Hallelujah
John Cale Lyrics

I've heard there was a secret chord
There exists a mystical chord that is rumored to have metaphysical powers

That David played, and it pleased the Lord.
King David played this magical chord, which had a divine effect

But you don't really care for music, do you?
You have no interest in music, and this story won't impress you

It goes like this:
Here's how the chord sequence goes:

The fourth, the fifth.
These are two of the notes in the chord sequence

The minor fall, the major lift.
The chord progression has a melancholy and uplifting pairing

The baffled king composing Hallelujah.
The lyrics are about a biblical king who composes a song called Hallelujah in amazement

Hallelujah
A word historically associated with praise and welcome

Your faith was strong but you needed proof.
You have faith, but require tangible evidence to truly believe

You saw her bathing on the roof.
You caught a glimpse of a woman in a private moment

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.
You were overwhelmed by both her physical beauty and the setting in which you saw her

She tied you to a kitchen chair.
She restrains you

She broke your throne, she cut your hair.
She undermined your power and destroyed your symbol of authority

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah.
Despite your constraints and loss of power, she still elicited a joyful response from you

Maybe I've been here before.
I feel like I've experienced a similar situation before

I know this room, I've walked this floor.
I'm familiar with this environment from a previous incident

I used to live alone before I knew you.
I was content and independent before our paths crossed

I've seen your flag on the marble arch.
I've noticed evidence of your presence in an important place

Love is not a victory march,
Falling in love is not the same as achieving a goal

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.
However, love can bring both joy and pain

There was a time you'd let me know
In the past, you were more open and communicative with me

What's real and going on below.
You shared genuine and vulnerable feelings with me

But now you never show it to me, do you?
Lately, you've been more closed off and distant, and don't want to discuss what's really going on

Remember when I moved in you?
Reflecting on their intimate past experiences

The Holy Dove was moving too.
A symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit or sexual climax

And every breath we drew was Hallelujah.
Every shared moment felt like a moment of praise and thanksgiving

Maybe there's a God above.
Contemplating the existence of a higher power

And all I ever learned from love Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
The artist has learned that love is a painful competition where the strongest one wins

It's not a cry you can hear at night.
The pain of love is not always vocalized or heard by others

It's not somebody who's seen the light.
There is no clear vision or knowing of what love really is

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.
Another reference to love's duality; bringing both joy and destruction

Hallelujah
The chorus repeats as a form of closure, or perhaps getting lost in the meaning of the word