Kratos wrote:I read the comments section and realized it actually has nothing to do with God and the lyrics left a sour taste in my mouth
copy & paste..........
The song does not specifically talk about God. As I found from Wikipedia, Cohen's original version contains several biblical references, most notably evoking the stories of Samson and traitorous Delilah from the Book of Judges as well as the adulterous King David and Bathsheba: "she cut your hair" and "you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you".
As interpreted by Francis O'Brien:
The first part:This relates to the story of King David who was had an intimate relation with God and was also a great harp player (secret cord/pleased the Lord). The hallelujah at the end of this verse is a happy and spiritual one.
The second part:In this part Cohen relates to the story of David and Bathsheba when David was walking on the roofs he saw her bathing and seduced her ending up committing adultery and lost a lot of influence and weakened his link with god (broken throne). Then we move to the story of Samson who gets his hair cut and loses all his powers, once again, a broken throne. In this verse, the hallelujah is a very sad and desperate one.
The third part:In this part Cohen talks about the ambivalence of love and its effect on your faith. It can be glorious like a flag on a marble arch or it can be cold and broken. And when in heart break you may lose or strengthen your faith, in this case it is strengthened because he still praises the Lord in the end. In this case, the hallelujah is (obviously) cold and broken.
The fourth part:This is an obvious reference to sexuality and that even through an act as disgraceful as sex you can still praise the lord. In this verse the hallelujah can be interpreted as an “orgasmic” one.
The fifth part:In this part, he has found what to believe in and realizes his past errors but he is ready to face the Lord because he now has complete faith. This hallelujah is one of total faith and love for “the Lord”.
Whether Hallelujah is spoken in complete blissful faith or is from broken desperation, its goal is to praise the Lord and it means the same and are all equal.