Friday, July 1, 2011

Well Maybe There's a God Above, But All I Ever Learned From Love...



One of my absolute favorite, if not favorite, songs of my lifetime is "Hallelujah" by Brandi Carlile.  I know a lot of artists have covered this song in their own way, and that it was originally a song created by Leonard Cohen, but there is something about the soulful and almost pleading way that Brandi sings this song that gets me literally every.time.  She has so much emotion to back up the lyrics that I feel as though I'm looking in on something very personal to her as she shares words on love and religion.  There is so much that can be decoded in this song, one of its greatest attributes.  The word "Hallelujah" in Hebrew translates to, "Praise God".  But when I listen to the song, I don't hear or feel a praise song.  I feel someone who is questioning, always questioning.  This is someone who has been broken. Their love, which was once hopeful, has now become stale with misuse.  
Doing some research on the song meaning, I found that in almost every verse, there is some reference to a notorious woman in the Bible.  
  • "She tied you to her kitchen chair, she broke your throne and she cut your hair" - Delilah, who cut off Sampson's locks that held his superhuman strength.
  • "You saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you" - Bathsheba, who tempted the king to kill her husband so he could have her.
  • "But remember when I moved in you and the holy dove was moving too" - This could be a reference to the divine conception and Mary.

This song is one that has gotten me through my toughest times. It's been there to help me celebrate, to help me heal, to help me feel, and to help me grow.  Although, I know it sounds far fetched to some that one song could do all of that.  

"And every breath we drew was hallelujah"

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