Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

Overview

Key: C major · Meter: 6/8 · Core harmony: I – vi with a IV – V lift and a V/vi turn

This page covers Leonard Cohen's original recording. Many well-known covers are performed in other keys. The official sheet music, Hooktheory and ChordU all put Cohen's version in C major, and Hooktheory notes the 6/8 meter that gives the song its rocking, waltz-like feel. The top-rated Ultimate Guitar chart uses a capo on fret 5 with G-shape chords; this page shows everything at concert pitch (G → C, Em → Am, C → F, D → G, B7 → E7).

How to read this page: chord symbols come from the sources listed under Sources & Accuracy. Where sources report different chords for the same spot, the visualizer shows every reported version so you can compare them by ear. Consecutive repeats of the same chord are shown once. The piano voicings are our arrangement of the reported chord symbols, not a note-for-note transcription.

Where the sources differ

Spot	Ultimate Guitar	ChordU
Verse, chord before the final Am	E7	E

E and E7 share the same root, third and fifth. E7 adds a D on top, which strengthens the pull to Am. Auto-detection software often leaves 7ths out. ChordU also lists a Dm chord that no other source reports.

Song form

The top-rated Ultimate Guitar chart has four verses. The first three end with the refrain progression, and an outro repeats the refrain progression several times after the fourth. Hooktheory's analysis matches: its Verse begins C – Am (I – vi), and its Chorus is F – Am – F – C – G (IV – vi – IV – I – V).

Harmonic notes

• I ↔ vi: the verse rocks between C and Am. The two chords share two notes (C and E), so the change sounds gentle.
• IV – V lift: F – G moves the harmony upward, then C – F – G repeats the lift.
• E7, the secondary dominant (V/vi): E7 contains G♯, which isn't in C major. It acts as the dominant of Am and pulls strongly into the A minor that follows. It's the most dramatic moment in each verse.
• Refrain: F – Am – F – C – G – C circles the tonic with IV and vi before the final V – I.

Practice tips

1. Count the 6/8 as two big beats (1-2-3 4-5-6) and play gentle broken chords.
2. Keep the right hand around middle C. C, Am and F all share notes, so your hand barely moves.
3. Compare E7 and E in the verse to hear how the added D sharpens the pull into Am.