Hallelujah if just a word, not a religious passage.
You just might as well take the word ‘the” as religious for its many uses in religious books.

This shows a real misunderstanding of the difference between religion and spirituality, but isn’t uncommon among zealous Christians without a more broad, deep and more accommodating view of spirituality in general.

It shouldn’t really need to be stated, but spirituality predates Christianity, and many ancient myths/ ideas/ stories were incorporated into the bible. Cohen had a deep understanding of religion and spirituality.

This song. aside from being a pointed juxtaposition of the carnal and the spiritual, is a beautiful, ingeniously wrought, deeply moving, multi-layered, wryly self deprecating and darkly humorous look at several subjects simultaneously, not the least of which, in spite of the obvious biblical allusions, is the recognition of spirituality as being a larger ground upon which various religions stand.

Like most great songs or poems, there is enough ambiguity that there are many valid readings, many of which have been explored here and elsewhere.

The song is a recognition of the spirituality and holiness in such human or “profane” things as the writing of a song, sex, an orgasm, trying or even failing to love or be loved, and the joy inherent in the miracle of life and consciousness in spite of our pain or imperfection.

The secular use of the word “hallelujah” equates to a “thank you” for or acknowledgement of the miracle of life and consciousness, and is not at all dependent on there being a “God” as such.

Cohen often spent a lot of time on, and often returned repeatedly to a particular work to refine it before being ready to consider it “finished”. His son Adam said that There were eighty four verses written for this song over ten years.

The verses we hear were partly chosen by John Cale when he was working on his version and Leonard faxed him fifteen pages of lyrics, from which he claimed to have picked the most “Cheeky”. Leonard himself mostly hewed to these in his subsequent versions as well. I’ve also read that melodically Jeff Buckley was influenced by the John Cale version, and that these versions then influenced subsequent versions by Cohen.

I’ve heard that one of the themes he claimed to be writing about was songwriting itself. I find it amusing that the very first line is, “Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord, That David played, and it pleased the Lord” -Which secret he then cheekily proceeds to tell us in the very notes.
It also seems to me that the line”The baffled king composing Hallelujah” perfectly encapsulates the feeling
that songwriters frequently describe of a song feeling as if it came to them miraculously.

Another thing that occurs to me that I’ve never seen anyone mention is regarding the lines
“She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah”
These lines are often interpreted as indicating betrayal or violence, but once again, beyond the obvious biblical references, I tend to read them as more likely indicating the need to be vulnerable and surrender some of your power and control in order to properly share in a truly ecstatic sexual experience.

There are two people who have done justice in singing it. Cohen himself and Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night live. No child has the foundation to sing it and the Pentatonix failed at it.