I had a really big obsession with this song a few years ago when I was really really depressed, I'd listen to it on loop and just lay in bed. I don't really know why, it just spoke to me a lot in such a dark dark time.
@@ThePopSongProfessor That it is! Like I said, it really spoke to me in a way that not much else could when I was in that mindset. To me it was kind of something that represented how I felt, "it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah," but still hopeful that something can change. If that makes sense :)
The story of Samson is so much more than the way you tell it. The truth to the Samson story is about being broken, betrayed, failing, and a last ditch redemption. It is powerful. It’s so worth studying.
Scubaguy I agree! There are so many layers to both the story of Samson & Delilah and of David as well. They can call this a secular song, but for those of us who love the Bible, a song like this can cut to the bone and turn right around and leave you rejoicing. If anyone reading this that doesn’t know that feeling, that joy, ask me. It has to do with the Lord Jesus Christ and how you will spend eternity. Once you’ve got that resolved, you’ll be amazed at the depth to your emotions! So. Far. Beyond. It’s Spiritual depth.
@Scubaguy007 Agreed. To me the story of Samson is about God forgiving Samson, and being there 4 Samson in his hour of need. Although he was not supposed 2 say what gave him strength, he did and still God granted his last request. God gave him his power back and thereby allowing him to destroy his enemies. Jehovah forgave his transgression.
@@moonlitbandit2612 I felt compelled to tell you I recently learned this song is about King David & Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11, 12; 1 Kings 1) please note I still feel the story of Samson and Delilah is a powerful and compelling story of redemption and Gods forgiveness, but the words of the song were not what I said and I felt a need to correct the error.
I spent the better part of a 13 hour drive home from Texas working out the harmony to this song and singing it over and over again... It's a song I just cannot get tired of listening to and singing along with. Especially the part, "Remember when I moved in you, the holy God was moving too, and every breath we drew was Hallelujah." I may be in my 70s, but I remember those moments, and they still take my breath away.
Rich VeDepo: My interpretation of this song is exactly same as yours.. To me these are some of the most beautiful lyrics in song" I interpret this song as a failed marriage,she is full of wanting to win at all costs, and he reminds her of the beauty they had when times were good!
It is a beautiful and sad verse. From my perspective the entire verse is heartbreaking. I understand it as a love fading and how amazingly painful and baffling it can be. The line b4 the one u referenced, "Well, there was a time when you let me know What's really going on below But now you never show that to me, do ya?" Breaks my heart.
Pretty sure the this is about secret affair with Bathsheba (sp?) and from what I have read of Cohen's limited explanation. It is most defiantly written as a sexual Hallelujah. Remember when I moved in you? The Holy dove (not God) was moving too (Kings Dove is a Bathsheba reference), and every breath "WE" drew was Hallelujah. Even "Whats going on below". Of course you can take it as you will as the listener.
I ask my Christian visitors, "Do you remember your Gospel narrative, that when Christ was supposed to have been on the cross, he cried out with a loud voice: "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). The above is a translation from the Greek manuscripts "ACCORDING TO ST. MARK." Obviously his Hebrew has a Greek accent. Because, his so-called originals were written in Greek. But listen to Matthew, who is supposed to have written his Gospel originally in Hebrew, which was aimed at the Jews. St. Jerome, an early Christian father of the 4th and 5th centuries after Christ, testifies as follows: "MATTHEW, WHO IS ALSO LEVI, AND WHO FROM A PUBLICAN CAME TO BE AN APOSTLE, FIRST OF ALL THE EVANGELISTS, COMPOSED A GOSPEL OF CHRIST IN JUDEA IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE AND CHARACTERS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE OF THE CIRCUMCISION WHO HAD BELIEVED." Naturally, Matthew's accent would be more Semitic (Hebrew and Arabic) than that of Mark. Matthew records the same scene as Mark 15:34, but note the variation of the dialect: Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46). Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you. ALLELUYA! Now ask your Christian friend, if he had heard the word - "ALLELUYA." No Christian worth the name will fail to recognize it. Whenever the Christian goes into ecstasy, he exclaims - "Alleluya! Alleluya!", just as we Muslims might exclaim the Takbir - "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!" Ask him, what is Alleluya? Take him to the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, Chapter 19; we are informed there that John the disciple of Jesus, saw a vision, in which, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46). Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you. ALLELUYA! Let us repeat the above Tasbih (words of praise) as an Arab or a Jew: ALLE-LU-YA will be YA-ALLE-LU because, as explained above, YA is always at the beginning in both Arabic and Hebrew. YA ALLE LU would be YA ALLA HU: Meaning, "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise) "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise). Unbiased Christians will not fail to recognize Allah as none other than his - El, Eli, Alle, Elah, Alah, Allah. Call upon Him by any name, for His are the Most Beautiful names, as long as those names are not contaminated and as long as they do not conjure up in our minds the images of men or monkeys howsoever glorified they might have been
One of the things that I've learned when trying to develop my interpretation of this song is that perception truly is reality. This piece can be about sex, love gone stale, the feelings/sadness that comes with a failed love, the relationship between human faith and God, or the victory's and loses of life in general. Or it can be about all of these or none of these. This piece has given me a new appreciation for the art of poetry/songwriting.
I ask my Christian visitors, "Do you remember your Gospel narrative, that when Christ was supposed to have been on the cross, he cried out with a loud voice: "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). The above is a translation from the Greek manuscripts "ACCORDING TO ST. MARK." Obviously his Hebrew has a Greek accent. Because, his so-called originals were written in Greek. But listen to Matthew, who is supposed to have written his Gospel originally in Hebrew, which was aimed at the Jews. St. Jerome, an early Christian father of the 4th and 5th centuries after Christ, testifies as follows: "MATTHEW, WHO IS ALSO LEVI, AND WHO FROM A PUBLICAN CAME TO BE AN APOSTLE, FIRST OF ALL THE EVANGELISTS, COMPOSED A GOSPEL OF CHRIST IN JUDEA IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE AND CHARACTERS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE OF THE CIRCUMCISION WHO HAD BELIEVED." Naturally, Matthew's accent would be more Semitic (Hebrew and Arabic) than that of Mark. Matthew records the same scene as Mark 15:34, but note the variation of the dialect: Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46). Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you. ALLELUYA! Now ask your Christian friend, if he had heard the word - "ALLELUYA." No Christian worth the name will fail to recognize it. Whenever the Christian goes into ecstasy, he exclaims - "Alleluya! Alleluya!", just as we Muslims might exclaim the Takbir - "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!" Ask him, what is Alleluya? Take him to the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, Chapter 19; we are informed there that John the disciple of Jesus, saw a vision, in which, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46). Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you. ALLELUYA! Let us repeat the above Tasbih (words of praise) as an Arab or a Jew: ALLE-LU-YA will be YA-ALLE-LU because, as explained above, YA is always at the beginning in both Arabic and Hebrew. YA ALLE LU would be YA ALLA HU: Meaning, "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise) "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise). Unbiased Christians will not fail to recognize Allah as none other than his - El, Eli, Alle, Elah, Alah, Allah. Call upon Him by any name, for His are the Most Beautiful names, as long as those names are not contaminated and as long as they do not conjure up in our minds the images of men or monkeys howsoever glorified they might have been
It’s also not a religious song. I’ve heard it in churches and at weddings, and I’m like, HAVE YOU LISTENED TO THE WORDS? It’s got infidelity, lack of attraction, unhealthy obsession, all over the song. And not one bit of “I love god, he is great”. If the person finally does come to go’s (and I’m dubious of that), it’s not a happy resolution, it’s a “life is really fucking hard, but this is the resolution”
@@tanyanguyen3704 As far as I can see from your response here, I am (I think) in complete agreement with you. The e-n-t-i-r-e song is written as irony. Definitely NOT approprate in a religious setting. Do these people think that they're hearing shouts of praise when they hear the word "god" as someone howls "god damnit." ??? [Hope this doesn't offend you, but the only way I see to make my point definitively.]
There is a different version of the song that was written as a Christmas song. Don’t know where this version originated, but it’s definitely a Christmas and religious song. This is a great cover of it: ruclips.net/video/Bmx--WjeN7o/видео.html
It seems to me the first verse about the 'secret chord that pleased the Lord' refers 1 Samuel 16:23 "And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."
That's what I figured too. Since Saul was wanting to get David's attention and David's music was putting King Saul into better moods, thus not wanting to kill him (David), it was the secret chord since Saul kept calling for David to meet and play for him.
Great analysis. I've always regarded "Hallelujah" as a bitter reflection on a failed romantic relationship, which the singer links to key Old Testament scenes. The "you don't really care for music, do ya?" line is particularly poignant because it suggests that the lost lover not only doesn't care for music, but also doesn't care about these spiritual references and is instead more interested in "a flag on the Marble Arch" than in the singer's sensitivity. Pragmatism vs. romanticism, which is a more frequent problem than we suspect. Hence, the failure and the bitterness, and yet the singer will forever sing his Hallelujah. One of the greatest songs ever.
For me this song is about acceptance, doing with what has been given to you and living, moving with it. Kind of sad but giving strength at the same time. The music bears the lyrics, giving impulse after the brokeness. It allways makes me emotional, one of my favorite songs ever...
Excellent interpretation! I have been severely depressed for years & it’s just one song that helps me. #IfYouOnlyKnew by #AlexanderStewart &#Iamnotokay by #Jellyroll are just 2 others. There are many more & #Nightbirde singing #ImOk 💔❤️🩹😢 Hope youre doing much better. ❤️🩹
My take/interpretation is: no matter the situation, rock bottom, we call to the lord for strength. We call to God to uplift us. To help us through. Hallelujah. When we have accomplished a milestone, we praise and share our triumph with the lord. Hallelujah.
