Talk by Hozier Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Depths of Desire and Mythology

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Hozier's Talk at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

I’d be the voice that urged Orpheus
When her body was found (hey ya)
I’d be the choiceless hope in grief
That drove him underground (hey ya)
I’d be the dreadful need in the devotee
That made him turn around (hey ya)
And I’d be the immediate forgiveness
In Eurydice
Imagine being loved by me!

I won’t deny I’ve got in my mind now all the things we’d do
So I’ll try to talk refined for fear that you find out how I’m imaginin’ you

I’d be the last shred of truth
In the lost myth of true love (hey ya)
I’d be the sweet feeling of release
Mankind now dreams of (hey ya)
That’s found in the last witness
Before the wave hits
Marvelling at God (hey ya)
Before he feels alone
One final time
And marries the sea
Imagine being loved by me

I won’t deny I’ve got in my mind now all the things I would do
So I’ll try to talk refined for fear that you find out how I’m imaginin’ you
I won’t deny I’ve got in my mind now all the things we could do
So I’ll try to talk refined for fear that you find out how I’m imaginin’ you

The haunting melodies of Hozier have always had a way of intertwining the ethereal with the rawness of human desire. In ‘Talk,’ Hozier crafts a labyrinth of lyrical beauty that dives deep into the essence of yearning, using mythological analogies to highlight the intensity of this emotion. There’s a deluge of subtext in every verse, merit to his reputation for writing that not only sounds beautiful but also evokes a profound resonance.

The song appears to layer its emotional core with Greek tragedy while touching upon the universality of love and passion. To understand ‘Talk’ is to swim in the undercurrents of nuanced poetry and emerge soaked in the complexities of affection and the human condition.

The Orphic Cry in a Modern Melody: Dissecting ‘Talk’s’ Mythological References

Hozier’s ‘Talk’ is rife with allusions to the tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. The opening lines serve as a gut-punch that sets the tone, casting the narrator as not just a bystander but an instigator in the Greek myth. Hozier personifies temptation, the voice that would have urged Orpheus, against all advice, to look back at his beloved Eurydice—forever losing her to the underworld.

The song’s homage to this age-old story doesn’t just repaint an ancient myth in a modern hue; it captures the essence of human folly, the irrevocable step towards what we can’t have. The ‘dreadful need’ and ‘immediate forgiveness’ embody our deepest emotional contradictions, reminding us that our desires are often as powerful as they are perilous.

Unraveling The Threads of Unspoken Desires

Beneath the smooth surface of the lyrics lies a current of unspoken yearning, a narrative of restraint peppered with carnal imaginings. Hozier isn’t just singing about love; he’s revealing the internal monologue of someone consumed by thoughts of what could be.

‘I won’t deny I’ve got in my mind now all the things we’d do,’ he confesses, vocalizing the universal dialect of repressed desire. It speaks to the internal battle of maintaining composure (‘talk refined’) juxtaposed with the unruly nature of his fantasies—an ode to the visceral tug-of-war between discretion and unbridled passion.

The Last Shred of Truth and the Myth of True Love

Amid the song’s lilting melancholy, Hozier taps into the idea that love—uncontrollable, unattainable—is a ‘lost myth.’ He positions himself as this myth’s final vestige, representing both an acknowledgment of romantic idealization and a desperate cling to its truth. It’s a powerful comment on the relentless search for a love that satisfies both our world-weary skepticism and our deepest longings for connection.

Moreover, it’s not just about the unattainable but about the inevitable release from longing (‘the sweet feeling of release mankind now dreams of’), which resonates with a near-religious fervor. Love, he seems to suggest, is both the crucible and the sacred deliverance of the human spirit.

A Romance as Vast as the Sea: Diving into Hozier’s Most Haunting Verse

There is a verse that reverberates against the shores of the listeners’ conscience: ‘Before he feels alone, One final time, And marries the sea.’ Here, Hozier accomplishes a mournful yet beautiful transformation of love into a profound sacrifice.

It parallels the idea of exceptional love with a solitary leap into an abyss, an embrace of the inevitable. In this merging of human with the divine, of man with the sea, Hozier challenges us to envision love as an act of sublime surrender, as boundless and mysterious as the ocean itself.

Envisioned Intimacy and the Fear of Reveal: The Song’s Duality

The refrain ‘I’ll try to talk refined for fear that you find out how I’m imaginin’ you’ recurs as a tentative echo throughout the song. It hints at the paradox of wanting to share the deepest feelings, knowing full well that to reveal them might tarnish their purity.

Hozier scrupulously articulates this fear of intimacy, the apprehension igniting with every syllable and exposing a depth of vulnerability. It speaks to the heart’s clandestine chambers where thoughts lay bare, too potent, perhaps, to bring forth into the world without altering their essence.