Learn the meaning behind Digging Deeper Into the Lyrics of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen to gain a deeper understanding of the song.

It’s difficult to know where to start when it comes to the lyrics of “Hallelujah.” Cohen himself famously said that he wrote hundreds of verses for the song and that he was reduced to bashing his head against the floor while writing them. Even more confusing is that the artists who have done the numerous covers have changed the lyrics, used different versions, and even made up their own stanzas. Ostensibly, Cohen said that the song was about things that couldn’t be reconciled and that the word “Hallelujah” was about the times that, through some miracle, the things that couldn’t be reconciled were.

The Relationship Angle

One of the common themes of the song, no matter the version, is that relationships in Cohen’s world were adversarial instead of cooperative. The line, “No, it’s a cold and very broken ‘Hallelujah,'” is quite depressing on the surface, and it’s not a happy line by any stretch of the imagination, but Cohen said that it was actually a caution against being that way in a relationship. Cohen’s despair at the relationships of his life must have brought him to a crisis of faith when he sings, “Well, maybe there’s a God above, …” in a song full of Biblical references, including King David playing his harp and Samson and Delilah.

Does He Even Like His Own Song?

Cohen released the song in 1984 after many tries with various record companies. According to him, Columbia said that, “We know you’re great, but we don’t know if you’re any good.” It must have been a bitter pill, indeed, when John Cale released a cover in 1991 that overshadowed Cohen’s own performances. Still, even with that vicarious popularity, the song didn’t reach the Billboard 100 until Cohen was dead. Cohen once said that he thought it was a good song, and that he liked the song, but he was tired of other people singing it. He meant not just the cover artists but everyone who sang it. But, in a confusing line from the same interview, he also said that he, “… was always happy when someone did one of my songs.”

Other Media

Because the song has been covered by so many others, and because of its Renaissance after Cohen’s death, it has appeared in a great many television programs and films. Several reality show contestants on “The Masked Singer” and “American Idol” have sung it, and it’s been a staple for dramatic situations in both police procedurals like “Cold Case” and medical dramas like “ER.”

Lyrics

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you dont really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor falls, the major lifts
The baffled king composing Hallelujah