I ask my Christian visitors, "Do you remember your Gospel narrative, that when Christ was supposed to have been on the cross, he cried out with a loud voice: "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). The above is a translation from the Greek manuscripts "ACCORDING TO ST. MARK." Obviously his Hebrew has a Greek accent. Because, his so-called originals were written in Greek. But listen to Matthew, who is supposed to have written his Gospel originally in Hebrew, which was aimed at the Jews. St. Jerome, an early Christian father of the 4th and 5th centuries after Christ, testifies as follows: "MATTHEW, WHO IS ALSO LEVI, AND WHO FROM A PUBLICAN CAME TO BE AN APOSTLE, FIRST OF ALL THE EVANGELISTS, COMPOSED A GOSPEL OF CHRIST IN JUDEA IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE AND CHARACTERS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE OF THE CIRCUMCISION WHO HAD BELIEVED." Naturally, Matthew's accent would be more Semitic (Hebrew and Arabic) than that of Mark. Matthew records the same scene as Mark 15:34, but note the variation of the dialect: Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46). Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you. ALLELUYA! Now ask your Christian friend, if he had heard the word - "ALLELUYA." No Christian worth the name will fail to recognize it. Whenever the Christian goes into ecstasy, he exclaims - "Alleluya! Alleluya!", just as we Muslims might exclaim the Takbir - "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!" Ask him, what is Alleluya? Take him to the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, Chapter 19; we are informed there that John the disciple of Jesus, saw a vision, in which, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46). Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you. ALLELUYA! Let us repeat the above Tasbih (words of praise) as an Arab or a Jew: ALLE-LU-YA will be YA-ALLE-LU because, as explained above, YA is always at the beginning in both Arabic and Hebrew. YA ALLE LU would be YA ALLA HU: Meaning, "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise) "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise). Unbiased Christians will not fail to recognize Allah as none other than his - El, Eli, Alle, Elah, Alah, Allah. Call upon Him by any name, for His are the Most Beautiful names, as long as those names are not contaminated and as long as they do not conjure up in our minds the images of men or monkeys howsoever glorified they might have been
Most songs of Leonard are exactly about what you want and you need them to be in a specific time in your life! That's the magic this extraordinary poet and soul that Leonard was, created with his art! They are about life, love, longing, desperation, despair and hope! They touch your heart and your soul! They are friends when you're happy and they are fiends when you're sad!
Nicely done. Just a note about that first line: “I’ve heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord”... I don’t think the emphasis is on secret here but on the fact that David’s music was known to please God. King David wrote most of the book of Psalms in the Bible, which were songs of the time, and there is also a story about King Saul being oppressed by an “evil spirit” but when David played his harp King Saul was soothed and comforted. This lines up with the next line “but you don’t really care for music do ya?” Where we might assume the person he is speaking of can’t be soothed or appeased by love songs...
I think you explained it well but the secret there too is important as the chords that David played to soothed Saul was an unknown chords. No one was able to guessed the chords
It is referring to the chord progression which most songs that please the ear are built. Tonic major, sub dominant major, dominant major, minor submediant. This is stated in the proceeding line "and it goes like this, the 4th the 5th, the minor fall and the major lift, the baffled king composing hallelujah." To further explain this, if you're in C maj scale. The ideal chord progression would be C major (Tonic), F major (Sub-Dominant), G major (Dominant), A minor (Sub-mediant), then goes back to a major chord. It's actually a bit technical.
This song is all over the place. There's not enough of any verse to figure out. I'm not sure anyone one gets it. You can turn it into anything you want
The genius of this song is that it has a million meanings, but generally speaking this song to me is a celebration of your own spirit. No matter how bad it gets, there is always a reason to declare Hallelujah.
Yes and I think it is also someone questioning their faith. I don’t like this guy in the video flippant attitude about this song. I know some don’t take music seriously but to some of us music is spiritual and holds deep meaning. It came up in my feed. Needless to say I will not be subscribing. So tired of surface skimming little hipster.
Hmmmm. it took almost three-minutes to get to the point but when the Professor finally did, his first set of explanations was spot on. David, Bathsheba and Sampson. Well done.
Hallelujah it's Hebrew word that mean "to praise God", the word split to two parts. Hallelu (הללו) , mean "to praise", and "jah" (יה) , the hebraw short to the name of god.
yeah he doesnt really mention that in the video which is KIND OF a huge part of this song saying finding your hallelujah meaning praising God even in each kind of circumstance.
every single line in this song had always spoken to me. As a history lover who was raised in the church. the references are out of control! this man is a genius!
Most people who sing this song take out my favorite verse. "You say I took the name in vain, I don't even know the name, but really? If I did, then whats it to you? There is a blaze of light in every word, it doesn't matter which you heard to holy or the broken Hallelujah."
That's the verse that makes it so clear that "Hallelujah" is a placeholder for what we feel and want to express in the most impactful moments in our life. It's not necessarily "Praise be to God" or "I'm grateful." You can say "Hallelujah" sarcastically. You can become obsessed with someone and they can draw "Hallelujah" from your lips as if they were your god, but that doesn't mean the relationship is pure or healthy. Hallelujah can be said with an inflection that makes you seem cold and broken, angry, bitter, joyful, grateful, or in reverence of some beauty you have found. Some might say that's saying the word in vain, but it seems appropriate to me.
Yes! Also "I did my best, it wasn't much / I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch / I 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!'". I'm suprised the guy in the video is unclear about the "Lord of Song" - clearly God, the Lord of all.
All you sinners stand up, sing Hallelujah (Hallelujah) Show praise with your body Stand up, sing Hallelujah (Hallelujah) And if you can't stop shaking, lean back Let it move right through ya (Hallelujah) Say your prayers Say your prayers Say your prayers (Hallelujah)
This song has always brought me peace even though some of the lyrics baffled me. You have explained what I couldn't connect to and now I love it even more. Thank you
I think of the secret chord as being discovered when young David played his harp, alone in the fields, tending his sheep. And the cold and broken hallelujah as the essence of being human -- the unbearable lightness of being. It could be a story told in succession and all about David (from 3rd person to 1st), or it could be different tales strung together perfectly (as the Pop Song Professor explains here). Whatever the interpretation, it's a haunting song with beautiful imagery and one that capitalizes on Cohen's talent as a musician, poet, and storyteller.
Hallelujah is basically a prayer. I believe that everyone has a slightly different perspective on the word's to this song and as you get older and wiser these perspectives grow and change. When I listened to it at the age of 62 it brought me to my knees whereas before I didn't quite understand it as well. It will probably change again! Good song. Jeff Buckley does a beautiful job with this song . Check him out.
We lost our son. And no one came to say goodbye. Hallelujah. Years went by. Hallelujah Why don't you adopt , hallelujah. With tears in our eyes. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.. Youth went by. And years rolled on Hallelujah. Hallelujah Hallelujah hallelujah
Wow this is a subject so dear to me that it’s hard to express. Cohen touched my heart of hearts in 1972 when I first heard him. It was at the end of a movie at the CSU campus the projectionist decided to played “ last Year’s Man”. I’ve been hooked on Leonard Cohen ever since. He has a wake-up call saying there is more to life than you think. If you are open He can transcend you into naked honesty.
Thanks. This Jewish person now fully understands why our praise to G_d was used in that manner. This song is absolutely about humanity and our walk through life
It's powerful to know the Bible, if you don't know the strong personalities of the Bible, and their struggles and victories, you are missing out on the most powerful writings of hebrew and western litterature. David and Samson is key to this song, David in particular is key if you want to understand this lyrics. He wrote beautiful psalms, played harp (composed halleluja, as he was gifted by God with musical talent. Played for Saul, to sooth his nerves, the king he later replaced, ) , went through ups and downs, went from shepperd to battle king, God calling him a man after his heart( despite his big mistakes with lust after Batseba "bathing on the roof" and causing the death of her husbond( Why was Saul condemned by God, and David favored?). The story of David when confronted by the prophet is heart breaking, but the key was that he had the heart to admit his mistakes and repent( a quality not held in high regard these days...) Samson and Delilah is another reference. " she broke your throne, and cut your hair". Samson as invincible strongman is known by most, slaying a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, but his weakness of women caused him to loose his manlyhood to Delilah. But God gave him the strenght to claim venegance one laste time over his enemies, after being stripped of all dignity and losing his eyes, displayed as a beast before his enemies, God gave him the strenght to push down a building, to go out in a "blaze of glory".
@Nadya Nayoan What you do internally is not my business...My point was not to do a complete teological survey, it was just to point out that it's important to have some knowledge of the Bible to understand references in western culture and writing. Most people can relate to what "Davids fight against Goliath" means, but if you don't know the basic story, it makes no sense....Choen never described him self as a very religious person, but he draws inspiration from his jewish cultural background. Another example is "If it be your will". It has the form of a prayer, at the same time it's obviously a man that is angry with God. My PERSONAL opinion is that it has likness with som psalms, where a man is in despair and think God is unfair. By the way, Biblical allusions are not rare, some examples: Novels with Biblical Allusions Hamlet by William Shakespeare, 1602. ... Oliver Twist or The Parish Boys Progress by Charles Dickens, 1839 - ... Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1866 - ... Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, ... The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, 1950. ... Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 1954 -
Thank you!! I've heard so many people say what it's NOT about...which finally led me here...I am pleased to know I'm not wrong for the way this song relates to my life..& that's how I choose to take it... to me it makes sense...every single detail...FITS PERFECTLY
We resently lost a cat to tomors, he was a rescue. I used to sing to him, his favourite song was Fola Fola Blakken (a norwegian nusary song about an old horse who after a long day of work gets to rest in his stables) and halleluja. I used the same lyrics as the ones in this video. He got so relaxed and often started to purr when I sang these song to him. I struggled through the song as we beried him, singing for him one last time 😭
@@paudib8982 thank you, I find some comfort in knowing he had it so good after we adopted him, even if only just under 4 of his almost 11 years was spent with us 😭 He will never be forgotten as long as I live and he will always be rememberd with love 💖 (Had to have a pink hart as he loved pink things).
you kind of left out the biggest part of explaining it, being hallelujah means praise God and this song is saying even in these circumstances no matter what ill still say “hallelujah”
@@stephaniereif7790 So "praise God in everything", whether it brings one joy or anguish or anything in between. Reminds me of some of the Psalms. I think it's good to remember the words were informed by a different heritage and maybe a deeper understanding. If I remember correctly, Cohen spent quite a while in a monastery when he had deep depression.
@@christinekaye6393 we always praise G-d, in the morning we thank G-d for returning our soul to our bodies, and continue until we proclaim G-d is One at bedtime. I thank G-d when Im in pain probably more than when I’m well. Whether or not Cohen lived in a monastery, he was raised in a deeply spiritual faith. It seems natural that he would use torah references in song.
@@stephaniereif7790 Cohen may have been born Jewish but he did not practice the Jewish religion. He spent a number of his later years in a Buddist monastery.
@@almaburns6562 I know. Many Jews are secular, not religious. Majority of American Jews do a minimum of jewsh religious practice. Many secular Jews are Buddhist. But they still are ethnically, culturally and DNA wise Judaens. I dont expect you to understand.and thats ok.
There’s a blaze of light in every word it doesn’t matter which you heard the holy or the broken hallelujah. Light emphasizes darkness and vice versa. Whole vs broken.
It is a tribute to love and to the end of a passionate relationship. Love is God, God is life. Life is Love. Love is God. It is recognizing a finality , but still celebrating the heights, intimacies, passion, and then sadness. Finally, in the end, admitting, that it was worth it all.
