In search of the “Secret Chord” . . .

It's the Satyr's day … and it's “Fat Bear Season” in Colorado. Here in Okieland forecasts indicate today to be the last heat-hammer day of the season as the Fall Equinox arrives tomorrow morning at 7:45 a.m.

Today is Leonard Cohen's birth date. The poet, novelist, composer, singer/songwriter was born in the 1934 Montreal anglophone enclave of Westmount, Quebec

The Buddha taught that all of us, at our essence, are good and loving. Because of this basic goodness, we naturally want to be there for others, especially those who are closest to us and those who are in the greatest need. We are keenly aware that others need us, and that our society and the planet as a whole need us, especially now. We want to do what we can to alleviate the fear, anger, and painful groundlessness that so many of us are experiencing these days. But what often happens when we try to help is that we find our own confusion and habitual tendencies getting in the way. – Pema Chödrön, Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World, Shambhala Press, 2020.

Leonard Cohen has become an icon for many around the world. While many of his songs are considered on a long list of favorites, “Hallelujah” remains legendary. The song opens with an inigmatic verse:

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 ya?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing "Hallelujah"

The “Secret Chord” from 'Hallelujah' has been recently and lovingly deconstructed in a post by guitarist James Hargreaves. You'll have to click out of the commercial interruptions, but it's a worthy few minutes. Also below is a link to Cohen's live version of the song.

Because there are many of us who've "been there," there have been many attempts to cover this song about God's love in the context of overwhelming grief. None, in my experience have ever come close to Cohen's own share, for reasons which are apparent in the rendering recorded in London. You may need a tissue.