Hallelujah – English Lyrics

• By: Nicolas Pritchenko

Lyrics & Translation

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.