Love the way you interpreted this, and completely agree our hallelujahs can mean and come for many different things/circumstances in our life, not all being perfect. I am preparing for a significant surgery in a little over a month, for which I have waited almost two years to undergo. I practicing deep relaxation and positive imagery to achieve calm and release tension and promote healing before, during, and after surgery. As I listened to your suggested interpretations, it clicked with me how apropos my hallelujahs are/will be as I’m calmly laying on the operating table ready for surgery, just as the anesthesiologist first administers the medications, and first thought after surgery when I regain awareness and have successfully come through the surgery❣️ Thank you!
It's a Jewish song. Leonard Cohen grew up religious. You can't really understand the verses outside of that context. It's a lot about god, at least with his most popular verses. It's about losing your faith in god without losing the belief. "it's a cold and broken hallelujah" is referring to him trying to praise god when god has failed him.
It's actually not really about God and the your faith in him, but more about the human side of it, relationships and descovering you own meaning of hallelujha. It means that life can be cold and broken but at the end of the day we can still go on about our life no matter the circumstances because you enjoy it That's what I think at least, but the again everyone has their own interpretation of it.
About God failing the man? Or more likely about men failing God? This song is messed up when we are longing at the context. If we are talking about religion, this is right there with blasphemy.
I get this song--at some time, whether broken or full, you will find the Hallelujah. I was broken. And I try to kept to Hallelujah. I liked to explain. When you do have your Hallelujah moment, you will have questions, but you won't be confused. Amen.
I loved your explanation of Hallelujah! Thank you for that! I will never hear the song in the same way again! Leonard was a TRUE POET!!!! We all have different Life experiences but your take on it makes so much sense! Lynn Eyland, Halifax, Nova Scotia
I can’t get enough of this song! It’s the song that you feel you can scream from the mountaintops. This explanation is great and sometime I would like to hear the explanations of the other verses he writes. I do know a couple of them and they are all beautiful.
I fell like universe is playing with me. I'm kinda depressed and im looking for a new thing to do because i destroyed my knee and can't play basketball anymore so i was like ,,lets learn guitar". I didn't know what to play and evryone was trying to show me some easy things to play or what they started with but i just knew i want to play hallelujah without any reason (last time i heard it was a few years back watching shrek so i didn't even knew about what this song is). And when i see that it is about finding hallelujah that's for you i just dont know what to say.
So very true. I have loved Leonard Cohen from the start...I love the way his words bend, turn, take another cogent path that all meets at the end. It makes each time I listen an adventure through my own mental garden.
I hadn't yet seen "Shrek" at the time, but the son of a friend of my friend in Poland played that part of the movie for me because he wanted me to learn the song (I played and sang a lot when I visited my friends in Poland). So I figured out the chords and played it for them that evening. It started to grow on me and I listened to a bunch of covers and decided I like the Rufus Wainwright version best. I still like playing it.
No it isn't. Lord in strongs concordance is baal as in lucifer. It mean praise be to Yah. YAH AS IN YAHUAH. In hebrew YAHUAH is I am. His only begotten son's name is Yahusha. As in Yah is salvation. Sha is salvation.
@@gregarmstrong6077 www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10876 I think this thread puts it best. For the most part, only 7 verses are publicly known. It's only a rumor that there were more verses written. Whether true or not, we may never know, but I hope someday we find some secret diary or something that Leonard wrote containing more verses to the song.
I've always thought of "Hallelujah" in the song as an expression of love, whether it be towards God, towards a lover or anything else in life. That even if it gets hard, gets rough, nothing feels alright anymore, that it's not the "victory march" they expected it to be but the persona in the song still exclaims "Hallelujah!" over and over again as an affirmation of their love even if it might come out as "cold and broken".
It’s about LIFE, man. All of it, the good, the bad, and every nuance in between. Rejoice in the living of it. Hallelujah! But why do I cry every time I listen to it?
@@fernandozamora2553 it's a compilation of many major and minor falls and redemption. I think it's fascinating that it made me think about the major and minor prophet's......
Thank you. This was very, very helpful. I listen to various versions of Hallelujah frequently. It is powerful for me. I meditate while listening. As you say, it can be mournful or joyful. Hallelujah!
I always figured it was about the end of a relationship (death, break up, etc) where the person was thankful despite what pain they're in that having that other part of them there (in the relationship, now absent) was the best thing for them, and they praise/thank God for all of it.
Don't know how you can explain it without mentioning sex. The entire second verse is about sex. David sees a naked Bathsheba and has to have her; Delilah cut Samson's hair, but still she got him to say hallelujah. How? Sex. I'm not religious, neither am I particularly sexual, but this is so damn obvious to me.
There is one deeply spiritual/sexual verse (included in Jeff Buckley's cover, omitted in many), including the line "remember when I moved in you, and the holy dove was moving too / and every breath we drew was Hallelujah".
Thank you! He uses religious imagery because he's basically describing sex as a religious experience. Also, Hallelujah means "Praise the lord" also known as "OH GOD YES!!!!" The 'hallelujah' she drew from his lips was an orgasm.
Since it references King David's sin with Bathsheba (read the whole story in the Bible) yet God calls him a man after His own heart, shows us that God is a forgiving God and he deserves all our Hallelujahs as broken as they are!
Just one little thing, Prof... You say (at 2:40) that 'It's more like a snapshot of different pictures of life. And you just have to take the pictures for what they are'. But I think 'snapshot' and 'picture' are the wrong metaphors (or similes?). Cohen ALWAYS wrote about emotions - deep, powerful, often painful, emotions. It's not what we 'see' in his songs (and poems and novels). It's about how we FEEL when we listen to or read them. There's a connection that goes FAR deeper than the words themselves. Usually you don't even need to know or understand the context of what he's writing to experience the EMOTION he's expressing.
Excuse me, but you have missed the point. Mr. Cohen describes the attraction and seduction of a new relationship, and its ecstatic fulfilment -- "hallelujah" being orgasmic release. Then, like so many of his, and our, relationships, "it all went wrong". He claims he never meant any harm, but the whole song is an expression of his guilt and anguish. What makes the song so powerful to some of us is our own anguish at lost love; again. "Finding your hallelujah", indeed...
I was pretty close to what he says it’s about but deep down I was always afraid that I was way off the mark and I was just a hopeless music nerd who didn’t understand one of the most well known, beautifully written songs of all time. Whew! I’m not hopeless after all.
It makes me think about Nietzsche. And Jesus. When I belatedly learned it was written by Leonard Cohen, my first thought was, "Well, of course it was."
You want to hear my thoughts? I think the old man with Parkinson’s who lives down the street from me shakes less than you do when you talk, and my 6 month old German Shepherd puppy has a better grasp of what this song means than you do. I needed both a Dramamine for motion sickness and an aspirin for the migraine your torturous interpretation of the lyrics induced. This is a song about love being a double edged sword. The first verse frames the context of “Hallelujah”, explaining that it is a sacred praise, that even when not understood, is received with approval. The “2nd” verse shows men broken and destroyed by their love, but yet they gave praise for that love, though it brought about their downfall. In the “Baby I’ve been here before”, verse, he tells her that love is no cause for celebration, because it always ends in tears. Each verse reinforces these two themes, that “Hallelujah” is the highest form of praise a soul can express, and that love is a virtual suicide pact. The final verse, the “lord of song” verse, tells the tale he’s built up to: he did all he could to save their relationship, but it has come to the inevitable painful conclusion, but even still, when he stands before his creator, he will have nothing but to say but “Hallelujah”, because, to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, he will not cry because it’s over, but be filled with joy that it happened in the first place.
Read the book. The Holy or The Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah” By Alan Light. It gives a lot of insight into several of the additional verses that Cohen wrote. Light also explains how long & why it took Cohen so long to complete. Buckley’s version is his interpretation on John Cale’s version (he of The Velvet Underground with Lou Reed). Cale’s version is the one everyone is familiar with from The movie Shrek. HOWEVER, on the commercial release of the Shrek Soundtrack, the version used is by Rufus Wainright. Buckley is generally credited with the exploding popularity of the song. Oh, and by the way, according to Light, Cohen gave the most basic Explanation of Hallelujah. Essentially he used it as a euphemism for Orgasm. Which is why I, and several other commenters here are at the very least a little uncomfortable that this song is ever sung in church, or considered to be a religious or spiritual song. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. But the book is great.
I don't know much about religions and that is why I take it as a great musical composition only ! It sounds to me with the words like was written as mockery on life ! I am sorry ! Irespective what Haleluyah means in original , for me is meaning "put the end on it " Say Hallelujah to it means " gone " ! Which means the life is windmill ! We say Haleluyah when somebody has gone to nowhere ( to The End ) ! And we are prising the man who has lived with us ! He/She deserves to be prised and remembered ! Buried with dignity because our turn is coming next ! It is called socialisation ! Even the animals know what is "the end" and they are sad ! I know that religions are invented to make life easier ! Not to wonder to much ! That is why the Lord "is" up above us , to omit the reality of the fact that we are Perpetual ! Replacing old ones with newborn ! To many questions are coming after this , my comment ! But I like how I am risen free of religious doctrines ! To whom I must give glorification about my life ! To Jesus who was send to show us how we lived and disappear without a trace lik we all ! From dust we came and we are returning ti dust ! But you will say " what about our spirit ! Oh my dear it is going to nowhere too ! Thank you for reading this !
Don't mean to be too melodramatic, but your explanation just gave me inspiration to find my Hallelujah. Not religious, but put my secular faith in finding good. Thank you!
Leonard Cohen also said this about Hallelujah…you can hear the direct quote from his mouth if you search it. “I know that there is an eye that watches all of us. There is a judgment that weighs everything we do. And before this great force which is greater than any government, I stand in awe and I kneel in respect. And it is to this great judgment, that I dedicate this next song: "Hallelujah". Praise God.
Even tho I've always known that Cohen wrote it as well as loving hearing him song it himself, I've always loved Buckley's version the best. That's not to say that others haven't done just as good a job of it, I just love the tone of his voice and the somberness of it. I do want to thank u for explaining it this way tho! I pretty much always understood the biblical references in it but the other parts I just interpreted in my own way, which lol apparently is what we all have been doing!!! LoL thank you again for this video, ur a cool dude n imma subscribe to ya so I don't miss any other explanations of anymore of my fav songs! Hallelujah is definitely in my top ten. 💜✌️🇺🇲
I have just recently started to like the song due to the Pentatonix version, but I really do connect with the lines about love. Not because I have been in love personally, but because I am looking for love and trying to find it.
To me it's not a song about religion at all. It has religious references, but it's really about a relationship. First, you believe in love, but you've never experienced it. Then you meet someone that you fall madly in love with and she completely takes your strength away. Then it turns into some type of power play, the passion is gone. Then you break up and you realize that relationship is not all Halleluiah. The passion is gone, but love remains and needs work. Finally, as treacherous as it was, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Every time you say Hallelujah, whether you mean to or not you are Halle'ing / Praising the Creator, JAH; which is why you have such a strong reaction to it. Your spirit, the very essence of who and what you are, came from Him and longs for a Relationship with Him. So, sing Hallelujah to your Abba, The Creator of the ends of the earth! It will cause your spirit to rise to meet Abba Yahweh. Shalom.
