'n Legendariese lied

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

 

 

Leonhard Cohen het die lied in 1984 geskryf. Sy skorstem-weergawe was vir my nog altyd spesiaal, totdat ek Jeff Buckley s'n gehoor het. Buckley is 'n jaar of wat na hierdie opname op 'n jong ouderdom dood.

Die lied is vol Bybelse verwysings (Dawid en Simson), maar dit is ook gelaai met twyfel en donkerte - soos dit in die donker, maar ook die ligte kante van Dawid en Simson se reis na vore kom. 

 

Die laaste drie reels laat 'n mens dink - aan 'n tollenaar en 'n moordenaar.  

 

Die lied van Cohen het, ironies, eers nie veel aftrek gekry nie (sy maatskappy wou dit aanvanklik nie eers uitgee nie), maar dit het uiteindelik een van die mees legendariese liedere van ons tyd geword (o.a. selfs in Shrek gespeel). 

Die lirieke van Cohen se weergawe lui:


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

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 you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don’t even know the name
But if I did, well really, what’s it to you?
There’s a blaze of light in every word
It doesn’t matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah