Leonard Cohen estate may sue RNC for unauthorized use of “Hallelujah”

The Leonard Cohen estate is “exploring legal options” after the Republican National Convention (RNC) used “Hallelujah” without authorization during their fireworks finale on Thursday night. A Sony rep said that an official request for the song had been made beforehand by the Republican National Committee and the estate declined, but the RNC used it anyway. They suggested that they may have allowed the Republicans to use the song “You Want It Darker” if that had been requested.

Following the repeated unauthorized use of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” during two performances at the Republican…

Posted by Leonard Cohen on Friday, August 28, 2020

Here are the lyrics for “You Want It Darker” by Leonard Cohen:

“If you are the dealer, I’m out of the game
If you are the healer, it means I’m broken and lame
If thine is the glory then mine must be the shame
You want it darker
We kill the flame Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name
Vilified, crucified, in the human frame
A million candles burning for the help that never came
You want it darker
I’m ready, my lord There’s a lover in the story
But the story’s still the same
There’s a lullaby for suffering
And a paradox to blame
But it’s written in the scriptures
And it’s not some idle claim
You want it darker
We kill the flame They’re lining up the prisoners
And the guards are taking aim
I struggled with some demons
They were middle class and tame
I didn’t know I had permission to murder and to maim
You want it…”

For more about Leonard Cohen, please visit his official website.

---

For the latest news updates, please visit our News section.