. It reflects an uncertain hallelujah, meaning that he is not sure what to believe but he believes anyway.
Sixth Part:
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
In this part, he has found what to believe in and realizes his past errors but he is ready to face the lord because he now has complete faith. This hallelujah is one of total faith and love for “the Lord”.
