“My cup runneth over.” – David
Many who love Leonard Cohen and his most famous song, “Hallelujah,” are not aware that the song is a STORY SONG about the biblical character of David.
David is a religious figure for billions of people on the planet; he is, for sure, a historical figure; and he’s considered in this essay as a literary character, mostly.
Leonard called David, who lived three thousand years ago, “the first modern writer,” as the writer of the Psalms, which are songs and poems. There is no doubt that David wrote many (not all) of the Psalms, which were later heavily revised many times by other hands.
He also played what we would think of as the guitar, was a poor shepherd boy as a child (who later became king), slew the giant Goliath with a slingshot when he was a child in one of the most famous stories of all time, so famous that now it even gets made into Disney movies; and fell in love with Bathsheba; fell so hard and so fast when he saw her bathing on the roof below him that he had her husband sent into battle soon after at the front of the ranks so he would be killed, which he was. Knocking out (permanently) Goliath with the little stone and slingshot, then cutting off his head for all the armies to see, then confiscating his armor, helmet, and shield and placing them in his own tent were all WAR; but when David killed Bathsheba’s husband, it was murder. Therefore, one of the undersongs of Leonard Cohen’s most famous song is a murderous crime of passion. “Thou art the man” is a famous phrase that was used against David by a prophet later when he was accused of the crime he was indeed guilty of; David admitted his guilt and showed more authentic sorrow and genuine remorse than most people are capable of imagining.
Leonard Cohen always talked about his most famous song in non-monetary terms. Everyone always wanted to know how much dough Cohen had made from the song, and he always said he didn’t know and didn’t care, because he didn’t even believe he was owed money for the song, since it was, and is, a universal human thing. There are those who will scoff, but I believe him that he didn’t know and didn’t care. Next, there are those who will immediately opine that he should have donated all the money to charity in an official capacity. But that is just one more way of worshiping the Golden Calf. Stop worrying about it.
David was the original author of what became one of the most famous English-language poems of all time in the KJV, Psalm 23. As with many phrases in Poe’s “The Raven” or Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy, millions or billions have heard the words who have no idea what the words mean.
As with Leonard Cohen’s story-song “Hallelujah,” which is a song about him, David’s poem-song that came to be called “Psalm 23” is also a story-song and story-poem, about a poor shepherd boy guarding his flock. (It would later influence someone else, who said: “I am the Good Sheperd.”)
The famous first line is: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
“My cup runneth over,” “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,” and “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever,” are just a few of the phrases from this 55-word story-poem that “everyone” has heard.
The context of the character and the situation in the story-poem are what make it really meaningful.
The speaker of the poem is a boy given the job of guarding the sheep from wolves and thieves.
In other words, there are enemies out there, lurking, watching, waiting, hiding, deciding.
No one knows exactly when David wrote the poem, but one thing is known: he wrote it after he’d been through much suffering and many tribulations and life-threatening trials, like the times he had to go on the run to save his own skin.
In other words, he wrote it while he was in great danger, or AFTER he had been in great danger, not when things were easy and cush. The simple curse of the modern world for billions of people is that they have grown too comfortable and don’t have to do anything in the real sense of doing something, which does not, by any means, always involve earning money (or not earning money).
As Leonard Cohen sang, echoing David, and making Leonard Cohen himself a literal heir of David, “AND EVEN THOUGH IT ALL WENT WRONG, I’LL STAND BEFORE THE LORD OF SONG, WITH NOTHING ON MY TONGUE BUT HALLELUJAH.”
Genuinely praising the world, like David and Leonard did, despite all (despite all), in one’s own way, is doing something, especially now.
All real art is praise, even the darkest.
Anything you have an authentic, individualized passion for, that doesn’t directly harm others (and isn’t directly driven by commercial self-interest), is also praise.
Nothing more is needed; or expected.
A truly fine essay, Dale. Not sure how many folks know about the link between David and Cohen. I sure didn’t. The 23rd Psalm is a beautiful piece of writing, both haunting and comforting. And “All real art is praise…” is itself a memorable line.
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Thank you, David, for letting me know that you liked that line. It was one of my own personal mantras before it became a line in this essay.
I tried to do justice in prose to Mr. Cohen and his mysterious song that has inspired so many of us!
Dale
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Dale
This is a first rate examination of a great song. There are a lot of intriguing moments here. For one, I wonder what people who know nothing of the baffled king think it is about? And there are some who consider it one the ditties from the Great American Songbook, neglecting to note that LC was a Canadian. Regardless, always a great song.
Also, I hope readers check out the other work you have up today on Saragun Springs today.
Leila
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Leila
My guess is that many listeners (of whatever gender) see themselves as the baffled king, which is probably exactly as Cohen intended it. On the other hand, Cohen himself often directly spoke of David both in relation to this song and in other contexts. When one knows “the story behind the story,” I think the song takes on new (and deeper) meaning/s. There will be many (or most) who still don’t care (and they are not the ones this essay was written for).
Thank you for all your Constant Support, a primary reason this was written is because of our mutual interest in Leonard!
Dale
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Hi DWB
David, a worthy subject for your excellent writing. The guy was at war for a long time and still found the ink and the papyrus.
“A man after God’s own heart…” Even with his great sin, this says a lot about God and David.
What a courageous person! A remorseful person, too, who gives even the worst of us hope of finding God’s house again.
Great stuff!
CJA
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Thank you, CJA.
And you and I both know who said, “I am the Good Shepherd.”
Dale
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A genuinely thought-provoking essay that really gets to the heart of what writing is, for if a poem, song, story, or any kind of ode, isn’t to protect us from danger (be it real or imagined), then I don’t know what it’s for.
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Paul
That is a great thought, a truly-felt piece of writing is like a talisman for both its writer and its reader.
Dale
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Hi Dale,
There is a musical family tree that starts from religion onto classical and then onto most music. You have picked one of the best!
Cohen is one of my favourites. It was ‘Hallelujah’ that made me seek out more of his work. It is one of his best. (‘Everyone Knows’ is my number one though!)
I do find it hysterical that a lot of the heavier rockers believe that the music they are listening to is more from Auld Nick!! Maybe the lyrics, but any music goes right back to when it was first initiated and that is nowhere near the twentieth century!!
No matter what or where or when or whom, music is something that we all should enjoy in all its glory!!
Informative, interesting and intelligent as always!!
All the very best my fine friend.
Hugh
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Hugh
I remembered from your past commentary that Cohen is one of your favorites, which was not forgotten when this essay was penned for LS. We share a mutual regard for “Everyone Knows,” too.
My favorite Cohen ALBUM might be “Ten New Songs,” which he made in his garage with Sharon Robinson (and no one else). (There are a lot of Buddhist monks who use the album to help with their meditation.)
“Show Me the Place” and “Going Home” are two newer (late career) great Cohen songs.
Thanks for all your great work as always.
Dale
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A wonderfully informative essay about one of my favourites: singer, writer and song. If I was to list my Cohen favourites, it would probably include just about anything that he ever penned, but then Hallelujah has to stand as one of the ‘very special’ ones. I admit that the lines about bathing on the roof and the kitchen chair puzzled me for a long time. For me, that didn’t fit with my ideas about King David, but then I just thought, don’t try to analyse it, you don’t have the brain power, just accept. But you have certainly proved here yet again that you most certainly do have the brain power and can not only analyse it but then explain it in a clear and accessible way. Thank you – dd
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Thank you, Diane.
As with Leila and Hugh, I remembered that Cohen is one of your favorites which is one reason why I wrote this essay specifically for LS. Thanks for giving me the chance!
I think my ability to be clear and accessible (such as it is) comes from my 23 years of trying to do so for all of my students. I did not always succeed at that, but I did try, usually (most days).
Dale
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Hallelujah! Indeed, thanks for writing this perspective. Cohen references “the secret chord” at the beginning of the song…. David’s harp. I think he also references Samson and Delilah in the song. He notes and expresses in his lyrics that even Biblical figures are taken by passion…… spiritual searching and human desire overlap and become part of one another. We all have different sides but have to integrate them somehow, or else the shadow side gets out of control. When I was eleven years old my friend’s brother put on a record, songs with a combination of lyrics and melody and emotion I’d never heard before, this was Cohen’s “Suzanne.” Also religious themed, and about desire and being human. Since I’d mostly listened to country western before that, this changed my outlook on music considerably!
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