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Hallelujah - Cover of the Leonard Cohen song

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I don't think it's really about religion at all. I think it's really about the battle of a relationship, specifically a relationship (and love) that feels broken. The Bible references just seem to be the subtext about how women have constantly screwed over men.
 
Yeah, I really feel like the over-riding sentiment of the song is that the traditional idea of lovey dovey love is a big lie - and has been going right back to the beginning - and the hallelujahs are ironic/sarcastic.

As Nina said, pain and loneliness.

I guess it's really straight forward. The song itself says it: cold and broken hallelujah. It's just my own long-held misconceptions that make it seem more complicated than it really is.



I bet there are a lot of people out there who like that song under totally false pretenses.
 
Mudcat
I bet there are a lot of people out there who like that song under totally false pretenses.
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I just think it sounds good.

Sometimes music speaks to me in message form but mostly I go with what pleases the ear which is why I like such a variety of music. I'll never claim to be an aficionado just a simpleton that derives simple pleasures.
 
Teela
I think it's really about the battle of a relationship, specifically a relationship (and love) that feels broken. . . . how women have constantly screwed over men.
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Haha - yeah that is a fair interpretation IMO. They are cool sounding lyrics but somewhat misogynistic. I am seeing a lot more blaming and victimization than sharing responsibility for things going wrong.
 
There was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah


This verse has to be clearly sexual in nature. maybe spiritually sexual but still sexual.
 
That was definitely part of the reason I felt weird sending this to my mum.

What's really going on below? I feel like we need a nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

To be honest, I consider a lot of the lyrics to be a bit awkward. Sometimes I feel like he was hammering things together to make the rhymes fit rather than being elegant. Leonard Cohen has written some brilliant lyrics but I don't consider this anywhere near his best.

But the overall effect of the lyrics is really good - and it's a great chord progression - so great song.
 
Cougar Bait
"even though it all went wrong" he still believes in God
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I think he's saying the exact opposite. The whole song sounds very dismissive of God, that verse doubly so. "I'll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah" IMO means that he feels no guilt - hence no need to ask for forgiveness by eating a Communion host - for having had this one-sided relationship where she had feelings for him and he only wanted to fok. He feels so little guilt that he'll write a song about it for all to hear. The "Lord of Song" is merely his way of saying that music is his way of connecting with the divine.

Ol' Leonard is one unapologetic horny fok, is what this song says to me.
 
Matty
I think he's saying the exact opposite. The whole song sounds very dismissive of God, that verse doubly so. "I'll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah" IMO means that he feels no guilt - hence no need to ask for forgiveness by eating a Communion host - for having had this one-sided relationship where she had feelings for him and he only wanted to fok. He feels so little guilt that he'll write a song about it for all to hear. The "Lord of Song" is merely his way of saying that music is his way of connecting with the divine.

Ol' Leonard is one unapologetic horny fok, is what this song says to me.
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Perhaps. Maybe the whole song is meant to be a sarcastic shrug in the face of organized religion.
 
IMO it's just a song about sex. Religious imagery is just there cause he likes to use it for whatever reason. He even mentions Jesus in a bunch of songs. I don't think of Cohen as an overly religious man.

"And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah"

"And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah"

Hallelujah = orgasm (or getting near it)

sexsexsex
 
Matty
IMO it's just a song about sex. Religious imagery is just there cause he likes to use it for whatever reason. He even mentions Jesus in a bunch of songs. I don't think of Cohen as an overly religious man.

"And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah"

"And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah"

Hallelujah = orgasm (or getting near it)

sexsexsex
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This! Well done Matty.

 
Thanks a lot MrM.


Matty
IMO it's just a song about sex. Religious imagery is just there cause he likes to use it for whatever reason. He even mentions Jesus in a bunch of songs. I don't think of Cohen as an overly religious man.

"And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah"

"And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah"

Hallelujah = orgasm (or getting near it)

sexsexsex
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I really think this is an oversimplification in the sexual direction. There is more than just sex here IMO.

It appears that you are getting too much sex these days sir!
 
Teela
The song has been interpreted many times by different artists. Cohen has MANY different verses that he substitutes in the song, depending on the tone/mood that he wants to set.
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Yap.

I looked at a few different interpretations in preparing to do this. The worst one IMO had this black girl singer who probably has some gospel roots, and it built up to having a whole choir singing hallelujahs. Everyone was singing well but it felt so wrong to me.

Given that she was doing the same verses I did, I really feel like the hallelujahs needs to be a bit weak and hollow, cold and broken.

I felt like she was willfully ignoring the meaning of the words she was singing. But maybe she would say she was simply stressing that desolate mood of the hallelujahs by sticking them way in your face.
 
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