For me, it's "Hallelujah" ... I found her ... the LOVE of my life ... my wife ! ... Hallelujah .. for the day I met her on the dance floor as she was looking for a partner and I arrived unexpected ! ... It was a total surprise for both of us because we didn't saw each other before in the dancing hall. We fell in love at first ... sight, first touch, first scent ( close to each other while dancing ) !!! ... Marvelous ! .. HALLELUJAH !!! ....
Honestly the first time I heard it for real i thought it was mocking religion, he used the story of David to highlight that he wasn't a perfect man and then used the chorus, a religious word, against him, because he's saying hallelujah for the lady, not for God
do you still think he is mocking religion? i definitely think he meant hallelujah ironically in some way. and it makes me a little uncomfortable to hear religious people singing it like its an actual gospel and totally just taking it at face value.
oh yeah, and i get what you're saying about him saying hallelujah for the lady after she kinda emasculates him by sitting him down and cutting his hair off. seems sexual.
I feel like many of the verses are fucked up or gross so I see it as very ironic. Which is why I always find it slightly disturbing that people always view it as just a straightforward praise for god. There’s even a verse that sounds really sexual so I don’t understand why people play versions with that verse in it t things like funerals lmao. However I admit I’m not religious.
What about "All I ever learned from love was how to shoot someone who outdrew ya"? What has shooting got to do with a love lesson? And how do you shoot someone who is faster on the draw? What kind of love is that? Seems that it's more about guile
I've looked into the story of this song by Leonard Cohen, and I know that he didn't write it as a worship song. However, when I see people reviewing it, they are always touched and sometimes overwhelmed by the spiritual effect it has on them, and here's my thoughts on why this is. The word "Hallelujah" means "God Be Praised", and when you sing this song, you are unknowingly entering into a state of worship to God, and He shows up in the form of the Holy Spirit. It is being under the anointing of the Holy Spirit that convicts hearts, hence the emotion that people feel. They are actually experiencing a "God Moment"; they just don't know it. I experience the same thing at Church during praise and worship.
I would like your comment better if you had used “I” in place of “you,” as in “When I sing this song, I feel like I’m entering into a state of worship to God.” Great, I’m happy for you. But when you say that we’re all experiencing what you experience, only some of us just don’t know it, it feels like you’re kind of taking possession of other people’s experience of the song. And as a pretty anti-religious person, I kind of bristle at that. (Having said that, I’m sure you weren’t trying to offend anyone, and I wish you well. Just thought I’d share my reaction to your words.)
I don't know why people tried to make such a mess about this song. Keep it simple, please. This song was written from the perspective of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite. A broken lover, betrayed soldier, lonely man going back to war knowing his fate. Now read or listen again. Everything will make sense to you including the sexy imagery some words create. "drew Hallelujah", "move in you," "Holy dark," etc. It is Uriah who is singing to you.
*me after watching the video in the description* It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah But fr Leonard Cohen is a genius. He did the emo secular Christian thing (ala The Almost or tøp or any of the cliche christian hardcore bands) before it was even a thing. I love the defiant and countercultural meaning in that song. Like, life isnt what you think it is, and this song isnt what you think its gonna be, and I'm not who you think I am, but we can still sing hallelujah.
Thanks for the explanation. I spent a large chunk of Thanksgiving day memorizing the words to Hallelijah (also had to spend time learning to spell hallelujah - as u can tell I'm a bit slow on the uptake) . I was using the Bon Jovi version. I appreciate ur explanation of the song. Especially the part about the different verses. I was very confused when I listened to another artist and one of the verses was different. At that point I gave up and ate some turkey and watched football.
We heard it at our friend's funeral. Even though he suffered with cancer for years he fought the good fight as St Paul would say. He ran the Terry Fox Run in Canada for 20+ years after his diagnosis and was the top fund-raiser in the whole province of Ontario!! God bless his soul and that too of the inspirational Leonard Cohen
One can really get drawn into the minutiae. For instance, something you neglected demonstrates that Cohen really inew his craft as he sings of the chordal structure: "It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth The minor falls, the major lifts, ..." It actually begins with the ubiquitous I-vi, but when he sings, "It goes like this," he's going from the tonic (base chord of the key) to the 4th, immediately going to the 5th, then to the vi (the minor chord. He's even politic about chord changes, and is that not cool‽ But that's almost beside the point. I am a composer/songwriter/lyricist, and I understand my craft pretty well. But I often prefer to listen with a non-critical ear, to get the gestalt, the essence of the song, more interested in the spirit than the letter of the song. In that way, I find the song uplifting, transporting. It just feels marvelous -- and in addition, it gets me around the slightly cringe-worthy line, "As for me all I've ever learned from love Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew you." Especially if it's being sung in church as part of a worship service. LC, RIP.
before I listen to your video, I just want to say one thing, this song means something different depending on which side of the hallelujah you are on....the exalted side or the broken side...one side shines with praise, the other resigns in submission....I wonder from which side you will interpret it.
the first verse, where he says "but you dont really care for music, do ya." is a comment about the vapidness of modern culture, the superficiality of pop music, people dont really care for music when they most prefer the most venial and unsophisticated cookie cutter garbage produced for maximum profits. Its not an unfinished story about some actual person he is speaking to, its directly TO the listener, as an indictment (or challenge if you will) of their shallowness and inequity.
btw, Leonard Cohen might have been a bit of a Luciferian atheist, but he could not escape the Spirit in the music, even if he tried to give the wrong spirit too much equal time...Leonard was ultimately utilized by the Lord to impart this exaltation of God's glory. For no matter how secular your intention, the word "hallelujah" is itself a recognition and acknowledgement of the supremacy and glory of God. It may be sung from your soul in exaltation, or it may be drawn in the most feeble manner from your quivering lips in humble resignation...either way, it is your heart and your soul acknowledging that glory for what it is and even if you try to misattribute it, you simply cannot.
I had a really big obsession with this song a few years ago when I was really really depressed, I'd listen to it on loop and just lay in bed. I don't really know why, it just spoke to me a lot in such a dark dark time.
It's kind of an encouraging song, you know?
@@ThePopSongProfessor That it is! Like I said, it really spoke to me in a way that not much else could when I was in that mindset. To me it was kind of something that represented how I felt, "it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah," but still hopeful that something can change. If that makes sense :)
@@taylorbritt499 or at least there is a glory above/beneath it all...
Taylor Britt I hope you’re doing better now!
try lights!
The story of Samson is so much more than the way you tell it. The truth to the Samson story is about being broken, betrayed, failing, and a last ditch redemption. It is powerful. It’s so worth studying.
I’ll take your word for it and read it it starts in the Bible at judges 13 right? (What I found out the internet)
Scubaguy I agree! There are so many layers to both the story of Samson & Delilah and of David as well.
They can call this a secular song, but for those of us who love the Bible, a song like this can cut to the bone and turn right around and leave you rejoicing. If anyone reading this that doesn’t know that feeling, that joy, ask me. It has to do with the Lord Jesus Christ and how you will spend eternity. Once you’ve got that resolved, you’ll be amazed at the depth to your emotions! So. Far. Beyond. It’s Spiritual depth.
@Scubaguy007 Agreed. To me the story of Samson is about God forgiving Samson, and being there 4 Samson in his hour of need. Although he was not supposed 2 say what gave him strength, he did and still God granted his last request. God gave him his power back and thereby allowing him to destroy his enemies. Jehovah forgave his transgression.
Honestly the Bible can be more interesting then people realise...
@@moonlitbandit2612 I felt compelled to tell you I recently learned this song is about King David & Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11, 12; 1 Kings 1) please note I still feel the story of Samson and Delilah is a powerful and compelling story of redemption and Gods forgiveness, but the words of the song were not what I said and I felt a need to correct the error.
I spent the better part of a 13 hour drive home from Texas working out the harmony to this song and singing it over and over again... It's a song I just cannot get tired of listening to and singing along with. Especially the part, "Remember when I moved in you, the holy God was moving too, and every breath we drew was Hallelujah." I may be in my 70s, but I remember those moments, and they still take my breath away.
Rich VeDepo:
My interpretation of this song is exactly same as yours..
To me these are some of the most beautiful lyrics in song"
I interpret this song as a failed marriage,she is full of wanting to win at all costs, and he reminds her of the beauty they had when times were good!
I think you'll find it's actually "The holy dove" not holy god.
It is a beautiful and sad verse. From my perspective the entire verse is heartbreaking. I understand it as a love fading and how amazingly painful and baffling it can be. The line b4 the one u referenced, "Well, there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me, do ya?" Breaks my heart.
Would love to hear this version ur speaking of
Pretty sure the this is about secret affair with Bathsheba (sp?) and from what I have read of Cohen's limited explanation. It is most defiantly written as a sexual Hallelujah. Remember when I moved in you? The Holy dove (not God) was moving too (Kings Dove is a Bathsheba reference), and every breath "WE" drew was Hallelujah. Even "Whats going on below". Of course you can take it as you will as the listener.
"It goes like this, the 4th, the 5th" - In the 1/4/5 chord progression, the 5th chord is the resolve and is often called the "hallelujah" chord.
Interesting, thank you for that insight.
I ask my Christian visitors, "Do you remember your Gospel narrative, that when Christ was supposed to have been on the cross, he cried out with a loud voice:
"ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34).
The above is a translation from the Greek manuscripts "ACCORDING TO ST. MARK." Obviously his Hebrew has a Greek accent. Because, his so-called originals were written in Greek. But listen to Matthew, who is supposed to have written his Gospel originally in Hebrew, which was aimed at the Jews. St. Jerome, an early Christian father of the 4th and 5th centuries after Christ, testifies as follows:
"MATTHEW, WHO IS ALSO LEVI, AND WHO FROM A PUBLICAN CAME TO BE AN APOSTLE, FIRST OF ALL THE EVANGELISTS, COMPOSED A GOSPEL OF CHRIST IN JUDEA IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE AND CHARACTERS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE OF THE CIRCUMCISION WHO HAD BELIEVED."
Naturally, Matthew's accent would be more Semitic (Hebrew and Arabic) than that of Mark. Matthew records the same scene as Mark 15:34, but note the variation of the dialect:
Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46).
Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you.
ALLELUYA!
Now ask your Christian friend, if he had heard the word - "ALLELUYA." No Christian worth the name will fail to recognize it. Whenever the Christian goes into ecstasy, he exclaims - "Alleluya! Alleluya!", just as we Muslims might exclaim the Takbir - "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!" Ask him, what is Alleluya? Take him to the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, Chapter 19; we are informed there that John the disciple of Jesus, saw a vision, in which, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46).
Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you.
ALLELUYA!
Let us repeat the above Tasbih (words of praise) as an Arab or a Jew: ALLE-LU-YA will be YA-ALLE-LU because, as explained above, YA is always at the beginning in both Arabic and Hebrew.
YA ALLE LU would be YA ALLA HU: Meaning, "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise) "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise).
Unbiased Christians will not fail to recognize Allah as none other than his - El, Eli, Alle, Elah, Alah, Allah. Call upon Him by any name, for His are the Most Beautiful names, as long as those names are not contaminated and as long as they do not conjure up in our minds the images of men or monkeys howsoever glorified they might have been
@@hetverzetsnel7148 yes means Praise to Allah
@@hetverzetsnel7148 Good for you.
That has nothing to do with the song.
@Het verzet Snel and what do you want to tell us with that story? That God has many names?
One of the things that I've learned when trying to develop my interpretation of this song is that perception truly is reality. This piece can be about sex, love gone stale, the feelings/sadness that comes with a failed love, the relationship between human faith and God, or the victory's and loses of life in general. Or it can be about all of these or none of these. This piece has given me a new appreciation for the art of poetry/songwriting.
Spot on 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
perception can't be true reality, because so often our perceptions are wrong.
@@sapofish I think you perceive wrong 🤨
I ask my Christian visitors, "Do you remember your Gospel narrative, that when Christ was supposed to have been on the cross, he cried out with a loud voice:
"ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34).
The above is a translation from the Greek manuscripts "ACCORDING TO ST. MARK." Obviously his Hebrew has a Greek accent. Because, his so-called originals were written in Greek. But listen to Matthew, who is supposed to have written his Gospel originally in Hebrew, which was aimed at the Jews. St. Jerome, an early Christian father of the 4th and 5th centuries after Christ, testifies as follows:
"MATTHEW, WHO IS ALSO LEVI, AND WHO FROM A PUBLICAN CAME TO BE AN APOSTLE, FIRST OF ALL THE EVANGELISTS, COMPOSED A GOSPEL OF CHRIST IN JUDEA IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE AND CHARACTERS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE OF THE CIRCUMCISION WHO HAD BELIEVED."
Naturally, Matthew's accent would be more Semitic (Hebrew and Arabic) than that of Mark. Matthew records the same scene as Mark 15:34, but note the variation of the dialect:
Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46).
Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you.
ALLELUYA!
Now ask your Christian friend, if he had heard the word - "ALLELUYA." No Christian worth the name will fail to recognize it. Whenever the Christian goes into ecstasy, he exclaims - "Alleluya! Alleluya!", just as we Muslims might exclaim the Takbir - "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!" Ask him, what is Alleluya? Take him to the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, Chapter 19; we are informed there that John the disciple of Jesus, saw a vision, in which, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46).
Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you.
ALLELUYA!
Let us repeat the above Tasbih (words of praise) as an Arab or a Jew: ALLE-LU-YA will be YA-ALLE-LU because, as explained above, YA is always at the beginning in both Arabic and Hebrew.
YA ALLE LU would be YA ALLA HU: Meaning, "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise) "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise).
Unbiased Christians will not fail to recognize Allah as none other than his - El, Eli, Alle, Elah, Alah, Allah. Call upon Him by any name, for His are the Most Beautiful names, as long as those names are not contaminated and as long as they do not conjure up in our minds the images of men or monkeys howsoever glorified they might have been
He left out the verse that is about sex. Apparently Cohen wrote a lot of things about sex.
Can we agree that this is not a Christmas song although singers cover it on their Christmas albums?
I have never thought this was a christmas song.
It’s also not a religious song.
I’ve heard it in churches and at weddings, and I’m like, HAVE YOU LISTENED TO THE WORDS?
It’s got infidelity, lack of attraction, unhealthy obsession, all over the song. And not one bit of “I love god, he is great”.
If the person finally does come to go’s (and I’m dubious of that), it’s not a happy resolution, it’s a “life is really fucking hard, but this is the resolution”
@@tanyanguyen3704 As far as I can see from your response here, I am (I think) in complete agreement with you. The e-n-t-i-r-e song is written as irony. Definitely NOT approprate in a religious setting. Do these people think that they're hearing shouts of praise when they hear the word "god" as someone howls "god damnit." ??? [Hope this doesn't offend you, but the only way I see to make my point definitively.]
I agree with you completely Monique and Tanya
There is a different version of the song that was written as a Christmas song. Don’t know where this version originated, but it’s definitely a Christmas and religious song. This is a great cover of it:
ruclips.net/video/Bmx--WjeN7o/видео.html
This song always sends chills through me. It's lyrics speak to me differently, each time I hear it. Hallelujah and thank you, Leonard Cohen.
It seems to me the first verse about the 'secret chord that pleased the Lord' refers 1 Samuel 16:23 "And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."
That's what I figured too. Since Saul was wanting to get David's attention and David's music was putting King Saul into better moods, thus not wanting to kill him (David), it was the secret chord since Saul kept calling for David to meet and play for him.
Did you say the " EVIL " spirit from GOD ???
It's a sign of great art that it is open to so many interpretations; to each their own Hallelujah.
Great analysis. I've always regarded "Hallelujah" as a bitter reflection on a failed romantic relationship, which the singer links to key Old Testament scenes. The "you don't really care for music, do ya?" line is particularly poignant because it suggests that the lost lover not only doesn't care for music, but also doesn't care about these spiritual references and is instead more interested in "a flag on the Marble Arch" than in the singer's sensitivity. Pragmatism vs. romanticism, which is a more frequent problem than we suspect. Hence, the failure and the bitterness, and yet the singer will forever sing his Hallelujah. One of the greatest songs ever.
This Hallelujah is going to be listened to for centuries. I would love to see a collection of the 80 verses
LC will be listened to for centuries as well.
Similar to Aloha
For me this song is about acceptance, doing with what has been given to you and living, moving with it. Kind of sad but giving strength at the same time. The music bears the lyrics, giving impulse after the brokeness. It allways makes me emotional, one of my favorite songs ever...
Excellent interpretation! I have been severely depressed for years & it’s just one song that helps me. #IfYouOnlyKnew by #AlexanderStewart &#Iamnotokay by #Jellyroll are just 2 others. There are many more & #Nightbirde singing #ImOk 💔❤️🩹😢 Hope youre doing much better. ❤️🩹
My take/interpretation is: no matter the situation, rock bottom, we call to the lord for strength. We call to God to uplift us. To help us through. Hallelujah. When we have accomplished a milestone, we praise and share our triumph with the lord. Hallelujah.
I ask my Christian visitors, "Do you remember your Gospel narrative, that when Christ was supposed to have been on the cross, he cried out with a loud voice:
"ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34).
The above is a translation from the Greek manuscripts "ACCORDING TO ST. MARK." Obviously his Hebrew has a Greek accent. Because, his so-called originals were written in Greek. But listen to Matthew, who is supposed to have written his Gospel originally in Hebrew, which was aimed at the Jews. St. Jerome, an early Christian father of the 4th and 5th centuries after Christ, testifies as follows:
"MATTHEW, WHO IS ALSO LEVI, AND WHO FROM A PUBLICAN CAME TO BE AN APOSTLE, FIRST OF ALL THE EVANGELISTS, COMPOSED A GOSPEL OF CHRIST IN JUDEA IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE AND CHARACTERS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE OF THE CIRCUMCISION WHO HAD BELIEVED."
Naturally, Matthew's accent would be more Semitic (Hebrew and Arabic) than that of Mark. Matthew records the same scene as Mark 15:34, but note the variation of the dialect:
Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46).
Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you.
ALLELUYA!
Now ask your Christian friend, if he had heard the word - "ALLELUYA." No Christian worth the name will fail to recognize it. Whenever the Christian goes into ecstasy, he exclaims - "Alleluya! Alleluya!", just as we Muslims might exclaim the Takbir - "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!" Ask him, what is Alleluya? Take him to the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, Chapter 19; we are informed there that John the disciple of Jesus, saw a vision, in which, why hast thou forsaken me'? (Matthew 27:46).
Please memorize the words - "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." (Eli - pronounced like L and I in English) Utter the words - ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI; ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI, to your Christian friends and neighbors and ask them whether these words - "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Jehovah, Jehovah!" to them? No! is the answer if they are not deaf. Ask further, whether "Eli, Eli," sounds like "Abba, Abba!" (meaning father, father! in Hebrew) to them! Again the reply will be "No!" if they are not deaf. Can't they see that the cry is to Allah? "Eli, Eli - Elah, Elah, Allah, Allah!" Let them hear these words from your lips and watch their reactions. No honest person can help agreeing with you.
ALLELUYA!
Let us repeat the above Tasbih (words of praise) as an Arab or a Jew: ALLE-LU-YA will be YA-ALLE-LU because, as explained above, YA is always at the beginning in both Arabic and Hebrew.
YA ALLE LU would be YA ALLA HU: Meaning, "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise) "OH ALLAH!" (You are the Only Being Who deserves worship and Praise).
Unbiased Christians will not fail to recognize Allah as none other than his - El, Eli, Alle, Elah, Alah, Allah. Call upon Him by any name, for His are the Most Beautiful names, as long as those names are not contaminated and as long as they do not conjure up in our minds the images of men or monkeys howsoever glorified they might have been
Our need and desire to offer praise arises from our suffering, from the sheer, beautiful, and terrible paradoxes of existence.
Omg. That's a profound statement.
Most songs of Leonard are exactly about what you want and you need them to be in a specific time in your life! That's the magic this extraordinary poet and soul that Leonard was, created with his art! They are about life, love, longing, desperation, despair and hope! They touch your heart and your soul! They are friends when you're happy and they are fiends when you're sad!
Nicely done. Just a note about that first line:
“I’ve heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord”... I don’t think the emphasis is on secret here but on the fact that David’s music was known to please God. King David wrote most of the book of Psalms in the Bible, which were songs of the time, and there is also a story about King Saul being oppressed by an “evil spirit” but when David played his harp King Saul was soothed and comforted.
This lines up with the next line “but you don’t really care for music do ya?” Where we might assume the person he is speaking of can’t be soothed or appeased by love songs...
Wow.. a really good explanation..
I think you explained it well but the secret there too is important as the chords that David played to soothed Saul was an unknown chords. No one was able to guessed the chords
It is referring to the chord progression which most songs that please the ear are built. Tonic major, sub dominant major, dominant major, minor submediant. This is stated in the proceeding line "and it goes like this, the 4th the 5th, the minor fall and the major lift, the baffled king composing hallelujah." To further explain this, if you're in C maj scale. The ideal chord progression would be C major (Tonic), F major (Sub-Dominant), G major (Dominant), A minor (Sub-mediant), then goes back to a major chord. It's actually a bit technical.
