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
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"Using the Church (which is against homosexuality) as a metaphor for making love is just genius. Absolutely fan-fucking-tastic."
The song seems to make sense if "She" is the goddess of Love. And the lovers are gay.
The song is darker than I thought at first (using "take me to church" as a metaphor for 'hot dirty cleansing sex'). That's a psychologically well-adjusted, unrepentant F U to the church. [Editorial comment: In addition to labeling homosexuality a sin, churches have done a helluva job over the centuries pathologizing any sexual expression other than spousal intercourse for procreation. Thus the universal appeal of this song.]
But Hozier is also agonizing over reconciling his homosexuality with his religious beliefs. Particularly the anti-gay preachings at his church.
Thus the chorus has many meanings - his confession of his "sins", his affirmation of his homosexuality and clear intent to continue worshipping the goddess, his desire to also continue to worship at his bricks and mortar church despite the "lies" they preach there, his willingness to accept his churches' punishment ('I'll worship like a dog" and, "you can sharpen your knives"), his desire to give his life to God, his plea for God to accept him into heaven ("give me that deathless death"), and of course the unfavorable comparison of the current manifestation of his church vs. the sacred space of the bedroom with his lover.
Hozier delivers a poignant illustration of how churches' anti-gay doctrines damage their representation of God. And he makes a plea for the church (and society via the video) to accept and celebrate homosexual love as it does heterosexual love. God certainly must.
Just saying... that's what I think.
Don't ask me about the second verse - I don't get the description of the sacrifice. References to the Bible, or Catholic shite?
Amen! Amen.
But statements like "God certainly must" (celebrate homosexual love) and "Homophobia is ungodly evil" are just incoherent.
Orgasm is also called "the little death."
SteveO - apparently you're still having trouble wrapping your head around the possibility that Christ and the true Christian God might not be as homophobic as you.
"That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?"
is a reference to many skeletons in the church's closet, the high horse representing the Church's public face and position on homosexuality, while the "what you got in your stable?" line essentially asks the church "what other information about you do you not present to the public?" Read together, the lines essentially say "That's an interesting holier-than-thou position you have on homosexuality... Surely then, you must have a pristine record regarding everything else, as well?" In other words, the lines point out that the Church is in no position to judge what constitutes "pure" and "impure" love.
That's what I think at least... and I think it speaks to the accuracy of your interpretation.
I think you're right on about the sacrifice, high horse, and stable/skeletons in their closet. Then "We've a lot of starving faithful" is a plea for the church to serve the spiritual needs of people the church currently rejects. Then "tasty" and "plenty" are contemplating what the church -could- offer. "This is hungry work"! is Daniel speaking about his personal aspirations in creating this song, as well the universal efforts of the faithful to serve God.
Melissa pointed out that the sacrifice demanded is to come out of the closet. What a powerful way Hozier has done that with this song and video! With incredible depth and contextual insight.
Procrastin8 recognized that the 'high horse' is the RCC's overinflated moral superiority, and 'what you got in the stable?' asks about all the very ugly skeletons the RCC is hiding in ITS closet.
My light bulb moment: Hozier is suggesting the RCC's high horse is what should really be sacrificed! ('Something meaty for the main course.') i.e. it's the RCC that needs to change and repent with a huge sacrifice, not individual LGBT folks. I love the subtle yet compelling subversiveness. Think of all the 'starving faithful' such a huge sacrifice could feed.
There's some really amazing concepts in this song that make it stand out from most music out there. Worshipping your lover in the bedroom, putting them on the same pedestal as other people would put god(s). He's also tying that in with as many concepts of religion as possible, not just (modern) Christianity. Although, most, if not all earlier religions like Christianity and paganism and even then Greek and Roman religions all required sacrifice to those gods in return for good favor and fortune, and the gods could be fickle lovers, demanding sacrifices even when there was nothing left but alot of starving faithful. It seems like he's connecting his religion to something more ancient and primal. And his lover could be asking more from him than he can give, like most religions/gods/churches.i could go on and on. Another reason I love this song is that there's so much material referenced that I could almost write a whole book to cover everything
"In early Vedas, Purusa meant a cosmic man whose sacrifice by the gods created all life.[4] This was one of many creation theories discussed in the Vedas. The idea parallels Norse Ymir,[5] with the myth's origin in Proto-Indo-European religion."
All I am aware of (in my opinion that is) is that I Love all my brother's and sister's no matter what sex, race, belief or non belief. What speaks to me is Love from ones heart. Love is the answer no matter the question <3
Namaste~
I agree with both of your statements! Nicely explained :)
From what I understood the High Horse/Stable part also refers to the child (boys!) abuse that's been going on for years, while even the pope acts like it's not really happening...
