Hallelujah, Hallelujah for Ukulele by Leonard Cohen
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Intro [C] [Am] [C] [Am]
Verse 1
Well I've [C]heard there was a [Am]secret chord,
That [C]David played and it [Am]pleased the Lord,
But [F]you don't really [G]care for music, [C]do ya? [G]
It [C]goes like this, the [F]4th, the [G]5th,
the [Am]minor fall and the [F]major lift,
The [G]baffled king com- [E7]posing halle- [Am]lujah,
Chorus
Halle- [F]lujah, halle- [Am]lujah,
halle- [F]lujah, halle [C]lu---[G]---[C]jah
Verse 2
Your [C]faith was strong but you [Am]needed proof,
You [C]saw her bathing [Am]on the roof,
Her [F]beauty and the [G]moonlight over- [C]threw ya, [G]
She [C]tied you to her [F]kitchen [G]chair,
She [Am]broke your throne and she [F]cut your hair,
And [G]from your lips she [E7]drew the halle- [Am]lujah,
Chorus
Halle- [F]lujah, halle- [Am]lujah,
halle- [F]lujah, halle [C]lu---[G]---[C]jah
Verse 3
May [C]be there is a [Am]God above,
But [C]all I ever [Am]learned from love,
Was [F]how to shoot at [G]someone who out- [C]drew ya. [G]
And it's [C]not a cry you can [F]hear at [G]night,
It's not [Am]somebody who's [F]seen the light,
It's a [G]cold and it's a [E7]broken halle- [Am]lujah,
Chorus
Halle- [F]lujah, halle- [Am]lujah,
halle- [F]lujah, halle [C]lu---[G]---[C]jah
Verse 4
I [C]did my best, it [Am]wasn’t much,
I [C]couldn’t feel so I [Am]tried to touch,
I’ve [F]told the truth, I [G]didn’t come to [C]fool ya. [G]
And [C]even though it [F]all went [G]wrong,
I’ll [Am]stand before the [F]Lord of Song,
With [G]nothing on my [E7]tongue but halle- [Am]lujah,
Chorus
Halle- [F]lujah, halle- [Am]lujah,
halle- [F]lujah, halle [C]lu---[G]---[C]jah
Verse 5
There [C]was a time when you [Am]let me know,
What's [C]really going [Am]on below,
But [F]now you never [G]show it to me [C]do ya. [G]
Well re-[C]member when I moved [F]in with [G]you,
And the [Am]holy dove was [F]moving too,
And [G]every breath we [E7]drew was halle- [Am]lujah
Chorus
Halle- [F]lujah, halle- [Am]lujah,
halle- [F]lujah, halle [C]lu---[G]---[C]jah
Halle- [F]lujah, halle- [Am]lujah,
halle- [F]lujah, halle [C]lu---[G]---[C]jah
➡️ Learn how to play ‘Hallelujah’ in this detailed tutorial
➡️ Download our chord diagram chart
The Back Story
If there were ever a song that proved beauty can be built from struggle, it’s “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen — a track whose backstory is almost as legendary as the song itself.
This wasn’t a lightning-strike moment of inspiration. Cohen labored over ‘Hallelujah’ for years, reportedly writing dozens upon dozens of verses before settling on the version we know today. Picture him hunched over notebooks in dimly lit hotel rooms, chasing something he couldn’t quite pin down - part prayer, part poem, part confession. That restless creative process is exactly what gives the song its layered, almost mysterious emotional pull.
At first listen, ‘Hallelujah’ feels spiritual, with its biblical nods to King David and Samson. But lean in closer, and it becomes clear this isn’t a straightforward hymn. It’s a song about love, loss, doubt, and desire, all tangled together. Cohen flips the idea of a perfect ‘hallelujah’ on its head and instead offers something more relatable — a broken one. And somehow, that makes it more powerful.
In true ukulele-style storytelling fashion, the magic lies in its simplicity. The melody is gentle, the chord progression famously self-referential (‘the fourth, the fifth…’), and yet the emotional weight is huge. It’s the kind of song you can strip down to a single instrument and still feel completely immersed in its depth.
Ironically, when it first appeared on Cohen’s 1984 album Various Positions, ‘Hallelujah’ didn’t make much noise. It took years — and countless covers — for the world to catch up. Today, it’s one of the most beloved and widely performed songs ever written.
And maybe that’s the point. ‘Hallelujah’ reminds us that even imperfect voices, imperfect love, and imperfect faith can still create something timeless.