I received this video this morning from a friend that is good friends with Vicente.
The first verse of the song starts like this:
"I've heard there was a secret chord that David played, and it pleased the Lord."
This line in the lyrics introduces King David, and it mentions the sacred chord that David played on his harp. When David was a little boy, King Saul summoned him to play his harp, believing that the divine music would repel evil spirits from him.
In fact, it was David's skill as a musician that earned him a spot in the royal court, so it was his first step in uniting the Jewish people and rising to power.
What does this line mean?
"But you don't really care for music, do you?"
David suddenly remembers who he's speaking to, and he realizes that God isn't all that impressed by performances.
The second line goes into the chords that make up the harmonic progression of the melody. The references are "the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift."
There is some controversy about the lyric "the baffled king composing Hallelujah." Many critics believe the word should have been "battled," but "baffled" is nevertheless the correct lyric.
The use of the word "baffled" symbolizes David's role as the protagonist in a complex story about how he falls short of being "chosen by God." David was baffled that he was chosen by God but still struggled with basic human urges. After all, David committed murder and adultery, so he was a deeply flawed human being.
He was also baffled when he began to live for himself instead of for God.
The second verse is about David's faith. "Your faith was strong but you needed proof." When David saw Bathsheba bathing on the roof, it tested his faith because he knew that he was making a huge mistake in coveting this woman who belonged to another man.
Next, comes the somewhat confusing lyrics:
"She tied you to a kitchen chair, She broke your throne, and she cut your hair."
The chair symbolized the fall of King David because a chair is in a much lower position than a throne. Cutting David's hair symbolizes David's loss of power, but ultimately the strength that Bathsheba gained when her son, Solomon, was appointed as king.
Also, the cutting of hair refers to the Biblical Delilah, who became friends with Samson so that she could learn the secrets of his strength. She convinced Samson to cut his hair, and it turns out that the secret to his strength was his glorious hair.
Verse 3 goes into "I took the name in vain," and asks the question "what's it to you?" This probably symbolizes David taking the Lord's name in vain and then denying that he was ever truly very faithful to begin with. Also, he ultimately made his choices, right or wrong, so it was irrelevant.
The next line of the third verse says that "there's a blaze of light in every word, It doesn't matter which you heard, The holy or the broken Hallelujah."
This line indicates that behind every word or action, there is always a glimmer of hope. The "holy or the broken" means either the true faith in God, or the broken faith.
Verse 4 brings us to "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."
Because David lost the feeling of love, he resorted to touching. This indicates that his motivations were quite shallow. However, he indicates that he is telling the truth, at least, and isn't trying to pretend he's something he's not.
In the end, David stands "before the lord of song, with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah." David acknowledges that "it all went wrong," but he is standing by the fact that he made his choices and he is throwing himself before the mercy of God as he praises the Lord.
