Snailpop started off great with their reference to Yeats "Second Coming", but then I think they've massively missed a few cues on the perspective of the song, and what blackthorn means etc.
First of all, Hozier says “This song is about watching the world burn and realising that the person next to you is completely unfazed by it – and may have even been the one to start the fire themselves”
Hozier's Baby is NOT "someone good, or innocent, or human", instead they are an awesome cosmic power that NOTHING can fuck with. Hozier's Baby is also never mentioned to be female or male (or even human).
"When I first saw you
The end was soon
To Bethlehem it slouched
And then it must've caught a good look at you"
So, in Yeat's poem while it's called Second Coming, and has the line "Surely the Second Coming is at hand", but instead, it's not Jesus that comes, but "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" that comes at the end, ie it's saying something more like one of the Beasts of Revelations, harbinger of the apocalypse is coming...
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming
Then in Hoziers first verse, he's implying that at the end of the world, that the Beast saw Hozier's baby "And then it must've caught a good look at you" and the implication was, the Beast was intimidated. That's how terrifying and awesome Hozier's 'Baby' is.
"Give your heart and soul to charity
'Cause the rest of you
The best of you
Honey, belongs to me"
Ok, this is pretty dark, and awesome - turn this around. So, it's saying that heart & soul are NOT the best parts of his Baby. Uh huh. But that he'll happily lay claim to all the baser parts, his Baby's body (and mind?). But definitely his Baby's body... Bow chicka wow wow.
"Ain't it a gentle sound, the rollin' in the graves?
Ain't it like thunder under earth, the sound it makes?"
The apocalyptic imagery is great, and works on at least two levels. So in the biblical rapture, the dead will rise from their graves.
But the phrase to make someone "roll in their grave", implies that something is being done that those dead would have found enormously shocking, upsetting, disgusting, or would have been very angry about.
So, Hozier's Baby, or their relationship, would have absolutely shocked the dead, and Hozier and his baby don't just, not care, but instead seem to really like it, and are commenting what a gentle sound it is, and it's got this absolutely beautiful imagery, like "thunder under earth".
"Ain't it exciting you, the rumble where you lay?"
Hozier's baby is into it, rummble ether reaching them where they're laying (c'mon, that's code for fucking), or possibly kind of the implying that Hozier's Baby might be some deep power in the earth that the rumble is awakening.
While nothing directly speaks to it, this song also kind of reminds me of the Irish Goddess of Battle and Strife, the Morrígan, the Great Queen, and she and many other destructive creatures are said to emerge from a cave in the ground at Oweynagat. That's the kind of power that Hozier seems to be singing about, and Hozier would be familiar with her, being Irish and all.
So yeah, on a metaphoric level, it's suggesting a relationship that would have been disapproved with, like being in a gay relationship, or like a Dominatrix and her submissive, that would absolutely shock a lot of people, and they are not only not giving a fuck, but enjoying it. Fuck what other people think, in other words.
Their opinions cannot fuck with his relationship or his Baby, because his Baby is too powerful to be affected, and if anything, it just gives his Baby a thrill.
"Nothing fucks with my baby
Nothing can get a look in on my baby
Nothing fucks with my baby
Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing"
This is all pretty clear, but hey, notice it's not 'No one', it's not just people that can't fuck with Hozier's baby, but Nothing. Inhuman cosmic forces still can't fuck with Hozier's baby.
"If I was born as a blackthorn tree
I'd wanna be felled by you
Held by you
Fuel the pyre of your enemies"
Soooo... this isn't about protection. There's a half dozen other Irish trees that are straight out protective. No, Blackthorn in Irish was known as Straif, which is where our word 'Strife' comes from (also vague link to the Morrigan again?). It has the most sinister reputation, it's thorns cause septic flesh wounds, and yes, the shillelagh, a weapon is made from it. It was used by witches for blasting (cursing) and binding. If you cut it, you might be cursed.
So it's saying that if he was born as a ill-omened tree of bad luck and strife, he'd want to be used, to be made useful, he'd still want to be held by his lover, his Baby, to fuel the funeral pyre of his Baby's enemies! I mean, that's pretty clear, right? Epic!
On a metaphoric level, it's suggesting that this person feels like there is something deeply wrong with them, cursed, maligned, and maybe a bit evil, because even as a tree they'd be born as strife, but that they would still want to be useful to their Baby, who, well, is awesome and powerful and terrible and incredibly vengeful, and miiiight just be the cause of the apocalypse... See next verse.
"Ain't it warming you, the world gone up in flames?
Ain't it the life you, you're lighting of the blaze?"
This is the bit Hozier was talking about at the beginning. Being warmed by the ending of the world, and his partner maybe being the one who set it, lit it on fire.
"Ain't it a waste they'd watch the throwing of the shade?
Ain't you my baby? ain't you my babe?"
And again, we're getting to the repeating theme, the metaphor that a lot of other people may hate this relationship, they're "throwing shade", but Hozier and his Babe do not give a Fuck, and they not only will not, but can Not Be Fucked With.