@@ronchapter6730 i wonder if Fil of wings of pegasus would agree with your statement. Yes there are cords that are pleasing to the ear. Thank you
This song is all over the place. There's not enough of any verse to figure out. I'm not sure anyone one gets it. You can turn it into anything you want
The genius of this song is that it has a million meanings, but generally speaking this song to me is a celebration of your own spirit. No matter how bad it gets, there is always a reason to declare Hallelujah.
Yes and I think it is also someone questioning their faith. I don’t like this guy in the video flippant attitude about this song. I know some don’t take music seriously but to some of us music is spiritual and holds deep meaning. It came up in my feed. Needless to say I will not be subscribing. So tired of surface skimming little hipster.
Yes, yes!!!
Hmmmm. it took almost three-minutes to get to the point but when the Professor finally did, his first set of explanations was spot on. David, Bathsheba and Sampson. Well done.
I’ve always interpreted this song as, Hallelujah is as human as is pain. Somewhere deep inside we are all cold and broken.
I completely agree.
we're cold and broken and we can't stop outpouring love and seeking out hallelujahs even when they hurt us.
Hallelujah it's Hebrew word that mean "to praise God", the word split to two parts. Hallelu (הללו) , mean "to praise", and "jah" (יה) , the hebraw short to the name of god.
Oh God oh God oh God, oh yes! It's about sex!
yeah he doesnt really mention that in the video which is KIND OF a huge part of this song saying finding your hallelujah meaning praising God even in each kind of circumstance.
@@FilippoBombonato halleluyah means praise YAH how do you get praise je?
Almost the same in Arabic, Hallelu it’s the imperativ conjugation of praise.
@@ImmortalCyrus Yes, Arabic and Hebrew are closely related. They are both from the Semitic language family.
I never get tired of hearing this song. It stirs the deepest part of me. It is both musically and lyrically a fabulous gift to those who feel it.
every single line in this song had always spoken to me. As a history lover who was raised in the church. the references are out of control! this man is a genius!
Hallelujah someone finally explained this song
you mean; once again someone spoke at length regarding their own opinions and interpretations of the song....hallelujah make it stop.
69th like
No, not really, he did a really bad job
This is the worst analysis of the song I’ve seen tbh, most of the video is him just reading the lyrics.
Nice pun buddy
Most people who sing this song take out my favorite verse. "You say I took the name in vain, I don't even know the name, but really? If I did, then whats it to you? There is a blaze of light in every word, it doesn't matter which you heard to holy or the broken Hallelujah."
yeah i love that verse
That's the verse that makes it so clear that "Hallelujah" is a placeholder for what we feel and want to express in the most impactful moments in our life. It's not necessarily "Praise be to God" or "I'm grateful." You can say "Hallelujah" sarcastically. You can become obsessed with someone and they can draw "Hallelujah" from your lips as if they were your god, but that doesn't mean the relationship is pure or healthy. Hallelujah can be said with an inflection that makes you seem cold and broken, angry, bitter, joyful, grateful, or in reverence of some beauty you have found. Some might say that's saying the word in vain, but it seems appropriate to me.
Yes! Also "I did my best, it wasn't much / I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch / I 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!'". I'm suprised the guy in the video is unclear about the "Lord of Song" - clearly God, the Lord of all.
@@rthompsn2007 I would stop at whatever Muse inspires song.
All you sinners stand up, sing Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
Show praise with your body
Stand up, sing Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
And if you can't stop shaking, lean back
Let it move right through ya (Hallelujah)
Say your prayers
Say your prayers
Say your prayers (Hallelujah)
yES!
Arktic Lizard GOT CAUGHT UNDER THE COVERS WITH SECOND HAND LOVERS...
Arktic Lizard IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY WHO WAS I TRYING TO BE
Arktic Lizard AND BEING BLUE IS BETTER THAN BEING OVER IT
That is what I thought he was gonna talk abt
This song has always brought me peace even though some of the lyrics baffled me. You have explained what I couldn't connect to and now I love it even more. Thank you
I think of the secret chord as being discovered when young David played his harp, alone in the fields, tending his sheep. And the cold and broken hallelujah as the essence of being human -- the unbearable lightness of being. It could be a story told in succession and all about David (from 3rd person to 1st), or it could be different tales strung together perfectly (as the Pop Song Professor explains here). Whatever the interpretation, it's a haunting song with beautiful imagery and one that capitalizes on Cohen's talent as a musician, poet, and storyteller.
Hallelujah is basically a prayer. I believe that everyone has a slightly different perspective on the word's to this song and as you get older and wiser these perspectives grow and change. When I listened to it at the age of 62 it brought me to my knees whereas before I didn't quite understand it as well. It will probably change again! Good song. Jeff Buckley does a beautiful job with this song . Check him out.
We lost our son. And no one came to say goodbye. Hallelujah.
Years went by. Hallelujah
Why don't you adopt , hallelujah.
With tears in our eyes.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah..
Youth went by. And years rolled on
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah
Hallelujah hallelujah
I feel you... hallelujah.
Wow this is a subject so dear to me that it’s hard to express. Cohen touched my heart of hearts in 1972 when I first heard him. It was at the end of a movie at the CSU campus the projectionist decided to played “ last Year’s Man”. I’ve been hooked on Leonard Cohen ever since. He has a wake-up call saying there is more to life than you think. If you are open He can transcend you into naked honesty.
Thanks. This Jewish person now fully understands why our praise to G_d was used in that manner. This song is absolutely about humanity and our walk through life
It's powerful to know the Bible, if you don't know the strong personalities of the Bible, and their struggles and victories, you are missing out on the most powerful writings of hebrew and western litterature.
David and Samson is key to this song, David in particular is key if you want to understand this lyrics. He wrote beautiful psalms, played harp (composed halleluja, as he was gifted by God with musical talent. Played for Saul, to sooth his nerves, the king he later replaced, ) , went through ups and downs, went from shepperd to battle king, God calling him a man after his heart( despite his big mistakes with lust after Batseba "bathing on the roof" and causing the death of her husbond( Why was Saul condemned by God, and David favored?). The story of David when confronted by the prophet is heart breaking, but the key was that he had the heart to admit his mistakes and repent( a quality not held in high regard these days...)
Samson and Delilah is another reference. " she broke your throne, and cut your hair". Samson as invincible strongman is known by most, slaying a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, but his weakness of women caused him to loose his manlyhood to Delilah. But God gave him the strenght to claim venegance one laste time over his enemies, after being stripped of all dignity and losing his eyes, displayed as a beast before his enemies, God gave him the strenght to push down a building, to go out in a "blaze of glory".
@@runejakobsen7046 its not about god
@@James.E90 It's from the Bible...no matter what you believe
@Nadya Nayoan What you do internally is not my business...My point was not to do a complete teological survey, it was just to point out that it's important to have some knowledge of the Bible to understand references in western culture and writing.
Most people can relate to what "Davids fight against Goliath" means, but if you don't know the basic story, it makes no sense....Choen never described him self as a very religious person, but he draws inspiration from his jewish cultural background.
Another example is "If it be your will". It has the form of a prayer, at the same time it's obviously a man that is angry with God. My PERSONAL opinion is that it has likness with som psalms, where a man is in despair and think God is unfair.
By the way, Biblical allusions are not rare, some examples:
Novels with Biblical Allusions
Hamlet by William Shakespeare, 1602. ...
Oliver Twist or The Parish Boys Progress by Charles Dickens, 1839 - ...
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1866 - ...
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, ...
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, 1950. ...
Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 1954 -
@@James.E90 In some aspects it is.
Thank you!! I've heard so many people say what it's NOT about...which finally led me here...I am pleased to know I'm not wrong for the way this song relates to my life..& that's how I choose to take it... to me it makes sense...every single detail...FITS PERFECTLY
We resently lost a cat to tomors, he was a rescue. I used to sing to him, his favourite song was Fola Fola Blakken (a norwegian nusary song about an old horse who after a long day of work gets to rest in his stables) and halleluja. I used the same lyrics as the ones in this video. He got so relaxed and often started to purr when I sang these song to him.
I struggled through the song as we beried him, singing for him one last time 😭
I'm so sorry for your loss
@@paudib8982 thank you, I find some comfort in knowing he had it so good after we adopted him, even if only just under 4 of his almost 11 years was spent with us 😭
He will never be forgotten as long as I live and he will always be rememberd with love 💖
(Had to have a pink hart as he loved pink things).
Awww thats beautiful
you kind of left out the biggest part of explaining it, being hallelujah means praise God and this song is saying even in these circumstances no matter what ill still say “hallelujah”
Leonard was Jewish, as am I. We say Everything is G-d.
@@stephaniereif7790 So "praise God in everything", whether it brings one joy or anguish or anything in between. Reminds me of some of the Psalms. I think it's good to remember the words were informed by a different heritage and maybe a deeper understanding. If I remember correctly, Cohen spent quite a while in a monastery when he had deep depression.
@@christinekaye6393 we always praise G-d, in the morning we thank G-d for returning our soul to our bodies, and continue until we proclaim G-d is One at bedtime. I thank G-d when Im in pain probably more than when I’m well. Whether or not Cohen lived in a monastery, he was raised in a deeply spiritual faith. It seems natural that he would use torah references in song.
@@stephaniereif7790 Cohen may have been born Jewish but he did not practice the Jewish religion. He spent a number of his later years in a Buddist monastery.
@@almaburns6562 I know. Many Jews are secular, not religious. Majority of American Jews do a minimum of jewsh religious practice. Many secular Jews are Buddhist. But they still are ethnically, culturally and DNA wise Judaens. I dont expect you to understand.and thats ok.
There’s a blaze of light in every word it doesn’t matter which you heard the holy or the broken hallelujah. Light emphasizes darkness and vice versa. Whole vs broken.
It is a tribute to love and to the end of a passionate relationship. Love is God, God is life. Life is Love. Love is God.
It is recognizing a finality , but still celebrating the heights, intimacies, passion, and then sadness.
Finally, in the end, admitting, that it was worth it all.
God is change.
Just got this song in my spirit. May God please restore my love relationship with you and my man Austin.
Love the way you interpreted this, and completely agree our hallelujahs can mean and come for many different things/circumstances in our life, not all being perfect. I am preparing for a significant surgery in a little over a month, for which I have waited almost two years to undergo. I practicing deep relaxation and positive imagery to achieve calm and release tension and promote healing before, during, and after surgery.
