American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley recorded one of the best-known covers of "Hallelujah" for his 1994 studio album, Grace. Buckley, not wholly satisfied with any one take, recorded the song more than twenty times. Grammy Award-winning music studio engineer Andy Wallace took three of these recordings to create a single track. The result is a sparse-sounding production of vocals and electric guitar, influenced by John Cale's version.
In 2004, Jeff Buckley's version was ranked #259 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In September 2007, a poll of fifty songwriters conducted by Q Magazine listed "Hallelujah" among the all-time "Top 10 Greatest Tracks" with John Legend calling Buckley's version "as near perfect as you can get". Buckley's first #1 came posthumously in March 2008 when "Hallelujah" topped Billboard's Hot Digital Songs following a performance of the song by Jason Castro on American Idol.
Hallelujah
Jeff Buckley Lyrics
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That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to her kitchen chair
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
But baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
And love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Well there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me do ya
But remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
The opening verse introduces the myth of King David, who, according to the Old Testament, was a young shepherd boy when he became a favorite composer of the Israelite King Saul. Once David became king himself, he was able to establish the House of David, which would be remembered as a royal line of Jewish leaders who would play a key role in the lead-up to Christianity. The first line of the verse, "Well I’ve heard there was a secret chord," seems to refer to this story, as David's music is believed to have had great power.
The rest of the verse describes the notes of the chord as the "fourth, fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift," implying that the chord had a complex, emotional quality that resonated with the divine. The final line, "The baffled king composing Hallelujah," suggests that the power of this music was such that even King David was awed and enraptured by it, even though he was the one creating it.
The second verse is a more personal one, telling the story of a relationship that has gone wrong. The singer suggests that he was once close to his partner, but now they are distant, symbolized by the line "But now you never show that to me, do ya?" The relationship has a tragic feel to it, as if it were destined to fail, as suggested by the line "And love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah." This lyric implies that life is uncertain and complicated, and that even though people often try to find victory and triumph in love, that doesn't always happen.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've heard there was a secret chord
I've heard there was a special way to play music
That David played and it pleased the Lord
It made God happy when David played it
But you don't really care for music, do you?
But I don't think you're interested in music
Well it goes like this
Here's how it goes
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift
It's based on some musical intervals that make a certain pattern
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
The king who wrote Hallelujah was confused by something he didn't understand
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You had a lot of faith, but you still needed something to prove it to yourself
You saw her bathing on the roof
You saw her taking a bath on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
Her beauty, combined with the light of the moon, captivated and overwhelmed you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She tied you to a chair in her kitchen
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair
She destroyed everything you had and cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
And she made you exclaim Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
But baby I've been here before
But I've been in a similar situation before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
I've been in this room and walked on this floor
You know, I used to live alone before I knew ya
I used to live alone before I met you
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
I've seen your flag flying over a monument
And love is not a victory march
Love isn't always winning
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
It's difficult and imperfect but still worthy of praise
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Well there was a time when you let me know
You used to confide in me
What's really going on below
What you were really thinking and feeling
But now you never show that to me do ya
But now you don't show me anything, do you?
But remember when I moved in you
Remember when we were intimate and vulnerable with each other
And the holy dove was moving too
And there was a sense of spiritual connection between us
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Everything felt perfect and worthy of praise
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Maybe there's a God above
Perhaps there's a higher power
But all I've ever learned from love
But all I really know about love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya
Is that sometimes you need to hurt someone who has hurt you first
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not just sound you hear in the middle of the night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's not someone who has found enlightenment
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
But it's still a difficult, imperfect Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zuruka2289
Lyrics
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?
Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah [x4]
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 her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah [x4]
Baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor (you know)
I used to live alone before I knew you
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
And love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah [x4]
There was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me, do you?
But remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah [x4]
Maybe there's a God above
All I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah [x13]
@EndTimesDisciple
My brother took his own life... its the hardest thing ive ever gone through in my life....he used to play this in his truck when he drove me to school..now i drive his truck and play this for him. I love you bro...
@kristincaldwell8747
God Bless and Keep you always..May your brother Rest In Peace -
@judahguerrero1090
Sorry man. That's a tough thing to go through. Your brother is in heaven looking down on you.
@spyralstarecase9366
Oh my Lord. I am so sorry. Two of my siblings committed suicide and the darkness never really goes away, does it? Bless you.
@curiouscuriouser2670
So sad when someone we love feels they have no other option. As long as you remember him....He still lives.
@markco61
The hardest thing I had to deal with was losing my baby brother, who also took his own life. Took at least 3 years to have some kind of feeling of “normal” again. The ironic part is that it teaches you how powerful and deep your love for a brother can be, after they are gone from your life...
@anishadhikari6233
I'm leaving this comment here so that whenever someone likes it, I come to listen this song and feel him over and again!
@andychris6069
come enjoy it again my friend
@gazepskotzs4
Here we are..
@firebugeyes
And again!