Hallelujah

The other night we were hanging out with a few of our Russian friends from our church. One of the guys had a guitar with him and was playing a few songs unnoticeably. That is until he started playing a song everyone got excited about and began singing with him. It was the recently popularized Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah” covered by Rufus Wainright and featured in the film “Shrek”.

A few weeks earlier at church the same song was played while the church collected the weekly offerings. I remember thinking that this was an odd song to play at a time like that, but seemingly odd things happen all the time around a person when they live in Russia, so I let it go. While trying to remember the words to the song we talked about how funny it was that this song was played at church because it appears to not be a Christian song. Even though Cohen is Jewish and many biblical themes are woven through his works his life does not reflect that of a religiously devout person.

Yet there remains something mysteriously haunting in his song - something that resonates with me when I sing it. There is an honesty, a realness in the words that puts into song an emotion I’ve felt many times before but cannot put into words. I’m not saying the lyrics are inspired or that I think all of the ideas behind the song are morally true, but there is something that we identified with when we got excited about singing this song in the park that night.

One of the more thought-provoking lines in the song is when he says that “love is not a victory march / it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah.” My friend disagreed. She said, “love is a victory march, it is!” I offered another angle on the idea. “What about when Jesus was on the cross, if he had said hallelujah would it have been a victorious cry or a cold and a broken hallelujah? When he cried “it is finished” was his voice joyous or was it broken?” I’ve been thinking about that since then.

Which is it? Is love a joyful, celebratory victory march or is it a cold and a broken hallelujah? Or for those who, like me, can’t stand conflict or taking sides is it both?

I don’t think the reason why this song evokes such strong emotion for people is because it’s a secular song you can baptize and sing in church because it includes the word “hallelujah”. I don’t think this song is so popular simply because it’s catchy - the original version is actually quite a downer. I think the reason why we like this song is because we have all been there before. We have cried hallelujah through tears, with a scratchy, cold and broken voice. We have all been down at times, disappointed or depressed. We have all been in that situation where even though it is terribly difficult we still say with Job “blessed be the name of the Lord.” That is what hallelujah means “praise YHWH”.

The reason why we love this song is because it’s a song of hope, a song that points us toward the promised land where there will be no more tears or sorrow. A land where our cold and broken hallelujahs are lifted, reshaped and reformed into victory marches. The song points to the day when we can sing our song before the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The oft unsung but beautiful final verse puts it best. “And even though it all went wrong / I’ll stand before the Lord of Song / With nothing on my tongue but hallelujah.”

For those interested here are the lyrics of the song and the link to youtube to see Rufus Wainright singing it live.

I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to a kitchen chair

She broke your throne, and she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before

I know this room, I've walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you.

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah,

There was a time 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

Hallelujah

Maybe there’s a God above

But all I’ve ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you

It’s not a cry you can hear at night

It’s not somebody who has seen the light

It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain

I don't even know the name

But if I did, well really, what's it to you?

There's a blaze of light in every word

It doesn't matter which you heard

The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much

I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch

I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you

And even though it all went wrong

I'll stand before the Lord of Song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah