Would That I

@burningonempty also, because he refers to 'handling the wood' and refers to 'would (wood) that I loved' it's possible that the general idea is one of having been with another man, and contrasting a male 'you' in his past - who did in spire a fire in him - with 'her' who does not, but who is very nice and is his present lover.

@burningonempty I disagree with the notion that it's a man, not at all because I think that Hozier would be opposed to queer iconography, I just think that the "All the 'would that I'd loved' is long ago" line is just a play on "all the wood that I'd loved is long ago", continuing the metaphor of past lovers being wood, and her new lover being a flame. Also, "would that I" is a way to say "if only I could" or "I wish I could", i.e. unattained desires, unfulfilled dreams, unlived futures: "would that I could". He's not only saying that his lovers are in his past and he's fine with it, he's saying that all the potential futures that he sacrificed for the sake of being this woman are long forgotten and no longer of concern; she makes him so happy that he doesn't care about all the things he can no longer experience for having chosen to be with her.

@burningonempty I also disagree with the interpretation that this line: <br /> "𝘚𝘰, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦" is sexual. Again, not at all because I think Hozier is too shy to have themes of eroticism, merely because this is otherwise such an innocent song. I think this is merely referring to the common biblical characterization of fire/flame as having "tongues". The tongues of fire, lapping at the grain of the wood, till it "comes off" (licking it off, i.e. burning the wood until it no longer has a visible grain).<br /> Handling the wood I believe is merely in reference to having been with other women, having "handled" them (which, while slightly little less directly sexual, is nonetheless a euphemistic reference to sex) in his past does not diminish his reverence of her

@burningonempty Though your reading of the song seems not to address the obvious simile that the wood represents old lovers and the fire represents his new lover, I still really like your interpretation(s) because they provide an entirely different perspective that can see allegories that were missed by more "standard" interpretations of the lyrics. That being said:<br /> <br /> > So heartbreak fuels the fire, his work. In the past he 'fretted' (meaning 'worried about') the fire, but he's over that and has come to terms with the process of writing about heartbreak.<br /> <br /> You're the only one to have brought up the connection between "fretted" (frets) and a guitar, but I don't think that it means that heartbreak fuels the "fire" of his music. I think fretting fire means "fretting (for) fire", i.e. penning and playing songs for "the fire": his new all-consuming love' serenading her. This is in addition to the obvious meaning of "fret(ted)" meaning "feared". He was fearful of the prospect of falling in love again, due to the pain it might bring him, but now he doesn't care. He's not afraid anymore, he's fully in love.