Song: Leonard Cohen: Hallelujah: needs fixing??

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Lyrics at: http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/hallelujah.html

In one sense a wonderful song, if a bit adult. Everyone leaves singing Hallelujah. But a Jewish friend of mine said that it is blasphemous.

So, Is it? And if you could rewrite a part (try this please if you have the talent), what would you do to fix it so that it is a wonderful non-B. Song?

Sean

-- Sean Cleary (seanearlyaug@hotmail.com), March 25, 2004

Answers

I woudl deelte the song, thats my change. I agree with your Jewish Freind.

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), March 25, 2004.

i've heard the song before.

its not meant to be church music... but niether is it blasphemous. The third verse is not in the song on the version I have on CD, which is the only verse I found objectionable.

Simply put... why would you sing a song about difficulty in romance during a church service? the first verse refers to king david, the second to the warrior sammuel, who was destroyed by his love for a pagan woman. The rest is all about how love can destroy a person and shouldnt be used to bring glory to oneself. it really has nothing to do with religion from after the part about sammuel.

If you are singing this in your church, you need to find a more relevant song. If you're listening to it personally, its a great song that (in all the versions I've heard) has had alot of emotion tied to it.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), March 25, 2004.


Great! Now a song with the 'halleluia' in it is stuck in my head, smack dab in the middle of Lent.

Dano

-- Dan Garon (boethius61@yahoo.com), March 25, 2004.


When I think "Halliluja" I think Handel. I am out of rouchwith modern songs.

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), March 25, 2004.

No, I am not singing it in Church. But the tune is catchy, and the words may need fixing. And Lent is a time to reflect and repair and redirect. So sorry about h. in head during Lent, but it is part of the fix.

I can not easily get into the concept of blasphemous, other than telling a gracious God to do something He would not: to curse someone.

Sean

-- Sean Cleary (seanearlyaug@hotmail.com), March 25, 2004.



I had a boss once who used to listen to Leonard Cohen ALL of the time. He never grew on me. What is the attraction? He's got a very weird sound.

-- Brian Crane (brian.crane@cranemills.com), March 27, 2004.

briane,

try the jeff buckley version of the same song. its good. ALOT of singers have done their take on this song, and I like the versions I've heard

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), March 27, 2004.


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