Hallelujah

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

Baby I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I've seen your name on the marble arch
But love is not a victory march
It's a cold and very broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the word 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 try 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
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

-Leonard Cohen, arranged by Deke Sharon

Hallelujah is another of the songs sung by my chorus. It's one of the most difficult songs we have, because the lyrics are not clear enough in meaning to convey emotion without analyzing the song before performing. As such, the first few times we tried to sing through it, we did not do very well, as few of us had any idea of what the song might mean; we were just singing the notes and words, with no emotion behind them.
All the verses of this song follow the rhyme scheme AACBBC, assuming the word "you" is pronounced "yah", followed by the chorus, which is CCCC. This rhyme scheme helps the verse end on a stronger, more powerful sound; up-tunes might have a rhyme scheme of ABAB or ACBC, which keeps the rhythm going, and maintains a steady tempo. The AACBBC rhyme scheme has the C lines at the end of several other rhymes. This makes them seem more important and more powerful, making the verse end with a stronger feeling.
Hallelujah is a very spiritual song, "hallelujah" referring to happiness and a higher power. The song is filled with the awe that the poet feels as he discovers spirituality. The first verse concerns the poet first discovering their own faith. "Not caring for music" refers to the lack of faith of the poet, while the "baffled king composing hallelujah" refers to the amazement of the poet first discovering their own spirituality (hallelujah).
The second verse refers to the spirituality of love and sexuality. "I know this room, I've walked this floor" refers to the poet having been in a sexual relationship before, while the latter part of the verse refers to love not being just a happy drive, but a difficult and spiritual journey.
The third verse is about the poet realizing there is spirituality in everything we say and do. "Taking the word in vain" is about misusing the higher power, but the poet goes on to say that there is power and spirituality in everything, regardless of what it is, or what it sounds like.
The final verse concerns the poet describing their attempts to connect with their spirituality. The first part of the verse says that whatever mistakes they may have made, they were not made because of malice. The latter part of the verse explains that despite their mistakes, they will remain faithful to their spirituality.
Hallelujah is a song full of awe and wonder. Regardless of how difficult it is to understand the emotion involved, the emotion conveyed is powerful and impressive.