Spesikal

The song Hallelujah

When analyzing the song “Hallelujah”, a song of a great writer is discovered with its rhetoric devices and its interpretations. What you are going to read is not the absolute truth or all information but part of it. Such a genius was Leonard Cohen that from his great poem created several versions, writing several poems from the same poem. In this way some singers have sung some stanzas while other singers have sung others. Even you can discover that some stanzas weren’t sung by Leonard Cohen when you listen to his concerts. This has led to some interpretations. According to them, it can be a love poem, a religious poem or both. This is the reason why I’m going to write only part of these interpretations. But they don’t have to be the most correct or the only ones. I accept comments and contributions.

                The song begins with: “Well I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord. But you don't really care for music, do you?” The question can be addressed to his lover or to the general audience. At the beginning the main character of the song is David, king who plays the harp for the Lord. The song continues with the description how David composes the piece: Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth the minor fall and the major lift the baffled king composing Hallelujah.

            The second stanza of the song reminds the history of David and Bethsabe. David sees Bethsabe having a bath and gets an appointment with her. She becomes pregnant and David sends her husband to war to ensure his death. His husband dies and David gets married with Bethsabe. The Lord sends Natan to reprimand him. This episode relates the worst fault of King David. The song says: “Your faith was strong but you needed proof you saw her bathing on the roof her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you”. Then the song recalls another biblical account. The history of Samson is recognized, who Delilah seduced Samson to get his secret, cut his hair and called the philistines to trap and kill him: “She tied you to her kitchen chair she broke your throne and she cut your hair and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah”.

The following couplet launches a conclusion of the two previous ones:  “love is not a victory march it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah”. He also knew the love that breaks. That’s why he says: “Baby I've been here before”.

The following stanza is one of those that sometimes have been sung but not Heard in Cohen’s own voice. It makes reference Spirit associated with the Dove. In Hebrew and Greek the word spirit is the same as whiffle. It is as if he spoke with his lover and remembered how the made love, that is as when the Holy Spirit enters and the final breath is with a Hallelujah.

He mentions that he had said the name of God in vain, making reference to one of the ten commanders.

Finally he addresses to God saying that he had made the best that he could and came back singing Hallelujah.