Hallelujah is a cry of worship or rejoicing. It can be used
in many different circumstances.. Throughout the course of the song
“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, he is able to draw you to the truthful aspects
of hallelujah and it’s broken meanings. The song’s complexity came with layers
of macro and micro themes. I noticed that many of these themes revolved around
simply reality and the despair in it. Reality has layers in itself layers of
hope and despair, as previously mentioned. This song focuses on both but
doesn’t shield you from the despair.
“It’s not a cry you can hear at night
It’s not somebody who has seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah”
Hallelujah can be used in many different circumstances. One
major theme I noticed was the hardship of a relationship, be it a marriage,
romance, family, death, or just altogether love. He’s saying love is a miracle,
but not one at the same time. Love isn’t above humans. Humans fall for each
other, they get hurt because sometimes the people they love just aren’t there
to catch them. I believe a theme is love because although he is going against
stereotypical love, he is giving a realistic point on how love isn’t always
something to rejoice for or worship.
“And even though it all went wrong
I’ll stand before the lord of song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah”
Another theme I picked up on from this song was strength and
perseverance. Leonard skillfully demonstrates how life can’t be planned or
scheduled, but some light can be found in the darkest things. Death or loss are
themes that can be associated with what went wrong. It takes enormous amounts
of strength to admit to something that may have been associated be it in a bad
or good way with what went wrong and allow it to represent your idendity for
all that its worth on the day of truth- and that may not always be spiritual.
Perhaps it is a funeral, coming out, or change of religion. It may be simply
something that you believe in that you bring to start from nothing.
“A blaze of light in every word
it doesn’t matter which you heard
The holy or the broken hallelujah”
A broken hallelujah represents the despairing side of life,
as a hallelujah goes with the hopeful side.
“The holy or the broken hallelujah” both bring you back to real, and in
real life a major theme is despair and its journey from despair and loss to
strength to standing up even if that means standing alone. In real life, people
too often get caught up in despair, myself included. Moral values have been off
since mall shootings, airport shootings, guilt, lies, and innocence are played
as readily as a gambler’s hand. Homes lost, suicide, and peer pressure are more
examples of what is flooding the news.
So many themes come out of the lyrics, repetition, and tone
of the song. It represents a journey and development of the theme strength as a
macro theme. While micro themes of loss, forgiveness, forgiveness, moral values
and compasses also come into play. Warping despair into strength takes some
serious perseverance. Dream of daring to just try.
