That alone should steal the heart of anyone. I do not usually have much interest in celebrities, and I haven't fangirled in years, but he is really amazing.Īs well, he is clearly a very progressive person who uses his music as a voice of change for the world.

Perhaps it even makes him feel like more of one! I wonder if it has anything to do with his culture? Heartening back to the roots of paganism and Christianity in a unique way that really speaks to me. He can acknowledge the beauty and hold women have over him without feeling like less of a man. It is such a rare and beautiful thing to have such a powerful man with such an appreciation of women and a CONFIDENCE in his own masculinity.

Take Me To Church makes me feel like a goddess. The feelings that man gives me can only be described in the Fugees Killing Me Softly, haha! He seems a bit masochistic, but so powerfully so. Really I understand what you mean when you say you love him and it's clearly meant to be. The song could easily be about an emotionally abusive woman in a relationship with a physically abusive man, or vice versa. A point that is often over looked as it edges very close to victim shaming. It can also highlight the fact that two people can abuse EACH OTHER at the SAME TIME, in many different and unique ways. However, the lyrics could also be read in reverse, about a man abusing a woman and justifying his actions. It's a good choice considering it allows Hozier to use his own voice, and calls out to abused men, while also acknowledging abused women. It is possible the sing was written from the perspective of a male who was being domestically abused and the video was from a different perspective, ie a man was the abuser. It is him making excuses and trying to justify why he abuses her. Look up Narcissism- all abusers are Narcissistic and project what they do onto the other person. They never show any bruises or injuries on him so I do not believe he is a victim. The lyrics to the song is the abuser projecting his own actions onto the victim. She doesn't want intimacy with him now and he realizes it and walks away. She is clearly turned off because reality has hit and the alcohol has worn off. Reality hits! He then comes to try to kiss her and be intimate and feels guilty when he sees her bruised eye so he covers it with her hair so he doesn't have to feel bad. When she goes to the mirror and starts taking off her makeup to get ready for bed, she notices the bruised eye and it makes her sad. In the video she is happy because she is drinking and slightly drunk. To keep her from fighting back, he grabbed her arms leaving bruises. Having had the same type of bruises on my arms, it is obvious to me that he was hitting her and she fought back. If you watch the video and listen to the lyrics at the same time, it is obvious that she is the only one with bruises- on both her arm and her eye. I don't think she actually abuses him, but he feels guilty about abusing her, so he imagines that she is a bad person in order to justify his abuse. I believe the lyrics are the abusers words to justify why he abuses the woman. The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wineĪs a domestic violence survivor. The way she shows me I'm hers and she is mine

Just like she throws with the arm of her brother. The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine. The way she tells me I'm hers and she is mine I'm definitely not advocating husband-beating, but I still find the role reversal intriguing.Įnjoy this song and check out his others! I'd love to hear your opinions of Hozier as an artist and his lyrics in relation to feminism. Either way, the narrator holds no anger, forgives freely, and remains devoted and submissive to this destructive woman. The narrator is in an abusive relationship, and the lyrics are clearly talking about physical signs of abuse, but these could be metaphorical for the emotional bruising taking place. His song Cherry Wine even has some traditional gender role reversal, which is how I knew our love was real. If that does not reassure you, at least there is no disrespect toward women in any of his songs. :) I also think that there is more to the songs than simple objectification since Hozier does not expound on a woman's beauty and sex appeal but of her mystery and powers. I know you're thinking to yourself, but Julie, isn't worshiping women just another form of objectifying them? Doesn't that mean Hozier is still refusing to see women as his equal? And I would have to answer, yes, you're probably right. While he uses Biblical references in almost every song, it's as if woman is his deity. Hozier's songs talk about women as ethereal creatures with worshipful wonder and helplessness. His poetic lyrics describe women as powerful and not in the typical femme fatale way. His lyrics, coupled with an acoustic and soulful sound, summon a deep spirituality. His voice is a smooth shot of rich espresso.

Hozier cherry wine lyrics meaning