The song is about finding love in a new person. Old romances and troubles of the past are "trees" and this new love is the fire that burns them down.
True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree
Willow dancing on air before covering me
Under cotton and calicos
Over canopies that was long ago
-he remembers the first time he saw Her, he was outside, sheets were under him (cotton and calicos) and over him was a canopy of trees (these trees are also his past life/loves)
True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me
That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree
Must be felled for to fight the cold
Fretted fire but that was long ago
-he cried when people he used to love left him. He felt like they were chopped down and taken from him (1st two lines). He knows he must forget them though, if ever his cold, lonely soul is to feel warm again. He used to worry about moving on, and “burning his past”, but that was before he met Her.
But that’s not tonight (Ooh)
When I'm set alight (Ooh)
I'm blinking so (Ooh)
Your blinding light (Ooh)
Oh, let's not tonight (Ooh)
When you hold me tight (Ooh)
Light the fire bright (Ooh)
Let it blaze alright (Ooh)
Oh, hope that you're good to me
Oh you're good to me
Hope that you're good to me, baby
-She is like a fire, burning away all his past romances, hopes, and dreams, till nothing is left but the two of them. He hopes and knows it’ll be worth it.
With the roar of the fire my heart goes to its feet
Like the ashes of ash I saw eyes in the heat
Sitting soft in this purest snow
Fell in love with the fire long ago
With each love I could lose
I was never the same
Watch it's still living roots be consumed by the flames
I was fixed on your hand of gold
Laying waste to my loving long ago
-Here Hozier is describing the fire burning up a past hope that is particularly hard-to-forget, probably his old girlfriend. She was like an ash tree; but is now just snow-white ashes. His connection to her wasn’t completely dead yet, (watch its still-living roots be consumed by the flames). He finds strength in the eyes and hand of his new love, as she helps him overcome his past/relationships. (laying waste to my loving long ago)
So in awe there I stood
As you licked off the grain
Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame
Long as amber of ember glows
All the wood that I'd loved is long ago
-More burning his past. As long as he has Her (long as amber of ember glows), all the people he used to love are past and gone. (All the wood that I’d loved is long ago).
Hozier in an interview said, “There’s a weirdly elaborate pun in it: ‘would that I’ is like a way of saying ‘I wish’”. So the last line is also “All the ‘would that I’ loved is long ago.” Which means he not only moved past his old relationships, but also all the things he used to wish for. All his dreams and hopes don’t matter to him so long as he has Her. He is content.
The song is about finding love in a new person. Old romances and troubles of the past are "trees" and this new love is the fire that burns them down.
True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree Willow dancing on air before covering me Under cotton and calicos Over canopies that was long ago
-he remembers the first time he saw Her, he was outside, sheets were under him (cotton and calicos) and over him was a canopy of trees (these trees are also his past life/loves)
True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree Must be felled for to fight the cold Fretted fire but that was long ago
-he cried when people he used to love left him. He felt like they were chopped down and taken from him (1st two lines). He knows he must forget them though, if ever his cold, lonely soul is to feel warm again. He used to worry about moving on, and “burning his past”, but that was before he met Her.
But that’s not tonight (Ooh) When I'm set alight (Ooh) I'm blinking so (Ooh) Your blinding light (Ooh) Oh, let's not tonight (Ooh) When you hold me tight (Ooh) Light the fire bright (Ooh) Let it blaze alright (Ooh) Oh, hope that you're good to me Oh you're good to me Hope that you're good to me, baby
-She is like a fire, burning away all his past romances, hopes, and dreams, till nothing is left but the two of them. He hopes and knows it’ll be worth it.
With the roar of the fire my heart goes to its feet Like the ashes of ash I saw eyes in the heat Sitting soft in this purest snow Fell in love with the fire long ago
With each love I could lose I was never the same Watch it's still living roots be consumed by the flames I was fixed on your hand of gold Laying waste to my loving long ago
-Here Hozier is describing the fire burning up a past hope that is particularly hard-to-forget, probably his old girlfriend. She was like an ash tree; but is now just snow-white ashes. His connection to her wasn’t completely dead yet, (watch its still-living roots be consumed by the flames). He finds strength in the eyes and hand of his new love, as she helps him overcome his past/relationships. (laying waste to my loving long ago)
So in awe there I stood As you licked off the grain Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame Long as amber of ember glows All the wood that I'd loved is long ago
-More burning his past. As long as he has Her (long as amber of ember glows), all the people he used to love are past and gone. (All the wood that I’d loved is long ago). Hozier in an interview said, “There’s a weirdly elaborate pun in it: ‘would that I’ is like a way of saying ‘I wish’”. So the last line is also “All the ‘would that I’ loved is long ago.” Which means he not only moved past his old relationships, but also all the things he used to wish for. All his dreams and hopes don’t matter to him so long as he has Her. He is content.