MONDAY LYRICS | Hallelujah

When I heard 'Hallelujah' for the first time (the Jeff Buckley version, before I knew that it was a Leonard Cohen song) I realize for the first time, that, you know, that the word 'Hallelujah', in the religious interpretation of the word, does not have any thing to do with fitting, or conforming or belonging to any institution or organization. In fact it's the opposite. It's about, you know, the struggle.

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

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

It just basically says that life and religion is not about belonging. It's about pain, and religious transformation. And so the first time I heard that song, I fell in love with it and started covering it. Because it spoke to me in that way. And, I haven't stopped since, in spite of many people having covered that song, way better than me.

~ Brandi Carlile explaining why she sings 'Hallelujah' [ source ]

*************************

You could say that 'Hallelujah' is one of those songs that resonant with me. I have several covers of it on my iPod, including the original Leonard Cohen version and the Jeff Buckley version. It's love, life, sex, pain and spirituality all mixed up together. 

David and Samson - both blessed by the divine, great amongst men. They fell because of their passions. David for Bathsheba. Samson for Delilah.  

We are weak. We stumble along the way, falling short. We fail those who love us. We suffer because of our human weaknesses. Yet the song has always felt to me, to be a rapturous celebration of the condition of being human, of love, of passion.

I wanted to post a video of someone singing 'Hallelujah'. There were many different covers on Youtube. When I found Brandi Carlile's speech about how she come to the song, and what it meant to her, the choice become obvious.

We can all love the same song for different reasons. But I believe Brandi Carlile gets the essence of the song, that it touched her on a deep and personal level. Many people think Jeff Buckley did the ultimate version. Maybe they are right. But this is the version I chose to share with you. Because I agree that life and religion is not about belonging or being safe and comfortable. It is about pain, the struggle and transformation. I don't believe God needs you to go to church. Instead, I believe religion, or spirituality, is about how it transforms you inside.

We are both human and divine. This song celebrates that.

HALLELUJAH

I’ve heard there is a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do ya?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

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 her kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew a Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Well darling, I’ve been here before
I’ve seen this room, I’ve walked these floors
You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya
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
And now you never show that to me, do ya?
Remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

So maybe there’s a God above
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya
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

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah … Hallelujah

Goodbye 2008.

Note: I did post the Youtube video previously - but the video has since been removed by Youtube Nazis. Sorry folks.