Bedroom Hymns
Florence + the Machine Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

This is as good a place to fall as any
We'll build our alter here
Make me your Maria
I'm already on my knees
You had Jesus on your breath
And I caught him in mine
Sweating our confessions
The undone and the divine

'Cause this is his body
This is his blood
Such selfish prayers
And I can't get enough

Spilled milk tears,
I did this for you
Spilling over the idol
The black and the blue

The sweetest submission
Drinking it in
The wine, the women, the bedroom hymns

'Cause this is his body
This is his love
Such selfish prayers
And I can't get enough

'Cause

I'm not here looking for absolution
Because I found myself an old solution
I'm not here looking for absolution
Because I found myself an old solution

This is his body
This is his love
Such selfish prayers,
I can't get enough

This is his body
This is his love




Such selfish prayers,
I can't get enough

Overall Meaning

The song "Bedroom Hymns" by Florence + the Machine is a haunting and intense exploration of sexuality, religion, and personal desire. The opening lyrics "this is as good a place to fall as any, we'll build our altar here, make me your Maria, I'm already on my knees" suggest a sense of surrender and devotion, with the singer offering herself up to her lover in a way that echoes the imagery of religious worship. The use of the name "Maria" is particularly significant as it is associated with the Virgin Mary, another figure of religious devotion and sacrifice.


As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly immersed in the physical and emotional experience of being with her lover. The lines "you had Jesus on your breath and I caught him in mine, sweating our confessions, the undone and the divine" suggest a sense of spiritual ecstasy, with the act of physical intimacy elevated to the level of a religious experience. This is further reinforced by the repeated refrain of "this is his body, this is his love", which directly references the Christian sacrament of communion.


However, the sense of spiritual connection is undercut by darker elements of the song's imagery. The line "spilled milk tears, I did this for you, spilling over the idol, the black and the blue" suggests a sense of pain and injury, perhaps as a result of violent or non-consensual sex. This is further compounded by the line "the sweetest submission, drinking it in, the wine, the women, the bedroom hymns", which subtly suggests a sense of exploitation and power imbalance. The final repetition of "I'm not here looking for absolution, because I found myself an old solution" suggests a sense of guilt and shame, with the singer using sex as a way of avoiding or numbing her emotional pain.


Line by Line Meaning

This is as good a place to fall as any
Anywhere is a suitable place for us to indulge in our sinful desires.


We'll build our altar here
We will create a sacred space for our indulgences in this location.


Make me your Maria
Treat me as a holy icon, an object of your worship.


I'm already on my knees
I am already in a subservient position, ready to be worshiped.


You had Jesus on your breath
You invoked the name of the holy savior in our act of worship.


And I caught him in mine
The name of Jesus is on my lips now, too.


Sweating our confessions
We are so caught up in our worship that soon we begin to confess our sins and deepest desires to each other.


The undone and the divine
The sinful and the holy aspects of ourselves become intertwined in this act of worship.


'Cause this is his body
We are treating each other as the physical manifestation of Jesus in this ritualistic act of worship.


This is his blood
The fluids shared between us during our act of worship represent the holy blood of Jesus.


Such selfish prayers
Our prayers are self-centered and focused on satisfying our own desires.


And I can't get enough
We are so caught up in our worship and the pleasure it brings that we cannot stop seeking it.


Spilled milk tears,
Tears shed over something that cannot be undone.


I did this for you
I indulged in this act of worship as a sacrifice for you, as an offering of my love.


Spilling over the idol
The tears are being shed over the object of our worship, the idol.


The black and the blue
The bruises and scars from our worship are both physical and emotional.


The sweetest submission
The act of giving in to our desires and worship is the most pleasurable thing we have ever experienced.


Drinking it in
We are completely absorbed in and savoring every moment of our worship.


The wine, the women, the bedroom hymns
These are the holy trinity of our act of worship, representing indulgence, subservience, and pleasure.


I'm not here looking for absolution
We are not seeking forgiveness, we are relishing in our worship and pleasures.


Because I found myself an old solution
We have found a way to satisfy our desires and worship that has been practiced for centuries.


This is his body
We continue to see each other as the embodiment of Jesus in this act of worship.


This is his love
Our worship is an expression of the divine love that Jesus represents.


Such selfish prayers,
Our worship is a self-centered prayer offering to fulfill our desires and needs.


I can't get enough
We are so addicted to the pleasure and experience of this worship that we cannot get enough.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AMANDA GHOST, DAVE MCCRACKEN, IAN DENCH, FLORENCE WELCH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions