Would That I by Hozier Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Emblematic Embers of Love and Loss
Lyrics
Willow dancing on air before covering me
Under cotton and calicos
Over canopy dappled long ago
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
And it’s not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where I’m set alight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And I blink in sight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Your blinding light (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, it’s not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where you hold me tight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Light it fire bright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, let it blaze alright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, but you’re good to me
Oh, you’re good to me
Oh, but you’re good to me, baby
With the roar of the fire my heart rose to its feet
Like the ashes of ash I saw rise in the heat
Settle soft and as pure as snow
I fell in love with the fire long ago
With each love I cut loose
I was never the same
Watching still living roots be consumed by the flame
I was fixed on your hand of gold
Laying waste to my lovin’ long ago
And it’s not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where I’m set alight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And I blink in sight (ooh-ooh-oh)
Your blinding light (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, it’s not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
You hold me tight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And the fire bright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, let it blaze alright, honey (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, but you’re good to me
Oh, you’re good to me
Oh, but you’re good to me, baby
So in awe there I stood
As you licked off the grain
Though I’ve handled the wood, I still worship the flame
As long as amber of ember glows
All the wood that I’d loved is long ago
And it’s not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where I’m set alight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And I blink in sight (ooh-ooh-oh)
Of your blinding light (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, and it’s not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
When you hold me tight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And the fire bright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, let it blaze, alright (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Oh, but you’re good to me
Oh, you’re good to me
Oh, but you’re good to me
Oh, you’re good to me
You’re good to me
Oh, but you’re good to me, baby
In the deft strums and luscious lyricism of Hozier’s ‘Would That I,’ listeners find themselves ensnared in a cultivation of natural imagery and the rawness of emotion. This track, a gem nestled within the artist’s coveted repertoire, unravels the complexities of love, mourning, and rejuvenation with poetic mastery.
The tale weaved through the song’s verses captures an essence more profound than a mere love story; it is an ode to the cyclical nature of affections and memories, where the allegory of a burning wood encapsulates the fervor of past attachments and the eventual surrender to their embers. Beneath its musical beauty lies the subtle nuance of human sentiment — agonizingly beautiful and unequivocally transformative.
The Flames of Nostalgia: How ‘Would That I’ Speaks to the Heart
The initial lines of ‘Would That I’ tell a tale of bewitchment and encompassment, where the ‘hair like the branch of a tree’ symbolizes natural, uncontrollable forces, much like the whims of love. The ‘willow dancing on air’ is enchanting, teasing even, before providing coverage and warmth, not unlike the comforting embrace of a past lover.
The ‘cotton and calicos’ drape a vivid imagery of tenderness and familiarity. It suggests a cocoon of past romance, one that is all-encompassing and yet fleeting, as the ‘canopy dappled long ago’ alludes to memories now distant, casting shadows over present reality — beautifully haunted by the ghosts of former flames.
Igniting the Past: Symbolism Behind the Saw and the Tree
Deep-seated within the lyrics is the somber realization that to elicit warmth, one must endure pain. ‘The sound of the saw must be known by the tree’ implies an inherent knowledge of sacrifice; for a tree to become firewood and offer warmth, it must first fall. It is a poignant metaphor for love and heartbreak — one cannot exist without the eventual confrontation with the other.
Hozier touches on this sacrifice and its necessity to ‘fight the cold.’ The ‘fretted fire,’ a fire that is not only crafted from fretting or worrying but also intricately ornamented, represents the beautiful and heartbreaking experiences that build our personal histories.
Unearthing the Hidden Meaning: The Alchemy of Love’s Fire
Beneath the track’s lyrical landscape burns the hidden message of love’s transformative power. The ‘roar of the fire’ is the exultant recognition of emotion rising, potent and vivid like ‘the ashes of ash.’ The rebirth from love’s blaze speaks to the song’s subtext; it is about being consumed but also purified like the ‘soft and as pure as snow’ ashes.
Hozier guides us through the odyssey of the heart. Each verse is laden with transformative experiences, where past loves are ‘roots…consumed by the flame.’ It’s the acceptance of love’s transience, acknowledging that even with the loss, it shapes us indelibly, much like gold refined in fire.
The Torchbearer’s Lament: Chasing the Ephemeral Glow
The third verse conveys a reverence for love’s remnants. Even as the protagonist witnesses the erosion of the past by present love (‘licked off the grain’), there is an unwavering devotion to the bygone (‘I still worship the flame’). This wistful yearning paints a vivid picture of a love persisting beyond its physical lifespan, embedded eternally within the charred remains.
The imagery of ‘handling the wood’ and ‘adoration of the amber of ember’ symbolizes the labor involved in nurturing love and the enduring glow of its memory. Each recollection, whether tender or tormenting, is enshrined within the citadel of the self.
Memorable Lines that Stir the Soul
Hozier’s ability to craft phrases that resonate with the collective experience of love and loss is unparalleled. Lines such as ‘True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me,’ encapsulate the sheer vulnerability after love’s flame has dwindled. There is honesty in the lyric, a frank admission of the soul’s lament.
‘I fell in love with the fire long ago’ rings as an anthem for those who have once known intense emotion, regardless of its inevitable conclusion. It’s a celebration wrapped in sorrow, a testament to the bittersweet recollections that each of us holds close in the chamber of our heartbeats.
