In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
My lover's got humour
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshipped her sooner
If the Heavens ever did speak
She is the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
'We were born sick,' you heard them say it
My church offers no absolutes
She tells me 'worship in the bedroom'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
I was born sick, but I love it
Command me to be well
Amen. Amen. Amen
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
To drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
No masters or kings when the ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene
Only then I am human
Only then I am clean
Amen. Amen. Amen
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good Gosh, let me give you my life
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshipped her sooner
If the Heavens ever did speak
She is the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
'We were born sick,' you heard them say it
My church offers no absolutes
She tells me 'worship in the bedroom'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
I was born sick, but I love it
Command me to be well
Amen. Amen. Amen
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
To drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
No masters or kings when the ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene
Only then I am human
Only then I am clean
Amen. Amen. Amen
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good Gosh, let me give you my life
Lyrics submitted by lovegoods, edited by rleah, mrspock, P514sub, amk320, emily822, brandontwi, LazyAfternoons, callumoj, MohammadAli, aringo11, Burge, ArcticMeanin, Scorpion81, Poefffff
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Before writing down my interpretation of the song, I must say - this is brilliant. For me, it's what music is all about; the rythm, the voice, the lyrics - everything. Together with that videoclip, this is the embodiment of art. It's touching, it makes you think and, even though I'm not a cryer at all, when I watched that video, I wept frustratingly, wanting to do something about the issue addressed in the song...
Which is, I think, the way homosexuals are treated in the world we're living in. Being gay is in most countries regarded as a sin, and even though it may be allowed or tolerated in some places, often enough it's not socially accepted.
A very clear example was when some images of Russians demonstrating against homosexuality were shown.
This song creates empathy by singing and showing how beautiful love is, and it doesn't matter who loves who, whether that's two men or women or a man and a woman. Love is the best thing that could ever happen to you, so if it ever were to befall you - hold on to it. Worship it, like Hozier sings. Love is the only thing that keeps humans from being entirely egoistic and self-centered.
Using the Church (which is against homosexuality) as a metaphor for making love is just genius. Absolutely fan-fucking-tastic.
"Take me to church" --> take me to bed "Worship me in the bedroom" --> don't listin to what they say during service/mass, make love to me and worship me instead of ancient words that won't ever be able to express what "love" means "'We were born sick' you heard them say it" --> Clerks and a lot of other people say that homosuxuality is an illness "I was born sick, but I love it" he mocks the people that keep saying homosexuality is an illness, by saying: sure, I was born sick, the hell do I care how others think about it; I love who and how we are now "The only Heaven I'll be send to, is when I'm alone with you" --> again referring to how the Church loathes homosexuality; he won't be send to Heaven because he's gay. But this guy doesn't listin to or believe it anymore, his heaven is his lover and his lover alone "There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin" --> homosexuals are treated as if they committed a crime, but they just love someone, like the rest of us. There is no innocence like pure, true love, and expressing that (to others, or by making love).
Then in the next stanza when Hozier sings about the lover he/the guy in the video worships, he compares her/him to a godly force, and that this love demands a sacrifice.. It could be that "the worshipper" would sacrifice anything, he'd drain whole seas, do hungry work and worship like a dog. It could also be that the sacrifice of loving someone of the same sex is that deathless death, that pain and humiliation that monsters like in the video make you go through, that life that you'd give for love.
I love how this song (hopefully) makes people understand that love, in every form possible, is something gentle, sweet, something great we should worship, instead of bleak lines bringing about hateful thoughts and actions.
Great lyrics, great voice, great message. I could write a book about this song. Maybe I will.
Deathless death (I believe) is referring to a french phrase. "La petite mort" which is a euphemism for an after an orgasm.
I am a Christian and I like this song and give credit to the artist, for his musical talent. <br /> He is clearly putting out the message of his belief that he values his sin more then God. Essentially stating he is not Christian, but leaving the idea of God open. <br /> I like the songs passion and love, and acknowledgement of sin. But the love is misdirected and tied to his Pride of his sin. To be a Christian you have to love God the one who created you more then yourself and your lover, and thus I do not agree with the belief he is expressing. Any straight person who is caught up in lust can be made comparable to a gay person in sin. Only God can judge our sins. <br />
Although the Video may portray homosexuality, the Song itself does not.<br /> Especially since the Singer / Songwriter isn't gay.<br /> <br /> I agree with some of the Aspects you have.<br /> However, I think Worshipping a human-being is Lust, not love.<br /> Love is Emotional-Chemistry, not how badly you want someone or something. I wish people would understand that... <br /> Furthermore, I feel this Song is more about Dark-Deceptions of a One-Sided Relationship.
@sap1000026 <br /> <br /> I so totally agree with you on many levels. When I first heard this song, I assumed the song was about the actual Church, not homosexuality. After reading this comment and yours, and watching the video, I totally agree. I completely understand that the Church does not allow for homosexuality, but the Church also does not believe in killing for a cause.
@PollyKnotswise <br /> I believe that what you say about love is very true, and the song is nicely constructed (even beautiful). However, the music video is one of the primary reasons people believe this song is about homosexuality, and simply infer that the lyrics mean that. It could very well be, I'm not going to debate that, But: "Using the Church (which is against homosexuality) as a metaphor for making love is just genius. Absolutely fan-fucking-tastic.", this turns the church into the scapegoat for peoples own biased aggression. Though the church upholds that a romantic relationship can only exist between a man and woman, i have read no scripture that saids you must kill, harm or discriminate someone who sins in general. (except maybe the original 10 commandments) If i am wrong about something, please inform me what, and why.<br />
@PollyKnotswise The song is not about homosexuality, Hozier said it himself. Is about sex and how the church makes it seem dirty and sinful. As a catholic I have experienced this, we are told from a young age that we were born from sin (sex), the bible says sex should only be used for it's procreative function. So sex outside marriage, masturbation, oral sex and homosexual sex are only Lust, and lust is a deadly sin.
@PollyKnotswise I am russian) the demonstrations in this video were to support gays, not against them. we have those [the supporting ones] too in our country :)) not all people are dumb there..
@PollyKnotswise gays are not hated, it is the pedophiles and left winger communist marxist hippie activists that spam LGBT all over the place in people's faces. They make people sick of it. Peoplw dont care what you do in your bedroom, just keep it in your bedroom. If you dont want to be judged then dont flaunt it. You cant have it both ways.