Hallelujah – English Lyrics

• By: Nicolas Pritchenko

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I heard there was a secret chord

That David played and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really careful music, do you?

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

I heard there was a secret chord

That David played and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really careful music, do you?

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Hallelujah /ˌhælɪˈluːjə/ C1	noun - A cry of 'praise the Lord' or a musical composition based on such a cry.
chord /kɔːrd/ B1	noun - A group of three or more notes sounded together, as a basis of harmony.
secret /ˈsiːkrət/ A2	adjective - Kept hidden or known about by only a few people. noun - Something that is kept hidden or private.
pleased /pliːzd/ A2	verb - To make someone feel happy or satisfied (past participle of 'please'). adjective - Feeling happy or satisfied.
Lord /lɔːrd/ B1	noun - A master or ruler. (In this context, God).
careful /ˈkerfl/ A2	adjective - Exercising caution or prudence.
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A1	noun - The art of arranging sounds in time to produce a composition using melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
minor /ˈmaɪnər/ B1	adjective - Lesser in importance, seriousness, or significance. adjective - (Of a scale or key) having a semitone between the second and third notes and the fifth and sixth notes, giving a darker or more melancholic sound. noun - A musical scale, interval, or key.
major /ˈmeɪdʒər/ B1	adjective - Important, serious, or significant. adjective - (Of a scale or key) having a semitone between the third and fourth notes and the seventh and eighth notes, giving a brighter, more uplifting sound. noun - A musical scale, interval, or key.
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - To move downwards, typically rapidly and freely without support. noun - An act of falling or collapsing. (Musical sense): A descending sequence of notes.
lift /lɪft/ A2	verb - To raise to a higher position or level. noun - An act of lifting. (Musical sense): An ascending sequence of notes.
baffled /ˈbæfld/ B2	adjective - Totally bewildered or perplexed. verb - To totally bewilder or perplex (past participle of 'baffle').
king /kɪŋ/ A1	noun - The male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth.
composing /kəmˈpoʊzɪŋ/ B1	verb - To write or create (a piece of music, poetry, or art) (present participle of 'compose').
heard /hɜːrd/ A1	verb - To perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something) (past participle of 'hear').
played /pleɪd/ A1	verb - To engage in (an activity) for enjoyment and recreation. (Musical sense): To perform (a piece of music) on an instrument (past participle of 'play').
David /ˈdeɪvɪd/ B1	proper noun - A common male given name, famously the name of the biblical king.

Key Grammar Structures

• I heard there was a secret chord

  ➔ Existential "there" (past simple)

  ➔ The phrase ""there was"" is an existential construction indicating the presence or existence of something in the past.

• That David played and it pleased the Lord

  ➔ Relative clause (defining/restrictive)

  ➔ The phrase ""That David played"" is a relative clause, introduced by ""that"", providing essential information about the 'chord'.

• But you don't really careful music, do you?

  ➔ Tag question

  ➔ ""do you?"" is a tag question, used at the end of a statement to ask for confirmation or to invite a response.

• It goes like this

  ➔ "Like" as a preposition

  ➔ The word ""like"" is used here as a preposition meaning 'in the manner of' or 'similar to', indicating how something happens.

• The fourth, the fifth

  ➔ Definite article with ordinal numbers

  ➔ ""The"" is used before ""fourth"" and ""fifth"" because they refer to specific degrees in a musical scale, acting as nouns.

• The baffled king composing Hallelujah

  ➔ Present participle phrase (reduced relative clause)

  ➔ ""composing Hallelujah"" is a present participle phrase that modifies 'king', acting as a reduced relative clause (e.g., 'who was composing Hallelujah').

• The baffled king

  ➔ Past participle as an adjective

  ➔ ""baffled"" is the past participle of the verb 'to baffle', used here as an adjective to describe the state of the 'king'.

• That David played and it pleased the Lord

  ➔ Coordinating conjunction "and"

  ➔ ""and"" is a coordinating conjunction used to connect two clauses or ideas that are grammatically equal and add information.