This whole song seems like big fat kick in church's hypocrite nuts.
Second, I didn't think the "what you got in the stable?" really referred to skeletons in the closet. Instead, I think it refers to the fact that the church takes morally righteous positions on multiple things and thus has multiple "high horses". In addition to homosexuality there's contraception, birth control, etc. The following line of "we've a lot of starving faithful" means that there are a lot of people looked down on by the church for various reasons, and if all of the high horses were sacrificed then all of those people would find a better place in the church.
I agree the church has skeletons in the closet, I just don't think those lines directly attack that point.
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight (referring to their lover's penis)
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
To drain the whole sea (Orgasm)
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
Whole last part is about sucking their lover's cock. >.>
The Goddess of love Aine from Celtic/Irish pagan mythology (the poet being Irish) - where sacrifice where regular to satisfy the deities in return for fortune, wealth, rain, Love. Sacrifice of your dignity, the inner pain homosexuals go through in the face of wrong religious beliefs ("lies") is a sacrifice made for Love. As we know, pain is the path to the most intense feelings we experiment - what better song to explain it then this - from pain the best art is born.
"I was born sick; command me to be well" is actually a quote from an atheist author.
This song is full of metaphor that plays beautifully off of religion. The only God being worshipped in this song is the speaker's lover, and the only religion in this song is love.
My church offers no absolutes
She tells me 'worship in the bedroom'
The church doesn't give him an absolute answer, just tells him "Go worship in your bedroom about it."
The second verse is just about the church looking for money or drama in any way.
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
To drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
The Goddess (She) again is the church. To keep the church on his side, he has to make a sacrifice (his love). The church wants to "drain the whole sea" or take away everything about him and his love in order to "Get something shiny", only his money in the end.
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
This is the church looking for "targets" essentially to bring into their church and feed them hatred and money. "Something meaty for the main course" refers to the church thinking he's a good target. "That's a fine looking high horse" refers to the church recognizing his confidence about his love and seeing it as an opportunity to condemn him for it and fetch "forgiveness" in order to get money. "What you got in the stable?" What other issues can we condemn you for? "We've a lot of starving faithful" We need more money (the church). The rest is self-explanatory.
This is my interpretation. I don't see any references to the Goddess of Love and it seems to be stated that "She" is the church.
I looked into it (an austin texas interview with Hozier) and saw I was spot on with the following and Prior to seeing the music video...
My first thought when I heard the rawness and the way it flowed meant one thing and only one thing, a beautiful union of two people, yes f-ing but so much more. Just pure love and passion and giving yourself and that moment when you climax she is .... your church. But not to just a significant other, this is his goddess, his queen, his true love and hopefully a soulmate.
As for the video....I highly doubt he is gay.
The song is about a perfect moment with the right person, and Hozier loves gospel music but disagrees with constraints of the church. It was a slight undertone that the video based it on but the meaning doesnt change. I must admit I don't like seeing guys kiss even though I have been in Bisexual situations in my youth, but because of the song all i saw was love.
This is one of the best artist I have heard in a long long time. His talent isn't one thing specific, its the passion, lyrics and temperament and flow... it is how we all can relate to it.
Listen to "work song".. and you will know his other side, regret.
Passion and truth and I respect him for admitting a argument gone awry.
His other song I think Eden is about her being crazy..
All of his lyrics are about a dysfunctional love.... A woman he adores but everything has gone astray.
I took the Worship part as buying into Lust in a one-sided Relationship, and not love.
But that's just me...
If any one here was a song writer they would know it doesnt come in one shot but a view from different times. Which is true with these lyrics. He hates her and loves her at different times in his life, maybe drunk or on drugs and feeling her love but awakening sober to the realization she is evil and hates himself for doing it, to commit to her so much but that is love, not lust. It's raw and true the duality of this relationship and can explain every verse, every moment he felt as we have all had that clash.
Please continue to enjoy the video as its amazing but the song speaks of a fallen love, self doubts, rebirths and one committing themselves to love knowing the partner has moved past you yet beckons your call.
And might I say if the above is true that I wrote, this woman he loved and made his church so to speak is kicking herself right now and he is loving every second of it which I applaud. We dont have the talent to express things in our own way or a mass medium to do so. but wow how awesome is this. I endeavor the same
Though I would hate to say that this video is one of the best uses of the lyrics and most heartfelt I have ever seen it doesn't do the lyrics justice.
