I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
Words hung above, but never would form
Like a cry at the final breath that is drawn
Remember me, love, when I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
And I had no idea on what ground I was founded
All of that goodness is going with you now
Then when I met you, my virtues uncounted
All of my goodness is going with you now
Dragging along, following your form
Hung like the pelt of some prey you had worn
Remember me love, when I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
I fled to the city with so much discounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
Back to the hedgerows where bodies are mounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
I was housed by your warmth and I was transformed
By your grounded and giving and darkening scorn
Remember me, love, when I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
Like a cry at the final breath that is drawn
Remember me, love, when I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
All of that goodness is going with you now
Then when I met you, my virtues uncounted
All of my goodness is going with you now
Hung like the pelt of some prey you had worn
Remember me love, when I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
Back to the hedgerows where bodies are mounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
By your grounded and giving and darkening scorn
Remember me, love, when I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Totally not sure but I see this song talking about the relationship between a mother/father and Child “hatched by your warmth” and “ah, but I’m flying like a bird to you now” references him growing up and flying from his mother/Father.
@Jacob1212 a shrike is also a type of bird so that is part of those metaphors
@Jacob1212 a shrike is also a type of bird so that is part of those metaphors
I personally think it's about one of the lovers (the singer) on their death bed and singing to the other that he couldn't do anything he should've done before when it actually mattered, he only took it all for granted so he needs the other to remember him whenever he comes back in the form of a shrike to their sharp and glorious thorn and this metaphor probably speaks as a soul(shrike) that sort of depends on the other soul(thorn) because shrikes use thorns or barbed wires to stab their insects on it so that they get smaller bites to feed on. Also, the line "then when I met you my virtues uncounted" could mean that when he met the other, he sort of already started another life, more like a new chapter, where he forgets about all the past good deeds to make room for the new ones. And now that he's going, all of his good deeds stay with the other.
I hear this as the singer asking for a past lover to take them back. They recognize the mistakes they made, have bettered themselves since and just want them to see the changes. For me, the line "as a shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn" is a metaphor about how they are throwing themselves at their lover's mercy, opened themselves up and are now vulnerable in a way they wouldn't allow themself to be in the past. It is an absolutely deep and beautiful plea.
So, some of the lyrics as of today are a bit off, but I think in order to understand the song, you need to understand what a shrike is. A shrike is a species of songbird that looks and sings innocently enough but is known for hunting and killing its prey (small lizards, rodents, and insects) by skewering it on thorns and other spiky objects, like barbed wire. Having said that, Hozier is singing about a lost relationship that fills him with regret. He realizes that for whatever reasons he or they had in ending the relationship, there was something visceral and deep about their bond, and he hopes that his partner can envision him being reborn in his next life as a shrike, who is beholden to the sharp, eerie, and dark thorn (the partner) it uses to literally feed itself, and in a way figuratively soothe his regret.
@moony337 yes. This is exactly it. Very powerful, beautiful song writing. Thanks for your thoughts.
@moony337 yes. This is exactly it. Very powerful, beautiful song writing. Thanks for your thoughts.
@moony337 could it be there is an element of sado-masochistic instruction and emerging sexual awareness? I feel like there is a gap in the part of the metaphor about how his future (reborn) self is to be reimagined. When he imagines that self as a shrike, it seems like a partial role reversal, as the lover seems to have previously had the role of the shrike in their former relationship, and preyed upon him.
@moony337 could it be there is an element of sado-masochistic instruction and emerging sexual awareness? I feel like there is a gap in the part of the metaphor about how his future (reborn) self is to be reimagined. When he imagines that self as a shrike, it seems like a partial role reversal, as the lover seems to have previously had the role of the shrike in their former relationship, and preyed upon him.
But the future scenario edges towards role-reversal, but lacks a vengeance in which the lover is crucified upon a thorn, preyed upon by the shrike. Instead,...
