With the weather warming up, I’ve been waving farewell to my fall and winter music rotation. You know, those songs that sound like they’d be in the Twilight soundtrack and feel like a warm cable-knit sweater?
In my opinion, no artist better embodies these seasons than “Forest Daddy” Hozier. His whole discography is pure gold, but there’s one song in particular that makes me want to scream because of how much I adore it. That song is “Cherry Wine.” I’m going to give my thoughts on the lyrics of this song. Is this my excuse to gush about Hozier? Maybe. But here we go.
Verse 1
Her eyes and words are so icy
Oh, but she burns like rum on a fire
Hot and fast and angry as she can be
I walk my days on a wire
- “Hot and cold.” The juxtaposition is a perfect illustration of passion’s heat and the iciness of manipulation. This comparison is reminiscent of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost, “Fire and Ice.” You may recall Bella quoting this poem in Twilight, which, if you do, brownie points to you.Â
Pre-Chorus
It looks ugly, but it’s clean
Oh mama, don’t fuss over me
- I love how he mentions his mom here. It’s often overlooked how a toxic relationship affects more than just two people. If you’ve ever known someone in a relationship that you feel isn’t good for them, then you may understand this feeling of worry about whether they’ll be okay and the anxiety of how things play out.
Chorus
The way she tells me I’m hers
And she is mine
Open hand or closed fist, would be fine
The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine
- There’s comfort in belonging and so much satisfaction in knowing someone has actively chosen you. That’s why here, despite physical abuse in the form of an “open hand or closed fist,” Hozier claims it’s something he’s willing to endure. Â
- I love the comparison of blood to cherry wine. He’s aware that there’s a certain euphoria by being with this person but, similar to the effects of alcohol, ultimately his judgment is being clouded and leaves him vulnerable.Â
- Calling the blood “rare” is once again Hozier gaslighting himself into thinking that the infrequency of these moments is justification for continuing his relationship, when, of course, it is not.
Verse 2
Calls of guilty thrown at me, all while she stains
The sheets of some other
Thrown at me so powerfully, just like she throws
With the arm of her brother
- “To have an arm,” is often used when describing someone who has a powerful throw in sports. In this case, Hozier is talking about the strength his lover uses to physically hurt him.
- Hozier points out the hypocrisy of his partner. He’s being accused while his partner stains someone else’s sheets and probably not with wine. Yikes.
Pre-Chorus
But I want it
It’s a crime
That she’s not around most of the time
- Hozier is expressing the unhealthy attachment he’s formed with his abusive partner. He admits her presence is something he craves. “It’s a crime,” is steeped in irony as the crime he’s referring to isn’t his lover’s abuse, but the lack of her presence.Â
Verse 3
Her fight and fury’s fiery
Oh, but she loves like sleep to the freezing
Sweet and right and merciful, I’m all but washed
In the tide of her breathing
- This might be my favorite line in the whole song. Hozier compares the love he receives from his partner to sleep beckoning the freezing. When someone is freezing and on the brink of death, sleep often feels like the most comforting solution, a mercy even, but it is often the nail on the coffin. He’s saying that as much as he knows how harmful this connection is, he can’t help but be drawn to its false warmth.
- If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Hozier, it’s that if he talks of “love” at all, it’s to the depth of the Atlantic Ocean. Saying that he’s “Washed in the tide of her breathing” makes me think of a devotion that’s almost suffocating but feels as necessary as air.Â
Pre-Chorus
And it’s worth it, it’s divine
I have this some of the time
- I think “divine” is an interesting word choice here. My mind immediately goes to religious imagery. Devotion. Sin. Worship. All so applicable to the story Hozier paints here. More specifically, I picture a bloodied Christ nailed to the cross. I imagine Hozier views the abuse he’s experiencing as similar to the bloodshed of Christ – some sort of necessary evil in exchange for the next time his fickle lover chooses to be kind again.
Chorus
The way she shows me I’m hers and she is mine.Â
Open hand or closed fist, oh, would be fine
The blood is rare and as sweet as cherry wine.
Overall, I think this song beautifully illustrates the complex internal conflict that happens when someone is stuck in a toxic relationship and showcases how artfully Hozier can discuss even the most sobering of topics. If you haven’t listened to this song yet, this is your sign!