Lyrics
I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
the minor fall, the major lift
the baffled king composing Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain but
I don't even know the name
but if I did, well, really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
the holy or the broken Hallelujah
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my poor lips but Hallelujah
Baby, I've been here before.
I know this room; I've walked this floor.
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch,
but love is not a victory march,
it's a cold and broken Hallelujah.
There was a time you let me know
what's really going on below,
but now you never show it to me, do you?
I remember when I moved in you,
and the holy dove (dark) was moving too,
and every breath we drew was Hallelujah.
Now maybe there's a God above,
but all I ever learned from love
is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
And it's no complaint you hear tonight
(Alternative: It’s not a cry you can hear at night)
and it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.
Commentary
This song has been haunting me for the better part of a year. It has appeared in such diverse places as The West Wing (the scene in last year’s season finale where CJ’s Secret Service agent is murdered in a NY convenience store) and in Shrek (when Shrek is separated from his true love). It appears on a couple of Leonard Cohen albums, has been covered by Jeff Buckley, John Cale, and Rufus Wainwright and is tremendously powerful, sweet, and moving.
I have come very late to the words and music of Leonard Cohen. In fact, this is the song that led me to him. So yes, I am a complete ignoramus indeed compared to those of you familiar with him. The lyrics alone are breathtaking to me.
I encourage you to listen to any version of this song, as they are all moving and all good. Wainwright’s is probably the easiest to find, but Cohen’s, Buckley’s and Cale’s are treasures. Enjoy.
