Christmas Noir: A Broken Hallelujah
It’s cold out there, brother.
Glad to be in here with the fire.
And the bottle.
And my gat.
Been another long year, eh?
Worn out, I tell ya.
I step outside, the cold air in my head and my fifth.
It’s a broken Hallelujah and a pain in my fist.
I wash my hands like a man with blood on his teeth.
Over and over without relief
And I got nothin’ for you, darlin’.
No story to tell. No way to escape what this world holds
I watch the snow come down and wonder what…?
I’ll watch this whole night come down.
And think…well… maybe there’s a God above.
But all I’ve ever learned,
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya.
It’s not a cry that you hear in the night
It’s not somebody who’s seen the light
It’s a blast of silence, a cold and broken Hallelujah.
That’s what this time of year brings:
A broken Hallelujah.
______
I try to do these “Christmas Noir” images when I can, going back a few years.
It’s a festive time of year, but bleak, for many.
And it seems like there’s a lot of talk about “alternate” Christmas movies this year. Maybe it’s due to the (ahem, political) year we’ve just been through. We’re all tired and wiped out. White Christmas, Christmas In Connecticut, Miracle on 34th Street…these won’t cut it.
So, check out the alternates…like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or Blast of Silence. Heck, even Gremlins can work. Some others mentioned here.
But, whatever you do, watch It’s A Wonderful Life.
Darkness, desperation, an old, money-hungry conniver. No femme fatale, really but, frankly, it’s about as noir as they come.
As for the above, I borrowed liberally from Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, but also The Gaslight Anthem’s Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis.
I picked up that phrase “a broken Hallelujah” a few months ago, and waited to make it work with one of these. Impact phrase.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed my little Jersey Noir Christmas tale.
Peace.
© Mark V. Krajnak | JerseyStyle Photography | All Rights Reserved 2017
