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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, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof, you saw her bathing on the roof,
Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair, she broke your throne, she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Maybe 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, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
There was a time you'd let me know, what's real and going on below
But now you never show it to me do you?
And remember when I moved in you?
The holy dark was moving too, and every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Maybe there's a God above,
And all I 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's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah |
- Hallelujah (or other variable spellings), translates to "[let us] praise God" or "praise the Lord" from Hebrew. It is found mainly in the book of Psalms, but also in Judaism as part of the Hallel prayers
- For most Christians, "Hallelujah" is considered the most joyful word of praise to God
- David - Biblical figure; destroyer of Goliath, later King of Israel, poet/musician (psalms)
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- Lyrics originally by Leonard Cohen
- This song has also been covered by Jeff Buckley, who Rufus has admitted to disliking in the past due to his success and fame. However, later-found respect and admiration for the late singer-songwriter resulted in comments stating that he may not have covered the song had he heard Buckley's version beforehand. Rufus found it very powerful, and he hopes that his rendition does both Cohen and Buckley justice.
- After being asked if he was inspired by the Jeff Buckley version more than Leonard Cohen's original, Rufus stated, "No, it was from the John Cale version. The reason I sing that song is because of DreamWorks, because when they made Shrek they asked me to sing it. But I'd not heard either the Cohen version or the Jeff Buckley version at that point and they just passed along the John Cale version. I didn't know anything about it. Some people have accused me of trying to usurp it from a dead Jeff Buckley or something, to take over the memory of a fallen genius but I never even intended to sing it." - thisisnottingham.co.uk, July 19, 2008. Interview research by Mike Atkinson
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