每一種心情，都能找到一首歌曲詮釋，今天，或更正確的說，這星期以來，腦裏一直想著《哈利路亞》 (Hallelujah) 。

加拿大詩人作家歌手李歐納科恩 (Leonard Cohen) 的歌曲，有詩詞的雋永，更有對生命論文的沈思反省。科恩的《哈利路亞》有 15 個不同歌詞原版，我愛 1984 年版的誠懇真摯，透過詩詞勾勒畫面及聖經隱喻，表達對宗教與愛情的信念、渴望、失落及哀嘆，有懺悔、也是救贖 ； 1994 年科恩再版新詞，少了宗教味，加重對愛情渴望。也是大師的英國威爾斯搖滾歌手約翰凱爾（ John Cale ），對新版歌詞的普及及樂曲伴奏多元化，居功至偉。一串歌手樂師，以自己唱腔、特殊演奏方式，詮釋《哈利路亞》。

Rufus Wainwright 及英年早逝的 Jeff Buckley 是我喜歡的兩版唱法， Wainwright 嗓音有吟唱之美， Buckley 高音顫抖憑添淒涼傷感。

千禧年後，科恩開放《哈利路亞》版權，供慈善募款使用。一首近四分之一世紀前創作的歌曲，現在多見於悲劇詠嘆感傷氛圍。或許吧，「哈利路亞」本就無所不在， 凡人只在哀傷時，才特別渴望。

" Hallelujah " By Leonard Cohen

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

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

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

###

***

1994 version lyrics:

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Baby I’ve 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 flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march.

It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah

Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know

What’s really going on below

But now you never show it to me, do you?

I remember when I moved in you

And the holy dove was moving too

And every breath we drew was hallelujah

Hallelujah

Maybe there’s a God above, all I ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who out drew you

And it’s not a cry you can hear at night

It’s not somebody who’s seen the light

It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

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