Hozier is one of the greatest singers and songwriters of our generation. A bold statement, right? Sure, he might not be as famous as Travis Scott or have sold out as many stadiums as Taylor Swift, but if you really listen to his lyrics, you’ll realize just how much of a lyrical genius he is. You may know his debut single “Take Me to Church,” as after its release, it became certified multi-platinum in various countries. After the release of this song, Hozier released three albums: “Hozier,” “Wasteland Baby,” and recently in 2023, “Unreal Unearth.” Now, the majority of his song lyrics are up for interpretation, meaning that my interpretations could be completely different from yours, but in this article, I’ll describe some of Hozier’s lyrics in hopes of describing the elegant and melancholic undertones embedded within his words.
1. Shrike
“Dragging along, following your form, hung like a pelt of some prey you had worn, remember me love, when I’m reborn, as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn.”
Shrike, Hozier
This genius lyric comes from the song “Shrike” in the album “Wasteland Baby.” Hozier exhibits his inability to move on from his lover. He “drags along” behind her, unable to step away, and his love is therefore forced to “follow” her around. At the same time, Hozier describes himself as a victim at the hand of his lover, by comparing himself to the pelt of an animal. Since pelts are obtained after hunting an animal, the lyrics compare Hozier to a pelt that was obtained by his lover. Hozier has fallen victim to her, and therefore feels betrayed, yet a part of him will forever stay with her, just as a pelt can forever be worn.
The next part of the lyrics is my personal favourite. A shrike is a carnivorous bird that hunts by impaling its prey on a sharp thorn of a bush or tree. When Hozier sings, “Remember me love, when I’m reborn, as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn,” it is an analogy to him and his lover. In this case, Hozier is the shrike and his lover is the sharp thorn. Without the thorn, the shrike is unable to survive, and without her love, Hozier cannot survive.
2. Sunlight
“Know that I’d gladly be the Icarus to your certainty, oh my sunlight, sunlight, sunlight, strap the wing to me.”
Sunlight, Hozier
This lyric stems from “Sunlight” in the album “Wasteland Baby.” The myth of Icarus and Daedalus, a well known Greek myth, describes Daedalus, an inventor, who fabricated wings of wax and feathers and gave them to his son, Icarus, in order to escape Crete. Icarus, who evidently ignored his father’s warning, flew too close to the sun, causing the wings to melt, and him to fall, ultimately leading to his death. In this lyric, Hozier is comparing himself to Icarus, and his lover to the sun. He explains that he is desperate to get close to his lover, even if this endeavor will certainly result in suffering and pain.
3. Work Song
“When my time comes around, lay me gently in the cold, dark earth, no grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her.”
Work Song, Hozier
This lyric appears in “Work Song” from Hozier’s first album, which is one of my favourite songs to ever exist. Although there are many interpretations of this song, I believe that Hozier sings about how even in his greatest state of weakness—even in death—his feelings cannot be withheld. For him, Heaven and Hell don’t matter, as long as he remains with his lover. Honestly, this whole song is a string of ethereal lyrics such as this, and I encourage you to listen to it in its entirety.
4. First Time
“And the first time that you kissed me, I drank dry the River Lethe.”
First Time, Hozier
This lyric emerges from a song called “First Time” on Hozier’s newest album. Once again, he references Greek mythology (and the symbolism he uses is insane). In Greek mythology, the Lethe is a river that flows in the Underworld that eliminates the memories of those who drink from it, resulting in utter forgetfulness of their existence in the past in order to reincarnate. In this lyric, Hozier sings that following his first kiss with his lover, he “forgot” everything from his past life as a result of the significance and etherealness of the act. After the kiss, he becomes someone entirely new (referring to reincarnation) as a result of the overwhelming feeling of love.
5. Would that I
“So in awe, there I stood as you licked off the grain, though I’ve handled the wood, I still worship the flame, long as amber of ember glows all the ‘would that I’d loved’ is long ago”
Would That I, Hozier
Did I just put an entire verse? Maybe. The reason I put this song as the last one is because for the life of me, I am unable to merely pick a single line from this song. Every single lyric holds an overwhelming amount of meaning and symbolism, and it is therefore too difficult to pick just one lyric. Anyway, this verse really stood out to me because of the amount of metaphors he uses in just a few words. Throughout the song’s entirety, Hozier compares his lover to fire, along with referring to his past lovers as wood. In my opinion, this verse describes how Hozier worships his new lover, as the melancholic memories of his past lovers will “burn away” and be left in the past.
These five lyrics are only a snippet of Hozier’s phenomenal discography. Every single song within his three albums has absolutely changed my life, and I encourage you to listen to them. Some additional songs that I highly recommend are “Francesca,” “As it Was,” and “NFWMB”. Hozier has a song for every occasion—walking to school, finishing a calculus question, even working out—and without him, the music industry would be missing something beautiful.