But the future scenario edges towards role-reversal, but lacks a vengeance in which the lover is crucified upon a thorn, preyed upon by the shrike. Instead, he seems to pay homage to the lover as a fundamental element (thorn) that will underpin his feast (upon his next lover):
Had no idea on what ground I was founded All of that goodness is gone with you now Then when I met you my virtues uncounted All of my goodness is gone with you now
I think maybe the lover was his teacher in a sado-masochistic dynamic, to whom he is paying homage, as now he understands the unconscious sexual drivers that had boundaried their relationsip, (compared to how in the beginning he was repressed, and could not utter his love when it counted).
The lover brought him to self-awareness, and as such will be present in his future relationships, fundamentally underpinning them as the thorn upon which is prey will be mounted.
In a way, I wonder if Hozier's metaphors have recurring themes of submission & domination, and this is another example of a relationship that cannot play out in enduring harmony, but must climax in a painful game of winners and losers, most likely manifest in psychological sado-masochistic dynamic.
The song is so beautiful, I don't mean to sully it with crass terms, but he seems to have a gift for writing in lyrics that are suggestive on multiple layers. Like Shakespeare, he seems to write to multiple levels of interpretation, depending on where the listening audience is situated psychologically/intellectually. Take Me to Church is an example of this characteristic.
I think no one has gotten it quite right, even though it's pretty clearly spelled out IMHO. I'll start by clipping some of the lyrics so that it becomes more obvious. I'll just make a paragraph out of them.
"""All of my goodness is gone with you now, hung like the pelt of some prey you had worn. Remember me love, when I'm reborn as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn."""
Okay, the lover has essentially killed who he was before being reborn. Having killed who he was once to her because all of the good is dead to her in light of his faults. She sees the faults. (all of his goodness dead, hung on a thorn by her as prey)
He now sees his own faults and is going to metaphorically feed on the lessons learned from that, on his old self. He has been reborn and now his old self is also dead to him. He will come to her as someone who now is as she is in that he has much the same view of his old self and they have both killed that person in their minds/hearts. They are both shrikes and it's his old self hung up on thorns...anyway, that's my take.
@justin1145 that is actually pretty fascinating and potentially apt. As mentioned above, Hozier seems to have a lyrical gift for writing in metaphorical layers, like Shakespeare. From my perspective, he does speak on an enriched physical layer (lust/physical attraction/union), but that is not the only layer at which he is thinking/writing. The layer that spoke to me is that of a dominant/submissive (aka s&m psychosexual layer). For example, when he says he went to the city, I feel like potentially, he is talking about running from his own inherent self that his lover had attempted to lead him towards through intimacy,...
@justin1145 that is actually pretty fascinating and potentially apt. As mentioned above, Hozier seems to have a lyrical gift for writing in metaphorical layers, like Shakespeare. From my perspective, he does speak on an enriched physical layer (lust/physical attraction/union), but that is not the only layer at which he is thinking/writing. The layer that spoke to me is that of a dominant/submissive (aka s&m psychosexual layer). For example, when he says he went to the city, I feel like potentially, he is talking about running from his own inherent self that his lover had attempted to lead him towards through intimacy, but from which he fled, living in repression and self-denial. But to me, the song is about his newfound awareness, and how he now is no longer afraid of who he is inherently (flying to her like a bird), along with other nuggets, such as all of the goodness, to me is a reference to him having been the submissive partner, but that is gone now, and he will be the dominant partner in his reborn self, and the next relationship will be hung upon his former lover (as the thorn), while he - now the shrike - preys upon the new love. Like I say, I think he writes in layers, and one interpretation does not eliminate the other, it just depends on the frequency at which you are listening. Thanks for putting that poetic interpretation out here.
Could this song be about the story of judas?
The song is about a co-dependent relationship, that has destroyed both parties. The imagery of a shrike (a carnivorous bird that impales its prey, then picks pieces of it off, consuming it alive), and reference to its “glorious thorn”, is meant to symbolize toxicity. He is the shrike, she is the thorn, and the prey is both their love and their essence as people.
Despite the harm they create, they cannot help but always find each other again. Their love is real, but their damage is preventing them from realizing happiness together. There seems to be an air of self-awareness on both parts, and while they keep falling into old roles, there is hope that they can fix their broken parts, and reunite in a love that sustains and works in a healthy way.