Metro-lyrics and the Bible: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

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Metro-lyrics and the Bible: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

kootvanwyk

http://www.egw.org/zboard/313313

2014.07.16 00:20:58 (*.24.152.151)

3583

Metro-lyrics and the Bible: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Department of Liberal Arts Education

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

The song was written by Canadian Leonard Cohen and is sung by very talented young singers from Australia (Bobi Andonov), Philipines (Jal Joshua), England (Straalen McCullum), Brazil (Jotta A.) and it sounds very truthful. The harmony and appeal sounds great. It is the lyrics that leaves much to comment on.

In the opening stanza, two people are in conversation, two love-making people, who do not really care for relationship, but only feeling. “I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch”. Careless, emotionless, he went and grabbed someone to touch, in order to experience “add on feelings” of bonding, belonging, fooling him/herself that care was bestowed.

After the event, which is a quick one night stand, he spoke to her or she to him saying that although all went wrong “and even though it all went wrong”, there is deep in him a memory of religion. He remembered, or she remembered David composing “Hallelujah” after his adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of his army general.

Cohen did not read the Hebrew text and neither the Bible properly on this issue and neither does he care. “You say I took the name in vain, I don’t even know the name” the religionless person responded to the other one who says he/she remember the Hallelujah music of David.

David was haunted for days after the event and plaqued for weeks and months and suffered years to come out of this devastating experience. It was the worst error in his life. Psalm 50 and 51 express to us the depth of David’s trauma.

The king David was more than just “baffled”. He felt that God left him. He felt deserted. Sin creates a barrier between us and God. It is an abyss so high as if there is no end and a feeling as if God will never speak to us again.

In conversation with David, the speaker says to David that his faith was strong but because it lacked proof, “but you needed proof” therefore his faith was not stable. Almost to say, if your faith is established on proof, then there is no need to fall.

Batsheba’s beauty and the moonlight mystery color shining on her body “overthrew her”. She became a target of David’s uncontrolled passions.

In return what she did to him as a result of the sin, is that she symbolically “tied him to a kitchen chair broke his throne, cut his hair and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah”. That drew is not positive. It is destroying the Hallelujah. Hallelujah is taken away from the soul and the person is left in agony of God-forsakenness. It is what Christ suffered in Gethsemane.

The one person who is in the lyrics more religious, blames the other that he/she is taking the “name in vain I do not even know the name”. Atheistic or agnostic. Does not believe in God or Jesus or Yahweh or the Holy Spirit. But, if he did know the name or God, what is it to you? “But if I did, well really, what’s it to you?” It does not matter if I took the Name of God in vain through my actions. At this point, the voice of Satan should be seen very clearly. Satan mixes truth and error. He knows the Bible and cited it to Jesus. We need to be keen watchers of truth. God does not speak with two tongues or two voices or two different approaches. He does not contradict Himself.

The careless agnostic then wants to put forward a philosophical wisdom mantra “there is a blaze of light in every word”. The Plotinus idea of Stoicism that a spark of truth is found in everyone. The Bible says we are all sinners and come short of the glory of God. Unless God reveals Himself to you and unless you respond to that event, no truth is found in oneself. The rule of the Bible that one should seek to glorify God with a holy life and that our Hallelujah’s should come from victorious lips is turned around in the song “it doesn’t matter which you heard, the holy or the broken hallelujah”. The lyric writer wants to say through his actors in the song, and especially the philosophy of the agnostic to the religious feeling partner-sinner, it does not matter whether one sins or not sinning, the main thing is the Hallelujah is heard. That is not the biblical truth. One cannot sidestep the buffet of the Lord and eat vomit with a dog and then stand up and say “Hallelujah, thank you for the food Lord”. And tomorrow sidestep again the buffet of the Lord to eat vomit with the dog just to stand up and sing “Hallelujah thank you for the food Lord”. God intends one to eat the buffet and not the vomit. It does matter.

The speaker admit all went wrong, because the best was not enough, the feelings was actualized in uncontrolled touching and “the truth” is given the meaning that when one speak not to fool someone else one is honest. It is a fake. And then to add that although all went wrong Hallelujah will be sung, is a bit unreal for the process the Spirit of God help people to be overcomers of their passions.

The song does not provide a clear solution to sin as the Bible does. Psalm 51 gives clear advice what a sinner should do. Another point is that Christ said to the woman in John 8, “go and sin no more”. Leonard Cohen should have known better but he does not care and presented here the agnostic outlook in life, careless and irresponsible.

Words and text of the Lyrics

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

Now 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