Maybe I'm too stupid but can anyone tell me what the hell the song is about?
I love it but I can't seem to find any sense in the lyrics and I can't stop thinking about it and it's driving me nuts.
HALLELUJAH
"I heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
but you don't really care for music do ya
Well it goes like this the fourth the fifth
the minor fall and the major lift
the baffled king composing hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
you saw her bathing on the roof
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
she tied you to a kitchen chair
she broke your throne and she cut your hair
and from your lips she drew the hallelujah.
Hallelujah,hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
and love is not a victory march
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah,hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
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
but remember when I moved in you
and the Holy dove was moving too
and every breath we drew was hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Well maybe there's a God above
but all I've ever learned from love
was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah"
The first Shrek movie had the Rufus Wainwirhgt version.
The original was by Leonard Cohen, and Jeff Buckley covered it.
And funnily enough, I've had it stuck in my head for close to an hour...
I read it as a break-up song too, echoing geeksandgeeks' sentiment.
And actually! Rufus Wainwright's version is on the first Shrek movie's soundtrack but the version in the movie is by John Cale from the Velvet Underground. His version is on this Cohen tribute album called "I'm Your Fan."
now I have the song stuck in my head :P hehe
CatGurl14 wrote: I read it as a break-up song too, echoing geeksandgeeks' sentiment.
now I have the song stuck in my head :P hehe
Haha, is it my fault? sorry! it's hard to get that song out of your head again.
very good lyrics for a break up song. too good to understand them actually. ;-)
I remember reading or hearing somewhere Cohen's explanation of what it was all about, and as far as I remember it was simply aCohen exploring the definition of a 'Hallelujah', and seeing how one could mean so many subtly different things in a variety of situations.
That's a pretty boring and self-explanatory explanation, given the lyrics, but that's about as much as I remember.
The lyrics Buckley sings aren't the same as the in the Cohen original, however. I think Cohen used to change the lyrics, adding new verses and taking out existing ones, and Buckley simply concocted his own version using verses from various sources.
Although I may of course be speaking utter bullshite.
deleted user 14.06.2004 21:09
Your mentioning this song has now made me think of my boyfriend. Okay, I was thinking about him before I read this topic, but nonetheless... ;^)
Love this song! The Buckley version is in my all time greatest songs list. And after reading this threat it is also in my head ;-) Guess it will stay there for the rest of the day. I'll probably end up playing it tonight just before I go to sleep...
His lyricks I believe are more or less about expressing ones feelings (or ones love) through music. Not particularly through lyricks but music, or just sound. A simple chord that's so beautiful it hurts. So surrealy beautiful it must be God's hand that created it. A concept for inspiration, realy.
In Buckley's song it's on one hand God himself from whom the chords are conceived. On the other hand it's a great loved one (or lover) that he equals to God and gives him inspiration.
The surreality of true love, divine inspiration.
Also: it works both ways. The song is created to praise (either God or a human loved one) and the particular song this song is about (the song itself maybe?) is that beautifull that even God (or the lover) him/herself is astonished and screems hallelujah right back, creating a cycle of several persons praising eachother.
A broken relationship, lost love, or either disappointment which causes loss of faith in that person or God breaks that cycle; a broken hallelujah.
To conclude: this song is a praise to (the power of) music. How music is, or can be, divine as in conceived form a higher spirit or created the praise that higher spirit.
I guess we all know the feeling when playing a particular Queen song we get so moved it feels like being lifted from this earth...
It's an expression of love through music but also a expression of love fór music. Music (love) as in something worth living for. Love giving you the will to live. The greatest love being music (also the only one being true to you back. A girl can cheat on you, God can disappoint you, but music never will). Living, breathing rock n roll ;-)
Am I making sense? It's always difficult to explain songs and this particular tracks is pretty hard ;-)
Anyway: above in a nuttshell my filosophy
Oh..wow... are you a poet yourself?
;-)
Thanks for that explanation. Does make sense to me, yes. I wouldn't have thought of it this way, the guy must be a genius, really.