Because:
"Nothing fucks with my baby
Nothing can get a look in on my baby
Nothing fucks with my baby
Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing"
Snailpop started off great with their reference to Yeats "Second Coming", but then I think they've massively missed a few cues on the perspective of the song, and what blackthorn means etc.
First of all, Hozier says “This song is about watching the world burn and realising that the person next to you is completely unfazed by it – and may have even been the one to start the fire themselves”
Hozier's Baby is NOT "someone good, or innocent, or human", instead they are an awesome cosmic power that NOTHING can fuck with. Hozier's Baby is also never mentioned to be female or male (or even human).
"When I first saw you The end was soon To Bethlehem it slouched And then it must've caught a good look at you"
So, in Yeat's poem while it's called Second Coming, and has the line "Surely the Second Coming is at hand", but instead, it's not Jesus that comes, but "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" that comes at the end, ie it's saying something more like one of the Beasts of Revelations, harbinger of the apocalypse is coming... https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming
Then in Hoziers first verse, he's implying that at the end of the world, that the Beast saw Hozier's baby "And then it must've caught a good look at you" and the implication was, the Beast was intimidated. That's how terrifying and awesome Hozier's 'Baby' is.
"Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you The best of you Honey, belongs to me"
Ok, this is pretty dark, and awesome - turn this around. So, it's saying that heart & soul are NOT the best parts of his Baby. Uh huh. But that he'll happily lay claim to all the baser parts, his Baby's body (and mind?). But definitely his Baby's body... Bow chicka wow wow.
"Ain't it a gentle sound, the rollin' in the graves? Ain't it like thunder under earth, the sound it makes?" The apocalyptic imagery is great, and works on at least two levels. So in the biblical rapture, the dead will rise from their graves. But the phrase to make someone "roll in their grave", implies that something is being done that those dead would have found enormously shocking, upsetting, disgusting, or would have been very angry about. So, Hozier's Baby, or their relationship, would have absolutely shocked the dead, and Hozier and his baby don't just, not care, but instead seem to really like it, and are commenting what a gentle sound it is, and it's got this absolutely beautiful imagery, like "thunder under earth".
"Ain't it exciting you, the rumble where you lay?" Hozier's baby is into it, rummble ether reaching them where they're laying (c'mon, that's code for fucking), or possibly kind of the implying that Hozier's Baby might be some deep power in the earth that the rumble is awakening.
While nothing directly speaks to it, this song also kind of reminds me of the Irish Goddess of Battle and Strife, the Morrígan, the Great Queen, and she and many other destructive creatures are said to emerge from a cave in the ground at Oweynagat. That's the kind of power that Hozier seems to be singing about, and Hozier would be familiar with her, being Irish and all.
So yeah, on a metaphoric level, it's suggesting a relationship that would have been disapproved with, like being in a gay relationship, or like a Dominatrix and her submissive, that would absolutely shock a lot of people, and they are not only not giving a fuck, but enjoying it. Fuck what other people think, in other words. Their opinions cannot fuck with his relationship or his Baby, because his Baby is too powerful to be affected, and if anything, it just gives his Baby a thrill.
"Nothing fucks with my baby Nothing can get a look in on my baby Nothing fucks with my baby Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing"
This is all pretty clear, but hey, notice it's not 'No one', it's not just people that can't fuck with Hozier's baby, but Nothing. Inhuman cosmic forces still can't fuck with Hozier's baby.
"If I was born as a blackthorn tree I'd wanna be felled by you Held by you Fuel the pyre of your enemies"
Soooo... this isn't about protection. There's a half dozen other Irish trees that are straight out protective. No, Blackthorn in Irish was known as Straif, which is where our word 'Strife' comes from (also vague link to the Morrigan again?). It has the most sinister reputation, it's thorns cause septic flesh wounds, and yes, the shillelagh, a weapon is made from it. It was used by witches for blasting (cursing) and binding. If you cut it, you might be cursed. So it's saying that if he was born as a ill-omened tree of bad luck and strife, he'd want to be used, to be made useful, he'd still want to be held by his lover, his Baby, to fuel the funeral pyre of his Baby's enemies! I mean, that's pretty clear, right? Epic!
On a metaphoric level, it's suggesting that this person feels like there is something deeply wrong with them, cursed, maligned, and maybe a bit evil, because even as a tree they'd be born as strife, but that they would still want to be useful to their Baby, who, well, is awesome and powerful and terrible and incredibly vengeful, and miiiight just be the cause of the apocalypse... See next verse.
"Ain't it warming you, the world gone up in flames? Ain't it the life you, you're lighting of the blaze?" This is the bit Hozier was talking about at the beginning. Being warmed by the ending of the world, and his partner maybe being the one who set it, lit it on fire.
"Ain't it a waste they'd watch the throwing of the shade? Ain't you my baby? ain't you my babe?" And again, we're getting to the repeating theme, the metaphor that a lot of other people may hate this relationship, they're "throwing shade", but Hozier and his Babe do not give a Fuck, and they not only will not, but can Not Be Fucked With.
Because: "Nothing fucks with my baby Nothing can get a look in on my baby Nothing fucks with my baby Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing"