Tim Urban changed “Hallelujah” lyrics to say “I know that there’s a God above”

Tim Urban may make it through to the American Idol 9 top 12, perhaps because his singing improved significantly so much that he got a hug from Ellen DeGeneres, or perhaps because he appealed to religious voters by changing the lyrics of “Hallelujah.”

The Jeff Buckley version of Leonard Cohen’s song—which Tim covered—includes the line “Well maybe there’s a God above/But all I’ve ever learned from love.” However, as a reality blurred commenter noticed, Tim actually sang, “I know that there’s a God above.”

To shorten the song to meet the time requirement, he skipped the second, third, and fourth verses, including lines such as “Your faith was strong but you needed proof/You saw her bathing on the roof.” But otherwise, his song had the exact same lyrics, except for the God line.

Here’s Tim’s version: