Hallelujah Part 2

Sorry, for the long delay guys, but school and basketball have kept me busy. Here's the 2nd part of my analysis of the famous pop song "Hallelujah" that was written by Leonard Cohen, made popular by Jeff Buckley, and covered my artists of many different styles and genres.

In the first part, I described the background behind this song, the first and the simple chorus " Hallelujah". Part two will cover verse two.

" Your faith was strong, but you needed proof."
There are three ways to look at the latter verses of this song. The song could be Cohen continuing to instruct the young musician as he or she grows up (most likely he). It could also be a completely different person that Cohen is writing about. Or in a strictly literal sense, someone could take this song at face value and look for the Biblical allusions.

Infused with the "secret" song of King David, the young musician has become closer to God, but as he matures, he begins to question why he believes what he believes. This is very similar to the logic or dialectic stage in classical education where the young teenager begins to ask questions and argue about why they believe something or why they should learn something. This musician has technical skill but wants proof of the existence of the God that David is writing about.

Cohen could be moving on and writing about a completely different "hallelujah" in part two. This male character used to be a strong believer in something. Whether this is Christianity, Judaism, karma, or the "power of love", he has some source of truth in his life. However, as he begins to interact with people who believe differently (E.g. college or a new job), he has doubts about absolute truth. This line describes the obsession with scientific knowledge. Every "educated" person wants empirical proof on everything, even when some things like evolution and the existence of God can't proven true or false.

" You saw her bathing on the roof/ Her beauty in the moonlight overthew you."

I love the Canadian Tenors version of this song because they substitute "you" with a beautiful Vancover "ya." Bathing on the roof is a clear reference to the story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11. King David took a break from war, and while he was chilling out on his roof, he saw a beautiful woman bathing naked. Because he was an absolute monarchy under God's theocracy, he committed adultery with Bathsheba and got her pregnant.

David got Bathsheba pregnant which led to the death of her child, his eldest son Amnon, and a revolt by Absalom. But this "lady" could stand for many things other than sexual lust. In a musical sense, it could be fame. When musicians become rich, they sometimes depart from their roots and "sell out." For example, Metallica, which began as a heavy, fast,and erudite thrash band from San Francisco (Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets) started to become more commercial by making a music video ("One"), cutting their hair and getting pictures made by Anton Corbijn, and suing Napster.

I think this mysterious woman is a stand-in for any kind of temptation
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" She tied you to a kitchen chair/ She broke your throne and cut your hair"
Cohen manages to cleverly intertwine the stories of David and Bathsheba, and Samson and Delilah in these lines. Delilah was a Philistine woman and Samson's partner in Judges 16. She seduced him with her beauty and love, and Samson told Delilah the secret of his great strength: his luscious locks.

Earlier, Samson was able to break free from the cords Delilah bound him with. Now, after he broke his sacred vow to never shave his hair, Samson undergoes extreme humiliation. He isn't tied to a chair, but a millstone where cattle would grind wheat. Once the mighty savior of Israel, Samson is now a slave to their worst enemies: the Philistines.

After his affair with Bathsheba, David also suffered. He lost their first child, conceived in adultery. Then, his oldest son Amnon raped his virgin daughter Tamar, and his third son Absalom killed Amnon. Later, Absalom usurped David's throne and forced the old king to go into exile.

" And from your lips, she drew the hallelujah"

Once you give into temptation, the tempter controls your life. Samson lost his sight and strength when he let Delilah cut his hair. He managed to kill many Philistines in death, but his lust cost his life. The hallelujah in this verse could mean someone's soul or psyche, their innermost being.

When someone does something based on feelings or desires, they let someone else have ownership of their soul. When Paris captured Helen in the Trojan War, he violated the traditional guest-host relationship in the Mediterranean world. By giving into his desires, Paris caused his own death, the death of brother Hector and father Priam, and the fall of one of the most powerful cities in Asia Minor.  

That's why one must have balance between the head and the heart. "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20). Giving into any kind of physical lust can destroy the outward and inner person. The second verse of "Hallelujah" uses the examples of Samson and David to illustrate the downfall of a good man and a good musician by the power of desire.

 " Suddenly he follows her as an ox goes to the slaughter or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, until an arrow pierces through his liver. As a bird hastens to the slaughter, so he does not know that it will cost him his life. (Proverbs 7:22-3 NASB)