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Are there any covers of Hallelujah, other than Bob Dylan's or Bono's, that contain the verse:

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


Most covers seem to omit this verse. Or are there any covers of the original version of the song that appeared on Various Positions?

Thanks!

Muad'Dib asked:
>Are there any covers of Hallelujah, other than Bob Dylan's or Bono's, that contain the verse:
>
>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
>
>Most covers seem to omit this verse. Or are there any covers of the original version of the song that appeared on Various Positions?


Welcome, and thank you for an interesting debut post. A considerable number of Leonard Cohen boffins pop in and out of here, so I'm going to keep an eye on this post and see if you are lucky enough to corner one of them.

Geoffrey

PS:
I have neither a suspicious nor an analytical nature, but I am wondering if "I told the truth, I didn't come to fool you," could be construed as rhetoric designed to put into fancy dress the nakedness of a harsh fact. For what is "I didn't come to fool you" if not a disguised way of declaring "I didn't come to lie to you"? Are listeners so naïve as to swallow such word trickery? And 'you' wouldn't even have rhymed with the last syllable of 'hallelujah' had it not been cunningly corrupted into a verbal 'ya' by this cheating songsmith. Then: "you're faith was strong but you needed proof," the composer writes - but how can one possess strong faith if one needs proof? And one last question: in 'Total Recall' Schwarzenegger lifts a weapon and shoots his wife between the eyes after she tries to pull a gun on him. "Consider that a divorce!" - he quips. Is this what inspired Leonard to write: "The only thing I ever learned from love is how to shoot at someone who outdrew ya!" Just asking, that's all.

Geoffrey wrote:

Welcome, and thank you for an interesting debut post. A considerable number of Leonard Cohen boffins pop in and out of here, so I'm going to keep an eye on this post and see if you are lucky enough to corner one of them.

Geoffrey

What do you mean?

And I felt sure that if anyone could answer this question it'd be the people here... I'll try it in another section of the forum, maybe I'll have more luck. Perhaps that is what you meant, Geoffery?

Muad'Dib wrote:
I felt sure that if anyone could answer this question it'd be the people here... I'll try it in another section of the forum, maybe I'll have more luck. Perhaps that is what you meant, Geoffery?


Well, don't expect too much from these bone-idle swines in any section, Maud. These folks are not exactly the intelligentsia, I'm afraid. I have a natural flair for encouraging responses but trying to get these deadlegs out from their soporific stupors is not easy, even for me.

Leonard sings this verse on the version he performs on The Essential LC CD. At least I think this is where he includes this verse. I've heard the song many times in several versions by LC on different albums and don't remember exactly where which one is. Also, look for the lyrics on this website and I think you will find the different versions.

Welcome to the forum.