Angel of Small Death and thr Codeine Scene
Hozier Lyrics
I watch the work of my kin bold and boyful
Toying somewhere between love and abuse
Calling to join them the wretched and joyful
Shaking the wings of their terrible youths
Freshly dissolved in some frozen devotion
No more alone or myself could I be
Looks like a strain to the arms it were open
No shortage of sordid, no protest from me
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean
With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
Feeling more human and hooked on her flesh I
Lay my heart down with the rest at her feet
Fresh from the fields, all fetor and fertile
Bloody and raw, but I swear it is sweet
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
And lease this confusion, I'll wander the concrete
Wonder if better now having survived
Jarring of judgement and reasons defeat
The sweet heat of her breath in my mouth I'm alive
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREW HOZIER BYRNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Andrew Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known mononymously as Hozier, is an Irish musician and singer-songwriter from Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. In 2013 he released his debut EP, featuring the hit single "Take Me to Church", and his second EP "From Eden" in 2014. His debut studio album, "Hozier", was released in Ireland in September 2014 and globally in October 2014.
Hozier was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. His mother is the visual artist Raine Hozier-Byrne (who also designed his latest album cover). Read Full BioAndrew Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known mononymously as Hozier, is an Irish musician and singer-songwriter from Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. In 2013 he released his debut EP, featuring the hit single "Take Me to Church", and his second EP "From Eden" in 2014. His debut studio album, "Hozier", was released in Ireland in September 2014 and globally in October 2014.
Hozier was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. His mother is the visual artist Raine Hozier-Byrne (who also designed his latest album cover). He began a degree in music at Trinity College, Dublin, but dropped out midway through his first year in order to record demos for Universal Music. While at Trinity, he became involved with the Trinity Orchestra. He was a member of Anúna from 2008 to 2012, and appears as a soloist on their 2012 release "Illumination" singing "La Chanson de Mardi Gras". He toured and sang with the group internationally including performances in Norway and the Netherlands.
In 2013, Hozier released the EP "Take Me to Church EP" (also containing "Like Real People Do", "Angel of Small Death and The Codeine Scene" and a live version of "Cherry Wine"), with the title track becoming his breakthrough single after it went viral on YouTube. It reached number one on the Irish iTunes singles chart and number two in the official chart on 25 October 2013.
Hozier followed up Take Me to Church with the new EP "From Eden EP" (also containing "Work Song", "Arsonist's Lullabye" and a live version of "To Be Alone"), and a number of festival tour dates and television appearances in the United States. Hozier released his self-titled album, "Hozier" on 19 September 2014. It had five singles including "Take Me to Church", "Work Song", and "From Eden", which were hits on his earlier EPs. On December 2014, it was announced that "Take Me to Church" was nominated at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards for Song of the Year in 2015.
In March 2019 he released Wasteland, Baby!. Sam Sodomsky's review in Pitchfork notes that "He’s got a gorgeous voice. Booming and effervescent, it’s an instrument that communicates passion, adventure, and wisdom," but also noted that the length of the album (14 tracks) became "humdrum."
Hozier was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. His mother is the visual artist Raine Hozier-Byrne (who also designed his latest album cover). Read Full BioAndrew Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known mononymously as Hozier, is an Irish musician and singer-songwriter from Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. In 2013 he released his debut EP, featuring the hit single "Take Me to Church", and his second EP "From Eden" in 2014. His debut studio album, "Hozier", was released in Ireland in September 2014 and globally in October 2014.
Hozier was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. His mother is the visual artist Raine Hozier-Byrne (who also designed his latest album cover). He began a degree in music at Trinity College, Dublin, but dropped out midway through his first year in order to record demos for Universal Music. While at Trinity, he became involved with the Trinity Orchestra. He was a member of Anúna from 2008 to 2012, and appears as a soloist on their 2012 release "Illumination" singing "La Chanson de Mardi Gras". He toured and sang with the group internationally including performances in Norway and the Netherlands.
In 2013, Hozier released the EP "Take Me to Church EP" (also containing "Like Real People Do", "Angel of Small Death and The Codeine Scene" and a live version of "Cherry Wine"), with the title track becoming his breakthrough single after it went viral on YouTube. It reached number one on the Irish iTunes singles chart and number two in the official chart on 25 October 2013.
Hozier followed up Take Me to Church with the new EP "From Eden EP" (also containing "Work Song", "Arsonist's Lullabye" and a live version of "To Be Alone"), and a number of festival tour dates and television appearances in the United States. Hozier released his self-titled album, "Hozier" on 19 September 2014. It had five singles including "Take Me to Church", "Work Song", and "From Eden", which were hits on his earlier EPs. On December 2014, it was announced that "Take Me to Church" was nominated at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards for Song of the Year in 2015.