You did in fact insert yourself into a song but as the victim as you feel you are.
Hozier cheated on her, thats the story and she made him pay. I wish it was more but the whole song is about his guilt and getting caught... maybe betraying a mutual friend he was sleeping with.
Would you make a video about a cheater or something epic?
I like my first interpretation as it was she that was in fault but I was the guilty one, she just was the one who used it against me and them.
So I think the boiling point is that some one that is religious has gone to extraordinary lengths to manipulate you in horrible ways and defies their own beliefs for the sake of anger. And that my friends is the story of these lyrics.
If you don't get it by now how could someone so religious that i care for attack me so easily yet forget about values they were taught from the bible.
the whole song is about Hippocrates saying they love their god but break every commandment out their to find their own happiness.
I am not Palmela btw I am kltsin, my own alter ego used for gaming purposes.
I never stopped trying to find the solution and always thought I was right but this is the first time I know and it is for selfish reasons as my life has always been drama.
I truely did love a woman who I lost yet killed me and etc// Many of these things that I wrote were personal and how the song affected me.
I am happy I know it now, better than the bs out there but we all need to use lyrics for our own personal life and please dont stop as if anything here makes someone happy then so be it.
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work
Is about fellatio.
As I predicted the Lgbt community would latch on to the Video and never really reading my intial words and turn it into the Ellen show so to speak. Well you can see by the attacks on me by the LGBT they would rather attack me and my personal writing style instead of what I meant.
i wanted so much more, real communication but no
Thanks for taking the time to share your interpretation and thoughts on these lyrics. I can see your view and it adds to my appreciation of the song.
I have nothing to add about the meaning and no real opinion about your life or choices you've made.
Why am I replying then?
I think it is repellent that others have made such personal attacks against you when your only offense as I see it was to try to be honest with what you confess to be opinion and interpretation.
I apologize to commenters not guilty of this. Your views were interesting as well.
I hope you find it in yourself to let the angry words slide away and continue to write for the people you may not hear from but we can still enjoy reading your words.
A final note, I am quite surprised that I am baited to the point of writing this.
youtu.be/…
Well said but besides she, Elton John uses she as a pro-noun of course hozier is going to as well. Not that they are the same but used to sell records. In Elton John case gay back then was pure death, in this case he has an lgbt community behind him and of course he is going to use that in that previous YouTube interview . And he's pretty clear that the connection between the video and lyrics kinda works out.
Tired of beating a dead horse.
The church is their love.. pretend it isn't but it can apply to any love
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.
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.
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.
Especially since the Singer / Songwriter isn't gay.
I agree with some of the Aspects you have.
However, I think Worshipping a human-being is Lust, not love.
Love is Emotional-Chemistry, not how badly you want someone or something. I wish people would understand that...
Furthermore, I feel this Song is more about Dark-Deceptions of a One-Sided Relationship.
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.
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.
"'Take Me to Church' is essentially about sex, but it's a tongue-in-cheek attack at organizations that would … well, it's about sex and it's about humanity, and obviously sex and humanity are incredibly tied. Sexuality, and sexual orientation — regardless of orientation — is just natural. An act of sex is one of the most human things. But an organization like the church, say, through its doctrine, would undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about sexual orientation — that it is sinful, or that it offends God. The song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love. Turning your back on the theoretical thing, something that's not tangible, and choosing to worship or love something that is tangible and real — something that can be experienced.
But it's not an attack on faith. Coming from Ireland, obviously, there's a bit of a cultural hangover from the influence of the church. You've got a lot of people walking around with a heavy weight in their hearts and a disappointment, and that shit carries from generation to generation. So the song is just about that — it's an assertion of self, reclaiming humanity back for something that is the most natural and worthwhile. Electing, in this case a female, to choose a love who is worth loving."
The lyrics are about a man who's in love with a person to the point of worshipping her, and putting her at the same level than the gods ("If the Heavens ever did speak, she's the last true mouth piece"). She is in fact his religion and church. That man finds consolation in his Goddess when the real religion and the church bore him while his Goddess only asks him about love. ("Every Sunday's getting more bleak, a fresh poison each week, we were born sick, you heard them say it"). He’s getting tired the poisonous words the ministers preach, claiming that people like the singer and his lover are flawed from the beginning.("My church offers no absolutes. She tells me 'worship in the bedroom')
"If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight [people used to worship the sun]
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 [for the sacrifice]
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 and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good god, let me give you my life"
Oh my god how I just love this part, definitely my favourite!!
