0
Two substantially different versions of the song:
The lyrics from Leonard Cohen's 1984 album Various Positions tell the story of the musically adept King David from the Hebrew Scriptures (Second Samuel Chapter 11 and following). David saw Bathsheba (a married woman) on the roof nearby, committed adultery with her, and lost a great deal because of it ('broke your throne' and 'cut your hair', the latter an allusion to Delilah cutting Samson's hair so that he became weak). Her drawing from the king's lips the "Hallelujah" could be seen as a praise to God for this woman, or for the release of orgasm, or for something else.
The following line about taking God's name in vain (breaking one of the commandments), and the differentiating between the 'Holy or the broken Hallelujah' is tied to how one interprets the word drawn from the lips of the king. Is it the Holy Hallelujah, the rejoicing praise of the righteous one, or the broken Hallelujah, the perhaps hypocritical praise of one who is grieving over sin committed in secret but which is now revealed, or the penitent one who feels guilt and shame, but still comes to God who is merciful. David says that it all went wrong, but that he will still stand before God and sing Hallelujah.
The lyrics from Cohen's 1988 album Cohen Live tell a different story. It appears that a relationship has gone bad. The singer is again alone after a happy time together ('when you let me know what was going on in you', and 'when every breath was Hallelujah') but that time has passed. All the singer has learned is how to shoot someone after being outdrawn, meaning, I suspect, the singer has been left. The singer isn't complaining about what has been learned from love, or bragging about having seen the light. The singer is singing a cold and broken hallelujah, again, before the Lord of Song. Whether its a bitter or a penitent Hallelujah is left to the listener to decide.
What else can I help you with?
Who made hallelujah famous?
Leonard Cohen
Who sings the country song hallelujah?
Leonard Cohen.
Why did Hayley Williams write hallelujah?
Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah. It has been recorded by many artists.
Who sung Hallelujah first?
The famous song was written by Leonard Cohen.
What song has these words I heard there was a secret chord?
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
Who made hallelujah famous?
Leonard Cohen
Who wrote the hallelujah verse?
Leonard Cohen
Who wrote the song hallelujah?
Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah back in 1984. It was included on his album "Various Positions". It has later been covered by numerous artists around the world.
Who sang 'Hallelujah' on the movie watchman?
Leonard Cohen
Who sings the country song hallelujah?
Leonard Cohen.
Who topped the Christmas chart in 2008 with Hallelujah?
Leonard Cohen
Who is the singer of Hallelujah with a deep voice?
A singer for the song Hallelujah with a deep voice is Leonard Cohen.
Why did Hayley Williams write hallelujah?
Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah. It has been recorded by many artists.
Who sung Hallelujah first?
The famous song was written by Leonard Cohen.
What song has these words I heard there was a secret chord?
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
Who wrote the song hallelujah square?
Ray Overholt wrote the song Hallelujah Square!
Who owns the copyright to hallelujah written by Leonard Cohen?
The copyright for "Hallelujah" originally written by Leonard Cohen belongs to his estate and music publishers, Sony/ATV and Sony Music. Cohen's estate manages the rights to his songs following his passing in 2016.