In March 2019 he released Wasteland, Baby!. Sam Sodomsky's review in Pitchfork notes that "He’s got a gorgeous voice. Booming and effervescent, it’s an instrument that communicates passion, adventure, and wisdom," but also noted that the length of the album (14 tracks) became "humdrum."
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Jukebox The Ghoul
My interpretation of this song is Hozier’s celebration of love and sex, as linked with his other song ‘Take Me To Church’, it explores the pain and pleasure aspect of gay identity.
As in the aforementioned song, Hozier has used the female pronoun to refer to homosexuality as well as his description of ‘my kin’ like the LGBT community being ‘bold’ and ‘boyful’ coining a neologism to describe boyishness which is often related to beauty. “Feeling more human” is very much like Hozier’s line “Only then I am human, only then I am complete.” and the caterpillar to butterfly aspect of them“Shaking the wings of their terrible youths” showing strength growing from pain which is a staple of a community which is widely rejected during youth. The eagerness to join in the community in the second line, “Calling to join them the wretched and joyful” furthers this song’s identity as a celebration of freedom, juxtaposing the “wretched” view from the outsider, and the joyful view of the insider. Showing how differently they define the LGBT community.
“And lease this confusion, I'll wander the concrete
Wonder if better now having survived
Jarring of judgement and reasons defeat”
The character has become unambiguous, he is no longer confused. Pondering how his rejection and judgement has hurt him and also made him stronger. The hate and judgement is confusing to the gay character because to him this is the most natural thing in the world. “Freshly disowned in some frozen devotion.” Referring again to Hozier’s antipathy to parental rejection and religious homophobia on these grounds, describing their faith as frozen and the feeling of abandonment ‘Fresh’ as if still hurting.
However the sexual partner of the Angel of Small Death, as Negrusoiu Razvan pointed out, is a reference to orgasm, is described as having “her arms hard and lean” using the juxtaposition of the female pronoun to show her generally masculine features of being ‘hard and lean’ furthering the idea of a celebration of sex between men. The Codeine scene refers to codeine – a painkiller – a metaphor to suggest making love is a healing aspect, blocking out the pain the character has experienced.
The song is by no mean short on indicators of the pain experienced in rejection and revelation of their gay identity but specifically it is a celebration of something homophobes might label as ‘sordid’ but it is being embraced by the ‘I’ personage. The consensual and willing nature of the sex is emphasised again and again. “no protest from me” “With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean” “hooked on her flesh” “The sweet heat of her breath in my mouth I'm alive”
Finally the sexual imagery is unmistakable in the culmination of the pain and pleasure theme in the chorus. “Bloody and raw, but I swear it is sweet” defying the popular image of sex being solely negative, and the sweetness of the experience from the perspective of the participant. It encapsulates the pain but also is quick to emphasise this is an intensely pleasurable experience despite the pain.
In conclusion, this song seems to be celebrating the natural, humanising, joyful effect of making love which explains the sexy tone and sensuality as well as the intense emotion of sex from the view of the gay person, examining how the pain and pleasure runs throughout the life of the LGBT community.
kyndal
[Verse 1]
I watch the work of my kin, bold and boyful
Toying somewhere between love and abuse
Calling to join them the wretched and joyful
Shaking the wings of their terrible youths
Freshly disowned in some frozen devotion
No more alone or myself could I be
Lurched like a stray to the arms that were open
No shortage of sordid, no protest from me
[Chorus]
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
[Verse 2]
Feeling more human and hooked on her flesh, I
Lay my heart down with the rest at her feet
Fresh from the fields, all fetor and fertile
It's bloody and raw, but I swear it is sweet
[Chorus]
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
[Verse 3]
In leash-less confusion, I'll wander the concrete
Wonder if better now having survived
The jarring of judgement and reason's defeat the sweet
Heat of her breath in my mouth I'm alive
[Chorus]
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean
She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene
elli
hozier’s music: exists
lesbians: this is now my property
Naomi_cochran._.
As a lesbian I can confirm that this is accurate
Catie Y
True
Skadi
facts
Min D
why is this true. how. 🥸
Loren Daemon
Me: yeah, I don't really like it when musicians make songs about sex, it's boring
Hozier:
Me: ah,
Who? Hoo?
Singing about it to bluntly losses its charm
Hut when its poetic like its good and extra points
Loren Daemon
@Kryptid Draws yes you get it
Kryptid Draws
nono-- he makes it sound poetic and good instead of, "SEX MONEY FEELING DIEEEE" or other songs alike this.
Just a random person 2
AFTIITZ8ZT8TZ LITERALLY