#there is NO WAY this song isnt about anti-colonialism

[sunshinexlollipops]

despite being a bon iver fan I have just discovered we and I am losing my fucking mind

[vampirehowl]

this is copy-pasted from my tags but i got the all clear from op on sharing them where more ppl can see :D :

#to be completely honest most of his songs have at LEAST one lyric that can be seen in a lens of topics like these#to be fair a lot of his songs arent 'about' just one thing so thats why im not being like 'wah wah you didnt include x song on this'#but i do think its important to know like just knowing that about these songs listed here is like. beginners level lyric reading skills#like hozier has said time and time again that like hes all up for interpreting things in multiple ways#but just throwing out the lenses mentioned here is just like. actively denying yourself a good experience for no reason#hozier#like idk a lot of his stuff is 'about' a lot of diff things at once so its a bit hard to exclusively say its abt one thing or another#like for eat your young i remember him in an interview saying it was especially inspired by arms dealers and part of past colonialism#in ireland as much as it is just a vague 1% over 99%#with swan upon leda its not 'about' roe v wade being overturned bc they were far into the process of the song but it played a major role of#when and why and how he released it#and take me to church isnt really as much about the catholic church as ppl seem to think it is (because hes irish i guess they assume??)#hes said a lot more explicitly its about sex and humanity in broad terms and the video specifically was released as a critique of russias#anti lgbtq policies at the time#like if you want to say what its explicitly 'about' its better to use his words directly which is#"It’s about sex and it’s about humanity and obviously sex and humanity are incredibly tied. sexuality and sexual orientation#regardless of orientation is just natural ... the song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love ''

this being the take me to church interview from march 2014 that i mentioned

but TLDR: this post is a GREAT starting point for getting more into understanding a lot of the intention hozier puts behind his lyrics but don't let it stop you there!! its honestly doing yourself a disfavor to not get into the sheer joy of the many facets music can bring to ur life! if you feel understood by his romantic lyricism then you see how his way of observing the world and sharing these observations isnt just limited to interpersonal relationships

🙃 Regular reminder that while Hozier has amazing love songs, he is ALSO very outspoken about his leftist politics, specifically anti-fascism, anti-racism, reproductive rights, Palestinian rights and more.

Take Me To Church and Foreigner’s God are scathing critiques of organized religion, specifically the Catholic Church.

Moment’s Silence is about oral sex but it’s ALSO about how that specific sexual act is often distorted to a show of power rather than that of love.

Nina Cried Power is an homage to various civil rights activists from the US and Ireland and a call to follow their path.

Be specifically criticizes anti-migrant policies and Trump and his ilk.

Jackboot Jump is about the global wave of fascism.

Swan Upon Leda is about reproductive rights and the violent colonial oppression of Ireland and Palestine.

Eat Your Young is about the ruinous way the 1%/capitalism prioritizes short-term profit over everything else to the detriment of the youth/99%.

Butchered Tongue is about Irish and other indigenous languages being suppressed and erased by imperial powers.

If any of the above surprised you, please, please delve deeper into Hozier’s music, you’re missing such an important part of his work.