This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
From West Sessions 54th
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Baby i've been here before
I've seen this room and i've walked this floor
I used to live alone before i knew you
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
And no, love is not some victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Well there was a time when you let me know
What was really going on below
But now you never show that to me do you
But remember when i moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was hallelujah
Well, maybe there's a god above
But all i've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
It's not a cry that you hear at night
Or somebody who has seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
[Chorus]
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Baby i've been here before
I've seen this room and i've walked this floor
I used to live alone before i knew you
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
And no, love is not some victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Well there was a time when you let me know
What was really going on below
But now you never show that to me do you
But remember when i moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was hallelujah
Well, maybe there's a god above
But all i've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
It's not a cry that you hear at night
Or somebody who has seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
whoa, this changes halfway through from leonard cohen into something else...what's the deal? did she make it up, or are there verses i don't know about that she used instead of the other ones?
check that, not leonard cohen, jeff buckley
I know what you mean. I think the term is "artist interpretation" lol. Don't like when artists stray away from a song so much. BTW, you were right the first time -i t's Leonard Cohen who sang the original.
no, jeff buckley sang the lyrics i know, leonard cohen sang both the lyrics i know, and the lyrics here - and i believe he came up with these first (i did some research)... but yes, i do hate that, but some times it's cooler when they add their own into a song.
This is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. I will leave lyric-analyzing to everyone else, but I just have to say that Sheryl's version of this song moves me beyond belief.
Leonard Cohen first released this song in 1984. Jeff Buckley released his version ten years later on "Grace." It's 100% Cohen's, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Personally, Rufus Wainwright's version is my favorite, but it's always beautiful no matter who's singing it.
Atari-cait is right about the previous versions. Although I really don't like Rufus Wainwright's version, as seen in the movie "Shrek." To me, nothing beats Sheryl's voice or the stripped-down music on this version. However, the lyrics here are wrong. I don't know if Jeff Buckley changed them or if Leonard Cohen himself did, but Sheryl sings the lyrics that Buckley used. Disregard everything starting with "You say I took the name in vain" and below and substitute...
Baby i've been here before And I've seen this room and i've walked this floor I used to live alone before i knew you I've seen your flag on the marble arch And no, love is not some victory march It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Well there was a time when you let me know What's really going on below But now you never show that to me do you But remember when i moved in you And the holy dove was moving too And every breath we drew was hallelujah
Well, maybe there's a god above But all i've ever learned from love Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you It's not a cry that you hear at night Or not somebody who has seen the light It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
i've never heard this, so you're probably right about her singing the version that buckley sings, but leonard cohen originally wrote the song with THESE lyrics, and then he himself changed them on later occasions.
amazing; i'm not a big fan of sheryl crow but she performs this song beautifully.... her voice is so beautiful.
i have to add that this song is BEAUTIFUL and enchanting and what i love is that whenever anyone does a cover of it be it Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright or Sheryl Crow... the meaning of the song changes and you see a beauty to it that you havent seen before.