"Hallelujah"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the song "Hallelujah," written by Leonard Cohen from the album Various Positions, which was released in December 1984. It describes the lyrics and the tone of the song, as well as the themes that it includes. The paper also mentions the various artists who have performed the song, as well as the movies that it has appeared in.

From the Paper:

"Usually for Cohen, the lyrics, are multilayered, in addition to being metaphorical; one line refers to King David as "the baffled king", an indication to David's confusion, but also to his title "the Battle King". Another example of a biblical reference is the line "she broke your throne and she cut your hair" is likely referring to the story of Samson who delivered the Israelites from the Philistines. His hair is the source of his strength, this story is taken from the Book of Judges. You might say that these lines in the song depict specific gender roles for both men and women. For David, whose downfall was the beautiful Bathsheba and Samson whose ultimate downfall was his trust in Delilah and telling her, the secret of his strength. It is commonly known that Samson is something of a Herculean figure, who was granted incredible strength to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats unattainable by ordinary men: "wrestling a lion, slaying an entire army with nothing more than a donkey's jawbone, and tearing down an entire building" by pushing the pillars out from underneath it. This depicts Samson as having a specific gender role, as being a mighty warrior and David as being the "the Battle King"."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hallelujah. Mar. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation. Inc. 27 Mar. 2007<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallelujah_(song)>
• Samson. Mar. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation. Inc. 27 Mar. 2007<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson>

More papers on "Hallelujah":

• Analytical Essay # 124127 : "Halleluja Chorus"

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