Hallelujah Chords: The Leonard Cohen Song Every Guitarist Plays

"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, popularized worldwide by Jeff Buckley's 1994 cover, is the song every guitarist eventually plays at a wedding, a funeral, or a kitchen sing-along. The verse uses chords Cohen literally names in the lyric: "It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift." That's C, F, G, Am, F. The whole song is built from those few chords.

The Chords

In the most common acoustic key (C major):

• C major
• Am
• F major
• G major
• Em
• E7 (used in the bridge)

The verse: C-Am-C-Am-F-G-C-G. The pre-chorus: F-G-Em-Am, F-G-E7-Am.

If you can avoid the F barre, use Fmaj7 or the easier 4-string F (Mini-F). The song's mood doesn't suffer from the simpler chord.

The Strumming Pattern

The song is in 6/8 or 12/8 time. The strum: down-down-up-down-up-down for each bar, accented on beats 1 and 4. Slow, lilting, like a waltz with extra room.

About 60 BPM at the dotted-quarter pulse, or 180 BPM if counting eighth notes. Either way: slow.

The Lyric Reference

The verse where Cohen names the chord progression is one of the most self-referential lyrics in pop music. He sings: "It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift."

• "The fourth" = F (the IV chord)
• "The fifth" = G (the V chord)
• "The minor fall" = Am (the vi chord, falling from G)
• "The major lift" = F (back to the IV, lifting)

The progression literally enacts what the lyric describes. Cohen wrote a song about songwriting.

Common Mistakes

• Treating it as a strumming song. Hallelujah needs space. Each chord rings for two slow beats. Don't fill the silence.
• The wrong F shape. If your F is buzzy, the song stops working. Use Mini-F or Fmaj7 instead.
• Rushing the bridge. The Em-Am move in the bridge needs the same slow tempo as the verse. Don't speed up.

FAQ: Hallelujah Questions

What key is "Hallelujah" in?

Most acoustic versions are in C major. Cohen's original is in C; Jeff Buckley's cover is also C. Some performers transpose to G or D for vocal range.

Whose version of "Hallelujah" should I learn?

The chord progression is the same for nearly every version. The key may differ. Pick whichever vocal you want to sing along with.

Is the F chord necessary?

F appears multiple times. Use Fmaj7 or Mini-F as substitutes if the full barre is too much. The song still works.

What's the time signature?

6/8 or 12/8. The waltz feel is part of the song's character.

How do I learn the picking version?

Most acoustic versions strum. Some fingerstyle arrangements pick the chords as broken arpeggios. For learning, strum first; add fingerstyle later.