Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen: Some Personal Thoughts
Lyrics to Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen
Wonderful performance by Allison Crowe
As part of our worship service on Sunday morning, a young lady performed the song Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen. She is a voice student of our Minister of Music and she did a good job with the vocals. It seemed to me a tough song, requiring that it come from the heart for it to really connect with the audience. I was not sure at the time that she really knew or considered much about the message of the piece she was singing. And the more I thought about it, the more I concluded that I was not sure what was communicated with the song. Was it worship? Was this even an appropriate song for church?
I will admit, once again, to not be overly savvy with the nuances of complicated poetry. Upon first and casual listen, it seemed a ballad about how messy love can be. And that is o.k. for something on your ipod, but we worship God at church. So I was strongly thinking about talking to our Minister of Music about the need to more carefully screen the songs that will be presented in church.
Before doing that, I have decided to check out the lyrics and think about them a bit. And after doing so, I’ve concluded that it is a fitting song for worship.
I do not think that Leonard Cohen is part of the Evangelical Christian community. Of course I do not know him, and his standing before God in the final analysis is not dependent upon my judgment. It seems that somewhere I read that he has evolved from a Jew with an abiding interest in Jesus, to now being a Buddhist monk.
The song makes a good bit of direct reference to the Bible, particularly the fall of David and Samson. And we know that both were mighty men of God who compromised their faiths and irreversibly complicated their lives because of human love. The song masterfully interweaves what seems to be an intimate love connection that seems to still be there, but has grown cold and distant with time. The one who sings is sad. His love has been messy, not easy. And now, the relationship is not simple and not what he would want it to be. Still, he holds on because he knows in the final analysis it is somehow good.
So it is a good, albeit anything but simple song, about love. And clearly there is direct analogy given to our love-relationship with God. It, too, is anything but simple and easy. On a personal note- I know that! God is in many ways a riddle to me. I know Him, and our relationship is intimate. Conversely, in many ways He is a stranger. And it all does not make sense. But, alas, there is nothing better. Indeed, in many ways it all reminds of a messy and complicated and frustrating relationship with a woman!
Recently I spent some time with a couple whose story of love is anything but fairy book. They are in their 60's and she will likely soon die of cancer. They have had a lot of up's-n-down's in their relationship, and it does not compose a pretty picture: adultery, divorce, lawsuits, and lots of wounds yet to be healed. So why are they now together, holding hands as life gets even more complicated? It seems to me a tribute to the enduring quality of love. Messy, beautiful, ugly, nothing-else-like-it love! The kind of stuff Cohen sings about.
I’ll leave alone our young Minister of Music. It was a good song.
09.16.08 (10:39 am) [
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posted by:
LadyG (
reply)
post date:
09.16.08 (8:04 am)
Wonderful decision.
posted by:
OldSchool (
reply)
post date:
09.16.08 (10:02 am)
I like that song very much and now that you mention it, I do agree that it could have a place in church.
I admire the way you did not make a rash decision, but instead researched and contemplated it first.
posted by:
bawdy (
reply)
post date:
09.16.08 (11:05 am)
I'm not familiar with the song or the meaning of its lyrics, but I guess it is a good idea to pre-screen musical selections before they debut before the congregation.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
09.16.08 (3:29 pm)
I've always loved that song. Never considered it a song I'd expect to hear in a worship service, but perhaps there's a point where beauty alone qualifies it.
posted by:
pineapples (
reply)
post date:
09.16.08 (3:38 pm)
hey never heard of the song but will check it out .. i think it was a good decision on your part to research it and think about what it was saying before coming to a conclusion
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:24 pm)
Reply to: LadyG
Thanks. So often, the best decision is to think about it for a while before stating an opinion.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:25 pm)
Reply to: pineapples
Yeah, check out the song. Click on the Allison Crowe version at the beginning of my blog. It's a great song.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:26 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
To me, what makes the song appropriate for worship is the message of ultimate submission to love. The scriptures say "God is love". So I think there is proper connection.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:26 pm)
Reply to: kurtmaddox
So, you need to get your LifeChurch links working again.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:28 pm)
Reply to: bawdy
I am usually trustful of my ministry associates, and so don't do a lot of screening and direct supervision. Sometimes, because our Minister of Youth is young and inexperienced, I work a bit more closely with him. He's a fine guy, always with the best of intentions.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:29 pm)
Reply to: OldSchool
I've learned through painful experience. Rash decisions are so often poor decisions.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:30 pm)
Reply to: kurtmaddox
Black Sabbath in a Baptist church? Now, that would be interesting, and a great way to get the pastor fired.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:31 pm)
Reply to: kurtmaddox
Used to, I'd periodically check it out. Then, seems I remember, the link no longer worked. Maybe I'm dreaming. I'll give it another look.
posted by:
spook102956 (
reply)
post date:
09.17.08 (7:49 pm)
I looked up the lyrics and read hurriedly. Maybe that's the problem, I hurriedly read. But I just don't really see how it could be a worship song. I'll read it again.
posted by:
TheRockSays (
reply)
post date:
09.18.08 (1:14 pm)
Let me know when you start playing Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young in your church :)
posted by:
Barbara (
reply)
post date:
09.20.08 (6:40 pm)
Wow, this is amazing. I had never heard of Leonard Cohen until today when I heard a snippit of a song by him ("Anthem") and was so interested that I looked up the lyrics to it on the internet and ended up buying the CD today. There is one part of the song that says "There is a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in." Made me really think. And now you mention this artist. I guess you wrote this on the 16th but I didn't read it until today, the 20th. No such thing as coincidence.
