Author Topic: Valhalla! (Sung to the tune of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen) (Read 2419 times)

Son of the Norse · « **on:** November 17, 2016, 12:41:16 am »

As the title of the post says;

VALHALLA
(sung to the tune of 'hallelujah' by Leonard Cohen)

I heard there was an ancient lore,
that Odin lived, and fathered Thor;
but you really don't care for the truth, now do ya?
He hung for days,
not 8, but 9
he gave his eye so he might find,
the power of the runes, oh Valhalla

Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla

Your faith was strong, but wasn't true
you heard his wisdom calling you;
his knowledge and his presence, over through ya.
His ravens flew
across the air,
and brought him tales
of everywhere;
and from your lips you cried; oh Valhalla

Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla

You think I take "gods" name in vain,
but you don't speak his true name
and even if I did, well whats it to ya?
You really thought
my soul was lost,
but my spirit will travel
along Bifrost;
I've reached my end at last, oh Valhalla.

Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla

I've lived my life, what did I gain
see my battles and count the slain,
I know the truth, I didn't want to fool ya.
Even though my yarns
seem tall,
I'll be fighting in Odin's hall
'till Ragnarok comes, oh Valhalla

Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla

Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla

Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla
Valhalla

**hope you enjoyed the song!!!

Sefiru · « **Reply #1 on:** November 17, 2016, 06:44:14 pm »

Quote from: Son of the Norse;199148

**hope you enjoyed the song!!!

A timely choice

I've got to say, "Hallelujah" seems to be a difficult song to adapt. The original is one of the few Leonard Cohen songs that I ... appreciate (I don't think the listener is supposed to "enjoy" it); IMO its impact comes from its unusual tone which is really hard to nail down.

F'ex, the cover by Pentatonix that was released recently: I'm normally a fan of their work, but their version was way too upbeat.

I ... don't think you quite nailed it either. Your lyrics convey a sense of confidence (maybe arrogance?) that doesn't mesh well with the original melody.

Yeah, I have Opinions about "Hallelujah".

(Also note: 'Valhalla' doesn't quite scan with 'Hallelujah', so you might want to put an extra "oh" in all those lines.)

Son of the Norse · « **Reply #2 on:** November 17, 2016, 06:59:03 pm »

Quote from: Sefiru;199172

A timely choice

I ... don't think you quite nailed it either. Your lyrics convey a sense of confidence (maybe arrogance?) that doesn't mesh well with the original melody.

Yeah, I have Opinions about "Hallelujah".

(Also note: 'Valhalla' doesn't quite scan with 'Hallelujah', so you might want to put an extra "oh" in all those lines.)

Thanks for your opinions. I wrote it as I typed it...took me about 2 minutes so I didn't put a lot of thought in it. I wasn't trying to convey anything (except that I like Norse legends) when i made up the lyrics; just replace the original ones (what ever they are). When I sang it (while I typed) I just prolonged the Vaaaaalhalla during those portions and it sounded great to me (especially after 6 or 7 drinks) LOL. I do agree though that the one time i wrote "Oh Valhalla" it sounded much better.

Regardless; thanks for reading it;)