"No masters or kings when the ritual begins [making love]
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"
After understanding what the song is about I think it gets pretty clear with the last verses. Bref, the song simply amazing!
The first lines say "My lover's got humor, she's the giggle at a funeral". I think this "lover" isn't really a female that he is in love with but love itself (or the goddess of love or however you want to interpret that)
The next part "Knows everybody's disapproval, I should have worshiped her sooner, If the Heavens ever did speak, She's the last true mouthpiece" I take this to mean that only this goddess of love understands that homosexuality isn't wrong even though everyone disapproves of it. If there is a Heaven, and if it ever had any kind of rules or guidelines, there would only be one: love. The part where he says "I should have worshipped her sooner" I think means that he is now realizing that love is God, is religion, and it is the only thing worth worshipping.
The next part says "Every Sunday's getting more bleak, A fresh poison each week, We were born sick, you heard them say it, My church offers no absolution". Here I think he's referring to his literal church and how they look down on homosexuals, and how hard it is to go there and hear them say that.
The song then goes back to this "goddess of love" and says "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". Love and his feelings of love are urging him towards sex and homosexuality, when he says he was born "sick", homosexuality is the sickness he is referring to. Maybe he won't go to his church's version of heaven, but making love is heaven enough for him.
The chorus says "Take me to church, I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies, I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife, Offer me that deathless death, Good god, let me give you my life.". To me this shows his inner battle with the church. On one hand love has been so good to him and he wants to worship that, but on the other hand his religion has probably been with him since childhood and he feels the need to conform and worship as he has been told. "The shrine of your lies" is that of the church and its anti-homosexuality, "I'll tell you my sins" refers to confessing his sexuality. I personally think the "deathless death" part is referring to heaven. As an atheist I feel that a lot of people are fearful that they won't go to heaven due to their sins, which is why he is still trying to go back to the church even though it is painful for him.
The second verse was hardest for me to understand. The first part says "If I'm a pagan of the good times, my lover's the sunlight". The pagans worshipped the sun, and when winter came would perform rituals to guide the sun back. He, like the pagans, would do anything to keep his "sun".
The next part says "To keep the goddess on my side, She demands a sacrifice, To drain the whole sea, Get something shiny". To me this is saying that to be true to himself he has to admit his homosexuality, and even stand up for it, which is a huge deal.
The last part of the verse says "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". I think here he is calling the church out on their high horse stance against homosexuality, as if they are any better than anyone else. The horse is the meaty thing for the main course, homosexuals in the church are hungry for it, they want to take the church down off their high horse, and he is standing up to do so hence "This is hungry work".
The last part of the song (That isn't more chorus or "Amen") says, "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.". To me this is saying that in love, there is no priest or anyone to tell you that you're wrong. Partaking in loving sex (specifically homosexual sex) is not really a sin, it is an expression of love and worship (worshipping love/the goddess of love) in this world where people look down on that just because it's two members of the same sex. Loving this person, and making love to this person feels so right that "Only then I am human, Only then I am clean"
I could be very wrong but I built this idea from what I have read about this song and it is very powerful to me.
petite morte' is an euphemism for orgasm
Was anyone else thinking of Walt Whitman when they heard this part below?
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
In "Leaves of Grass," Whitman wrote:
"Divine am I inside and out, and I make holy whatever I touch or am touch'd from;
The scent of these armpits aroma finer than prayer;
This head more than churches, bibles, and all the creeds.
If I worship one thing more than another it shall be the spread of my own body or
any part of it."
That was a really revolutionary poem when Whitman wrote it, saying the body is more divine than any church, essentially. Hozier is echoing the same sentiment.
What a beautiful, touching, thoughtful song.
I think if you take the chorus more literally, it's someone begging for salvation ("deathless death") despite the fact they know that the anti-gay gospel is a lie ("I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies"). He knows they take your insecurities and weaknesses and use it as a weapon against you ("tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife") but he is still willing to give himself to the church ("good god let me give you my life")
In the second verse it's as though he feels he has to abandon or forget about his faith in order to enjoy himself and be happy ("pagan of the good times"). His homosexuality ("goddess") is difficult to maintain alongside his faith and choosing it over his faith is draining on his soul ("she demands a sacrifice/ to drain the whole sea"). He worries that in the grand divine scheme of things, it may be the wrong or superficial choice ("get something shiny"). I think again that despite what he knows and feels to be true, leading dual lives and managing the inner conflict is exhausting and part of him still desires what the church has to offer ("what you got in that stable/we've a lot of starving faithful/that looks tasty/ that looks plenty/ this is hungry work").
