Oft-performed recent versions have sanitized and Christianized the lyrics, in part because it has such a compelling melody, but at base the words are about love and sex and loss and that redemptive quality in human nature that produces broken hallelujahs even under dire circumstances.
I was reminded of it Saturday when Rabbi Angela Buchdahl used the melody as the setting for a Psalm during a memorial tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg during morning Rosh Hashanah services at Central Synagogue in Manhattan. That seemed appropriate for a woman who specialized in hallelujah. Here's the Buckley version:
Post a Comment