Pick a warbling bird

[Sudden Stop]

PS Suddenstop, I think Jeff Buckley was dead before Damien Rice was ever heard of, so I think it must be the other way round.

 

Yeah! Figured as much!

[two sheds]

I have been pondering the religious references in Cohens lyric and have attached some googled comments. Are there any intellectuals out there who can expand on this?

.....it's is a song about love and heartbreak, but there are strong religious undertones, not quite anti-religious, more satiric of the bible and supportive of the theory that people only turn to God to complete the holes left by imperfections in there life. The first verse combines these two meanings, beginning with a biblical reference to David being Gods favored man on earth, before a lyric with two meanings, "it goes like this, the fourth the fifth// the minor fall and the major lift" the first cleverly refers to the musical structure of the song, but it also refers to the rollercoaster of love, peaks of emotions from the best to the worst. The doubt in religion is also proclaimed in "the baffled king composes hallelujah", this refers to the Old Testament, in which David composes the book of Psalms, turning to religion only because he has found imperfection in his own life (Sleeping with Bathsheeba and ordering Uriah dead).

 

The second verse is a reference to Sampson and Delilah as was previously stated, although "you saw her bathing on the roof" is another reference to David and Bathsheeba. It finished by telling how a failed relationship can break your life apart, (e.g. Sampson and Delilah), and again another relationships to how people in for instance mid-life crises 'find God'. ("and from your lips she drew the hallelujah")

 

... and from Cohen himself;

"Hallelujah is a Hebrew word which means "Glory to the Lord." The song explains that many kinds of Hallelujahs do exist . I say : "All the perfect and broken Hallelujahs have an equal value ." It's, as I say, a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion".

 

"... I'd already recorded that one and I wanted to push the Hallelujah deep into the secular world, into the ordinary world. The Hallelujah, the David's Hallelujah was still a religious song. So I wanted to indicate that Hallelujah can come out of things that have nothing to do with religion".

 

Anyway, whatever the meaning and on whatever level you listen, it is a great great song.

[Medziotojas]

Now this is what I call a Christmas song

 

[Tomblands]

SONG EVERYONE PRETENDS TO UNDERSTAND IS CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE

 

THE incredibly moving song that everyone pretends to understand has topped the Christmas pop charts.

 

Hallelujah captured the top two spots last night as working class people who don't understand the Alexandra Burke version outnumbered university graduates who don't understand the Jeff Buckley version.

 

Meanwhile composer Leonard Cohen said he was delighted his epic poem, filled with obscure biblical imagery, was finally being downloaded as a ringtone.

 

Hallelujah fan Tom Logan, from London, said: "I do get very emotional when I hear the line 'she tied you to her kitchen chair, she broke your throne and she cut your hair' because that happened to me once.

 

"Except it was more of a shaving situation. In the groinal region."

 

Emma Bradford, an assistant bank manager from Swindon, said: "'I heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the lord.' That always makes me cry because my boyfriend is called David and he doesn't understand what it means either."

 

She added: "The line about love not being a victory march is very profound, because it really isn't is it? A victory march usually involves lots of people in uniforms, a brass band, some horses and perhaps even the Red Arrows. It's a totally different thing."

 

She added: "But I suppose love really is a cold and broken hallelujah. Unless you actually like the other person, in which case it's mostly quite enjoyable."

 

Stephen Malley, an architect from Bath, said: "'I used to live alone before I knew you'. For me that really says it all because before I met my wife I actually did live alone for about six months. Happy days."

 

Bill McKay, a retired teacher from Wetherby, added: "Ah yes, 'you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.' As did the police when they finally caught me. And they still haven't returned my binoculars."

 

taken from the fantastic http://www.thedailymash.co.uk

 

I agree with the comments Malachy made about Alexandra's version of the song...there is no denying the girl can sing, but she has absolutely no relationship with the lyrics thus rendering the song completely worthless.

[Guest posiedon]

Now this is what I call a Christmas song

 

Ah! The late GREAT Alex Harvey, my wife and I finally got to see him perform about four months before his untimely death.

A legend, and still missed.

[Medziotojas]

I saw the Senasational Alex Harvey Band in Aberdeen minus one crucial frontman. In other words, I was too young and missed the real sensation. Lucky youse!

 

...and (back to the topic) I missed Leonard Cohen when he performed here in the summer.