The final verse is interesting in its vagueness, but I think the song both starts and ends with a funeral and/or his death. A funeral is a ritual after all. All men are equal in death ("no masters or kings when the ritual begins") and he describes death almost as a release from his turmoil and the only way he will be seen as worthy or equal ("in the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene/only then I am human/only then I am clean"). You could even interpret the opening verse as being the same funeral of his death, with his lover's sad "giggle" at the absurdity of having a ceremony performed by the very church that rejected him. And him looking back after death on that perfect love he had and regretting not "worshiping" it sooner.
What a great song!
I think the general jist of the song deals with the Church's aggressive methods and views on sex, sexuality, and sexual freedom. Yes, I think homosexuality is one of these themes, but I think the song expands on all forms of sex (think about how seriously the church takes abstinence).
My lover's got humor
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshiped her sooner
If the Heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouth piece
I think here he is saying that his lover is more of a personification of what eternal and everlasting love is, rather than the church itself. Comparing her to a giggle at a funeral shows that she is carefree and warm, as compared to the stiff and strict church. I think hes saying that she is more of an embodiment of a religion than the church is.
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
Here, he is pointing out how each week at Church, more and more hate, or "poison", is being spread, rather than love and healing.
We were born sick, you heard them say it
My church offers no absolution
Again, the church is pointing out how our race as a whole is "plagued" with lust, and insisting that we are all sick, and love is what saves us from our lust. Yet, the church isn't offering love when they do this, so its counter productive.
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
Back to his lover, who is the embodiment of love to him, shows him that the only way to live in love is to reclaim our sexuality, and to not be ashamed of it, as the church often makes us feel.
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
I think that this is supposed to be sarcastic, pointing out that blindly worshipping the Church when it is saying that it is spreading love, yet doing the opposite (homophobia, slut-shaming, judgements) is like shrine of lies.
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good god, let me give you my life
He's pointing out that when you confess to the church, judgements follow, which isn't what is supposed to happen ("sharpen your knife")
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
If having a good time is considered sinful, than his lover is the center of it (how pagans worshipped the sun). Again, if love is a sin in the church's eyes, she is the center of all of it.
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
There is only innocent intentions with sex, which is why it is gentle, so why is it a sin? Rather than being ashamed of his humanity, he reclaims it with his sexuality. Then, he is "clean", or pure.
I honestly love this song. I have never seen a song like this one, with this message. You can tell it isn't supposed to be condemning anyone, but pointing out the idea that our humanity is something to be celebrated, not repressed (being gay, having sex, etc.). With some experience growing up in a Catholic School setting, I can strongly relate to the constant shaming of all things considered human. In my opinion, he is right. There is nothing more innocent than celebrating our humanity. Its our humanity that allows us to love and be loved, and to be truly happy. It shouldn't be repressed.
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Offer me that deathless death (orgasm)
Good God, let me give you my life (the male "stuff of life")
The "life" (or potential for it) that comes from this death.
How very... balanced.
I never thought about it that way before.
I'm kind of embarrassed to say I don't know the particulars of the Osiris myth offhand. But now you've given me something to go investigate.
No absolutes, only absolution ;)
The Osiris thing is only really relevant here because his dismembered penis wound up being what produced the Nile with his semen, hence his dismemberment and death itself leading to life. Just another level, and not even really explicitly mentioned in this song, so ignore my obtuse link-making. It just helped confirm the interpretation for me by making one more click of, "Oh yeah, that *is* how he thinks, brilliant."
Sorry for the rambles, I just get entirely too excited when things click. xD
Among other things, but the song's big on nuances.
(And yes, I'd be willing to put money on the fact that knife rhyming was part of why the line's there. Guy's improved his writing already, even though everyone's obsessed with this song.)
"t doesn't make sense to me if the "church" in the chorus is also a metaphor. I mean, it doesn't make sense with the "altar of lies" and "sharpen your knife" part. "
Unless the "sharpen your knife" is an invitation, a sense that the person being sung to is capable of separating the singer from his sin, if only they will do so. Like cutting cancer from a body.
The knife is more like a surgeon's knife than a killer's knife.
42 stepson May 19, 2015
It made sense to me that this might be traced back to the Scotch-Irish of Europe. That perhaps the term "lies" could be used for the same practice of story-telling...
books.google.com/…
I was referring to a book, Storytelling on the Northern Irish Border: Characters and Community, in which the practice of storytelling is associated with "artful lying" - "... measuring the gullibility of one's audience and providing entertainment through contests of wit...."