As I listened to your suggested interpretations, it clicked with me how apropos my hallelujahs are/will be as I’m calmly laying on the operating table ready for surgery, just as the anesthesiologist first administers the medications, and first thought after surgery when I regain awareness and have successfully come through the surgery❣️ Thank you!
**clicks link in description**
Me: sO ready to suffer.
Oh boy...
@@ThePopSongProfessor I regret everything.
Get a life
@@TL8311-j6x mamas this comment is two years old....
@@blingo854 hey I wanna know is this song is a christian song or a good song ? Answer pls
im not an native english speaker but man your pronunciation its so good i can understand pretty much everything from you
It's a Jewish song. Leonard Cohen grew up religious. You can't really understand the verses outside of that context. It's a lot about god, at least with his most popular verses. It's about losing your faith in god without losing the belief. "it's a cold and broken hallelujah" is referring to him trying to praise god when god has failed him.
It's actually not really about God and the your faith in him, but more about the human side of it, relationships and descovering you own meaning of hallelujha. It means that life can be cold and broken but at the end of the day we can still go on about our life no matter the circumstances because you enjoy it
That's what I think at least, but the again everyone has their own interpretation of it.
About God failing the man? Or more likely about men failing God?
This song is messed up when we are longing at the context. If we are talking about religion, this is right there with blasphemy.
Try listening to treaty, also by Cohen
It’s literally a song about sex
Wild Mountain Gwendy I TOTALLY AGREE!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
I get this song--at some time, whether broken or full, you will find the Hallelujah. I was broken. And I try to kept to Hallelujah. I liked to explain. When you do have your Hallelujah moment, you will have questions, but you won't be confused. Amen.
I loved your explanation of Hallelujah! Thank you for that! I will never hear the song in the same way again! Leonard was a TRUE POET!!!! We all have different Life experiences but your take on it makes so much sense! Lynn Eyland, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Love that you also went into the lesser known/used verse of Hallelujah. I wish KD put that in her covers - as it is such a great verse
I can’t get enough of this song! It’s the song that you feel you can scream from the mountaintops. This explanation is great and sometime I would like to hear the explanations of the other verses he writes. I do know a couple of them and they are all beautiful.
I fell like universe is playing with me. I'm kinda depressed and im looking for a new thing to do because i destroyed my knee and can't play basketball anymore so i was like ,,lets learn guitar". I didn't know what to play and evryone was trying to show me some easy things to play or what they started with but i just knew i want to play hallelujah without any reason (last time i heard it was a few years back watching shrek so i didn't even knew about what this song is). And when i see that it is about finding hallelujah that's for you i just dont know what to say.
Avara, I hope more doors have opened for you and that your guitar playing is blossoming!
So very true. I have loved Leonard Cohen from the start...I love the way his words bend, turn, take another cogent path that all meets at the end. It makes each time I listen an adventure through my own mental garden.
I only know this song from shrek
And the one by Panic! At the Disco
Nico And The Yeemo That’s a completely different song 😂
@@clifftonl-vuitton2770 I know.
F
I hadn't yet seen "Shrek" at the time, but the son of a friend of my friend in Poland played that part of the movie for me because he wanted me to learn the song (I played and sang a lot when I visited my friends in Poland). So I figured out the chords and played it for them that evening. It started to grow on me and I listened to a bunch of covers
and decided I like the Rufus Wainwright version best. I still like playing it.
The word Halleljulah is Hebrew for"Praise ye the Lord".
Keep trying, Derlin.
No it isn't. Lord in strongs concordance is baal as in lucifer.
It mean praise be to Yah.
YAH AS IN YAHUAH. In hebrew YAHUAH is I am. His only begotten son's name is Yahusha. As in Yah is salvation. Sha is salvation.
I cant sing this without crying
Does anyone have all rumored 80 lyrics to this song, or is my dream of listening to an hour long version of this song futile?
That's what I want too!
Did you ever find them? Person from the past
@@gregarmstrong6077 www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10876 I think this thread puts it best. For the most part, only 7 verses are publicly known. It's only a rumor that there were more verses written. Whether true or not, we may never know, but I hope someday we find some secret diary or something that Leonard wrote containing more verses to the song.
@@timothybrowning3542 Hey cheers, that's awesome. Yeah I often heard that too and wondered where all those verses were.
I've always thought of "Hallelujah" in the song as an expression of love, whether it be towards God, towards a lover or anything else in life. That even if it gets hard, gets rough, nothing feels alright anymore, that it's not the "victory march" they expected it to be but the persona in the song still exclaims "Hallelujah!" over and over again as an affirmation of their love even if it might come out as "cold and broken".
Amen, you nailed it!
It’s about LIFE, man. All of it, the good, the bad, and every nuance in between. Rejoice in the living of it. Hallelujah!
But why do I cry every time I listen to it?
probably because you are not a narcissist. you have a heart & soul.
But, David wasn't the guy who's got the hair cut, was Samson. So kinda confusing in there.
@@fernandozamora2553 it's a compilation of many major and minor falls and redemption. I think it's fascinating that it made me think about the major and minor prophet's......
A real "Hallelujah" will come when you are way down at the bottom of the pit of your life and God comes to save you.
HALLELUJAH~
lol
@@bethomansky7139 lol
Amen🙏 He saved me from hell and sin. He gave me the power to overcome lust and anxiety. Hallelujah, praise Ye the Lord. God bless you♥️
Thank you. This was very, very helpful. I listen to various versions of Hallelujah frequently. It is powerful for me. I meditate while listening. As you say, it can be mournful or joyful. Hallelujah!
I always figured it was about the end of a relationship (death, break up, etc) where the person was thankful despite what pain they're in that having that other part of them there (in the relationship, now absent) was the best thing for them, and they praise/thank God for all of it.
Don't know how you can explain it without mentioning sex. The entire second verse is about sex. David sees a naked Bathsheba and has to have her; Delilah cut Samson's hair, but still she got him to say hallelujah. How? Sex. I'm not religious, neither am I particularly sexual, but this is so damn obvious to me.
Especially because Cohen is know for writing about sex in many of his songs
I'm with you - that's clearly about an orgasm. Lol.
There is one deeply spiritual/sexual verse (included in Jeff Buckley's cover, omitted in many), including the line "remember when I moved in you, and the holy dove was moving too / and every breath we drew was Hallelujah".
Thank you!
He uses religious imagery because he's basically describing sex as a religious experience. Also, Hallelujah means "Praise the lord" also known as "OH GOD YES!!!!" The 'hallelujah' she drew from his lips was an orgasm.
Since it references King David's sin with Bathsheba (read the whole story in the Bible) yet God calls him a man after His own heart, shows us that God is a forgiving God and he deserves all our Hallelujahs as broken as they are!
One of the BEST songs ever written, and the one who sings it better than anyone is k.d. lang. Awesome!
I sooo enjoy her version !! but Jeff Buckleys version rips my heart out
Oh yes, she’s my idol.
Regina spectre
I like Pentatonix's version.
You said it very well.Life is about ups and downs, yet you can find that hallelujah moment. Very moving and spiritual
I went to visit Leonard Cohen's tomb while listening to the song. Was absolutely moved and connected to the universe. Pray for him.
I don’t pray & the song means different things to each of us. Its an incredibly powerful song but he wrote it secularly.
I always hoped to see him in concert. He had incredible talent ❤
Man you are incredibly impressive. I'm totally loving how you got everything out of this song
Best explanation of this song I have heard. And in this time of quarantine and despair, we all have to find our hallelujah.
Oh my gosh, you need a better explanation. This guy did a crap job
Terrible job. He's out of his depth.
@@georgeetoile6686 How so?
@@georgeetoile6686 I couldn't agree more. He has no idea what this song is really about.
Just one little thing, Prof...
You say (at 2:40) that 'It's more like a snapshot of different pictures of life. And you just have to take the pictures for what they are'. But I think 'snapshot' and 'picture' are the wrong metaphors (or similes?). Cohen ALWAYS wrote about emotions - deep, powerful, often painful, emotions. It's not what we 'see' in his songs (and poems and novels). It's about how we FEEL when we listen to or read them.
There's a connection that goes FAR deeper than the words themselves. Usually you don't even need to know or understand the context of what he's writing to experience the EMOTION he's expressing.
Excuse me, but you have missed the point.
Mr. Cohen describes the attraction and seduction of a new relationship, and its ecstatic fulfilment -- "hallelujah" being orgasmic release. Then, like so many of his, and our, relationships, "it all went wrong". He claims he never meant any harm, but the whole song is an expression of his guilt and anguish.
What makes the song so powerful to some of us is our own anguish at lost love; again.
"Finding your hallelujah", indeed...
I was pretty close to what he says it’s about but deep down I was always afraid that I was way off the mark and I was just a hopeless music nerd who didn’t understand one of the most well known, beautifully written songs of all time. Whew! I’m not hopeless after all.
Well done Sir! LOVE this song! It always makes me cry.
It makes me think about Nietzsche. And Jesus. When I belatedly learned it was written by Leonard Cohen, my first thought was, "Well, of course it was."
Thank you for this. This makes me love the song even more.
You want to hear my thoughts? I think the old man with Parkinson’s who lives down the street from me shakes less than you do when you talk, and my 6 month old German Shepherd puppy has a better grasp of what this song means than you do. I needed both a Dramamine for motion sickness and an aspirin for the migraine your torturous interpretation of the lyrics induced.
This is a song about love being a double edged sword. The first verse frames the context of “Hallelujah”, explaining that it is a sacred praise, that even when not understood, is received with approval.
The “2nd” verse shows men broken and destroyed by their love, but yet they gave praise for that love, though it brought about their downfall.
In the “Baby I’ve been here before”, verse, he tells her that love is no cause for celebration, because it always ends in tears.
Each verse reinforces these two themes, that “Hallelujah” is the highest form of praise a soul can express, and that love is a virtual suicide pact.
The final verse, the “lord of song” verse, tells the tale he’s built up to: he did all he could to save their relationship, but it has come to the inevitable painful conclusion, but even still, when he stands before his creator, he will have nothing but to say but “Hallelujah”, because, to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, he will not cry because it’s over, but be filled with joy that it happened in the first place.
Read the book. The Holy or The Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah”
By Alan Light.
It gives a lot of insight into several of the additional verses that Cohen wrote. Light also explains how long & why it took Cohen so long to complete.
Buckley’s version is his interpretation on John Cale’s version (he of The Velvet Underground with Lou Reed). Cale’s version is the one everyone is familiar with from The movie Shrek.
HOWEVER, on the commercial release of the Shrek Soundtrack, the version used is by Rufus Wainright. Buckley is generally credited with the exploding popularity of the song.
Oh, and by the way, according to Light, Cohen gave the most basic Explanation of Hallelujah. Essentially he used it as a euphemism for Orgasm. Which is why I, and several other commenters here are at the very least a little uncomfortable that this song is ever sung in church, or considered to be a religious or spiritual song.
Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. But the book is great.
I don't know much about religions and that is why I take it as a great musical composition only !
It sounds to me with the words like was written as mockery on life !
I am sorry !
Irespective what Haleluyah means in original , for me is meaning
"put the end
on it "
Say Hallelujah to it means
" gone " !
Which means the life is windmill !
We say Haleluyah when somebody has gone to nowhere ( to The End ) !
And we are prising the man who has lived with us !
He/She deserves to be prised and remembered ! Buried with dignity because our turn is coming next !
It is called socialisation !
Even the animals know what is
"the end" and they are sad !
I know that religions are invented to make life easier !
Not to wonder to much !
That is why the Lord "is" up above us , to omit the reality of the fact that we are Perpetual !
Replacing old ones with newborn !
To many questions are coming after this , my comment !
But I like how I am risen free of religious doctrines !
To whom I must give glorification about my life !
To Jesus who was send to show us how we lived and disappear without a trace lik we all !
From dust we came and we are returning ti dust !
But you will say " what about our spirit !
Oh my dear it is going to nowhere too !
Thank you for reading this !
Don't mean to be too melodramatic, but your explanation just gave me inspiration to find my Hallelujah. Not religious, but put my secular faith in finding good. Thank you!
Who's here after Yolanda Adams sang this at the inauguration?!?! 😭❤
A blaze of light in every word, it doesn't matter which you heard
“But all I ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you” in the Jeff Buckley version kills me every time.
Leonard Cohen also said this about Hallelujah…you can hear the direct quote from his mouth if you search it.
“I know that there is an eye that watches all of us. There is a judgment that weighs everything we do. And before this great force which is greater than any government, I stand in awe and I kneel in respect. And it is to this great judgment, that I dedicate this next song: "Hallelujah". Praise God.
Even tho I've always known that Cohen wrote it as well as loving hearing him song it himself, I've always loved Buckley's version the best. That's not to say that others haven't done just as good a job of it, I just love the tone of his voice and the somberness of it. I do want to thank u for explaining it this way tho! I pretty much always understood the biblical references in it but the other parts I just interpreted in my own way, which lol apparently is what we all have been doing!!! LoL thank you again for this video, ur a cool dude n imma subscribe to ya so I don't miss any other explanations of anymore of my fav songs! Hallelujah is definitely in my top ten. 💜✌️🇺🇲
I love the song, and especially the numerous ways people interpret it. Good take.
I have just recently started to like the song due to the Pentatonix version, but I really do connect with the lines about love. Not because I have been in love personally, but because I am looking for love and trying to find it.
Finally I found someone who is talking about Pentatonix in the comments lol
Maybe you should listen to this song instead. d;^}
ruclips.net/video/QoobOMbmr9Y/видео.html
The Pentatonix one is awesome too
The most powerful performance of "Hallelujah" is by the Vocal Majority, a 125 man barbershop chorus. Outstanding!
The Pentatonix version is saccharine compared to Leonard Cohen's.
To me it's not a song about religion at all. It has religious references, but it's really about a relationship. First, you believe in love, but you've never experienced it. Then you meet someone that you fall madly in love with and she completely takes your strength away. Then it turns into some type of power play, the passion is gone. Then you break up and you realize that relationship is not all Halleluiah. The passion is gone, but love remains and needs work. Finally, as treacherous as it was, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
shout out from manila, philippines! thank you. i could never explain why i liked this song. now i can.
Every time you say Hallelujah, whether you mean to or not you are Halle'ing / Praising the Creator, JAH; which is why you have such a strong reaction to it. Your spirit, the very essence of who and what you are, came from Him and longs for a Relationship with Him. So, sing Hallelujah to your Abba, The Creator of the ends of the earth! It will cause your spirit to rise to meet Abba Yahweh. Shalom.
My mom is obsessed with this song....... lol
I am obsessed with this song......... lol
@@michellesanchez6674 me too
The PTX's version really resonates with me. I am not even Christian, but I'm cold and broken...
I love that song.
For me, it's "Hallelujah" ... I found her ... the LOVE of my life ... my wife ! ... Hallelujah .. for the day I met her on the dance floor as she was looking for a partner and I arrived unexpected ! ... It was a total surprise for both of us because we didn't saw each other before in the dancing hall. We fell in love at first ... sight, first touch, first scent ( close to each other while dancing ) !!! ... Marvelous ! .. HALLELUJAH !!! ....
when you are knocked down, stomped on, and beaten... and can still raise your head and smile... then this song makes perfect sense
Thank you! I just started playing & singing this on my Ukulele and LOVE it, both because it's beautiful, and so deeply meaningful.
/i bet it's lovely. Have you recorded it?
God is near the broken hearted and saves those crushed in spirit (Psalms 34:18)
Honestly the first time I heard it for real i thought it was mocking religion, he used the story of David to highlight that he wasn't a perfect man and then used the chorus, a religious word, against him, because he's saying hallelujah for the lady, not for God
do you still think he is mocking religion? i definitely think he meant hallelujah ironically in some way. and it makes me a little uncomfortable to hear religious people singing it like its an actual gospel and totally just taking it at face value.
oh yeah, and i get what you're saying about him saying hallelujah for the lady after she kinda emasculates him by sitting him down and cutting his hair off. seems sexual.
I feel like many of the verses are fucked up or gross so I see it as very ironic. Which is why I always find it slightly disturbing that people always view it as just a straightforward praise for god. There’s even a verse that sounds really sexual so I don’t understand why people play versions with that verse in it t things like funerals lmao. However I admit I’m not religious.
What about "All I ever learned from love was how to shoot someone who outdrew ya"? What has shooting got to do with a love lesson? And how do you shoot someone who is faster on the draw? What kind of love is that? Seems that it's more about guile
To me this line is about breaking up with someone before they can break up with you, because you want it to seem like you had the idea first.
I've looked into the story of this song by Leonard Cohen, and I know that he didn't write it as a worship song. However, when I see people reviewing it, they are always touched and sometimes overwhelmed by the spiritual effect it has on them, and here's my thoughts on why this is. The word "Hallelujah" means "God Be Praised", and when you sing this song, you are unknowingly entering into a state of worship to God, and He shows up in the form of the Holy Spirit. It is being under the anointing of the Holy Spirit that convicts hearts, hence the emotion that people feel. They are actually experiencing a "God Moment"; they just don't know it. I experience the same thing at Church during praise and worship.
I would like your comment better if you had used “I” in place of “you,” as in “When I sing this song, I feel like I’m entering into a state of worship to God.” Great, I’m happy for you. But when you say that we’re all experiencing what you experience, only some of us just don’t know it, it feels like you’re kind of taking possession of other people’s experience of the song. And as a pretty anti-religious person, I kind of bristle at that. (Having said that, I’m sure you weren’t trying to offend anyone, and I wish you well. Just thought I’d share my reaction to your words.)
I don't know why people tried to make such a mess about this song. Keep it simple, please. This song was written from the perspective of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite. A broken lover, betrayed soldier, lonely man going back to war knowing his fate. Now read or listen again. Everything will make sense to you including the sexy imagery some words create. "drew Hallelujah", "move in you," "Holy dark," etc. It is Uriah who is singing to you.
*me after watching the video in the description*
It's a cold and it's a broken
Hallelujah
But fr Leonard Cohen is a genius. He did the emo secular Christian thing (ala The Almost or tøp or any of the cliche christian hardcore bands) before it was even a thing. I love the defiant and countercultural meaning in that song.
Like, life isnt what you think it is, and this song isnt what you think its gonna be, and I'm not who you think I am, but we can still sing hallelujah.
Thanks for the explanation. I spent a large chunk of Thanksgiving day memorizing the words to Hallelijah (also had to spend time learning to spell hallelujah - as u can tell I'm a bit slow on the uptake) . I was using the Bon Jovi version. I appreciate ur explanation of the song. Especially the part about the different verses. I was very confused when I listened to another artist and one of the verses was different. At that point I gave up and ate some turkey and watched football.
It's always folly to try and explain meanings of songs by Dylan, Cohen etc. Make it your own.
We heard it at our friend's funeral. Even though he suffered with cancer for years he fought the good fight as St Paul would say. He ran the Terry Fox Run in Canada for 20+ years after his diagnosis and was the top fund-raiser in the whole province of Ontario!! God bless his soul and that too of the inspirational Leonard Cohen
@@stevemarcy8580 God bless you and yours brother 👍🏽✌🏽
One can really get drawn into the minutiae. For instance, something you neglected demonstrates that Cohen really inew his craft as he sings of the chordal structure: "It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor falls, the major lifts, ..." It actually begins with the ubiquitous I-vi, but when he sings, "It goes like this," he's going from the tonic (base chord of the key) to the 4th, immediately going to the 5th, then to the vi (the minor chord. He's even politic about chord changes, and is that not cool‽
But that's almost beside the point. I am a composer/songwriter/lyricist, and I understand my craft pretty well. But I often prefer to listen with a non-critical ear, to get the gestalt, the essence of the song, more interested in the spirit than the letter of the song. In that way, I find the song uplifting, transporting. It just feels marvelous -- and in addition, it gets me around the slightly cringe-worthy line, "As for me all I've ever learned from love Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew you." Especially if it's being sung in church as part of a worship service.
LC, RIP.
The song is my dad favorite and parts of the song makes me cry.
It having 80 verses is such a cool thing to find out! So it's basically over 240-320 songs just with verse combinations alone!
OK.. before I watch this, let me guess. It alludes to the story of Samson and Delilah. Am I correct? I'll know in a few minutes... 😁
before I listen to your video, I just want to say one thing, this song means something different depending on which side of the hallelujah you are on....the exalted side or the broken side...one side shines with praise, the other resigns in submission....I wonder from which side you will interpret it.
the first verse, where he says "but you dont really care for music, do ya." is a comment about the vapidness of modern culture, the superficiality of pop music, people dont really care for music when they most prefer the most venial and unsophisticated cookie cutter garbage produced for maximum profits. Its not an unfinished story about some actual person he is speaking to, its directly TO the listener, as an indictment (or challenge if you will) of their shallowness and inequity.
btw, Leonard Cohen might have been a bit of a Luciferian atheist, but he could not escape the Spirit in the music, even if he tried to give the wrong spirit too much equal time...Leonard was ultimately utilized by the Lord to impart this exaltation of God's glory. For no matter how secular your intention, the word "hallelujah" is itself a recognition and acknowledgement of the supremacy and glory of God. It may be sung from your soul in exaltation, or it may be drawn in the most feeble manner from your quivering lips in humble resignation...either way, it is your heart and your soul acknowledging that glory for what it is and even if you try to misattribute it, you simply cannot.