Everyone knows the classic song “Hallelujah,” but you haven’t heard it like this before.
Sailor Jerri is a Navy veteran who loves singing, and she recently posted a video of her own version of “Hallelujah.”
In the video, which has since gone viral for her insightful lyrics and beautiful voice, Sailor Jerri changes the lyrics to the classic song as a way to honor veterans.
You will be hooked by the opening lines:
“You packed your bags and shut the door. You crossed the sea to fight a war. You didn’t know just what would happen to ya.”
She continues:
“Stepped in the dirt, boots on the ground and gunfire was the only sound and to yourself you whispered ‘Hallelujah.’”
The chorus of “Hallelujah” remains the same as in the original. Sailor Jerri clears her throat briefly before moving onto the next verse.
“Every day and every night, you walked the walk, you fought the fight. You never saw the end in sight, now did ya? The days awash in a haze of red, the blood, the mud, too many dead. Your weary soul was crying, Hallelujah.”
After another chorus, her rendition continues:
“Too late to help, you hear a shot. You know you’re in a deadly spot. You never though this day would come now did ya? Your brother falls down to the ground. The enemy is all around. From your lips you scream a Hallelujah.”
The final verse is just as insightful, showing exactly how veterans must maintain an internal fight when they return home.
“You fought the fight till it was done, you have the strength to carry on. You thought it’d be much better back home did ya? You try each day, keep pushing through. But the battle lives inside of you. It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.”
Sailor Jerri’s rendition of “Hallelujah” for veterans has become so popular, that she ended up sharing a free download of the audio file on her website.
She has also since posted a more polished rendition of the song on YouTube.
That video is truly touching, as it includes images Sailor Jerri received from Armed Forces members, showing the deep connection military personnel feel with the song.
While “Hallelujah” may be the best known of Sailor Jerri’s music, she also has numerous videos where she performs other songs. Jerri has also been working on learning to play the guitar so she can accompany herself.
Her most recent YouTube video, where she plays and sings “Every Rose,” shows Jerri is learning quickly.
It is refreshing watching and listening to Sailor Jerri’s videos since she doesn’t feel the need to be perfect. As she explains on her website:
“Although I’ve always loved to sing, I recently started to learn to play the guitar, and I post those messy unedited videos! I feel that music is therapeutic and everyone should learn to play. I hope that seeing my struggles to learn, and seeing the progress I’ve made will encourage others to take the time and spend the time and energy.”
Sailor Jerri recently released a single titled “Strong” and has no plans of stopping making music anytime soon.
Of course, she has no expectations to do anything that compares to “Hallelujah” again, although she would love to.
On her website, she let fans know:
“Everyone asks me what is next… Where do I go, and what do I write? That put me under a lot of pressure until I realized the impact this song has had on veterans, and active duty. Mothers are listening and remembering their sons, wives connect better with their combat veterans because of this song, daughters listen to it and remember their dads, and men and women who wear or have worn the uniform listen to it and remember people they have lost. I can not top this. […] So the only pressure I have is wondering if I did them justice. So I’ll keep writing and making music. As long as they want to listen, I’ll keep singing.”
We’ll certainly keep our eyes open for more music from Sailor Jerri in the future.
She wrote a version of "Hallelujah" dedicated to the military. Listen closely to the lyrics…
Credit: Sailor Jerri
Posted by Spotlight on Tuesday, 15 August 2017
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