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 September 2018, he released an EP titled Nina Cried Power and featured the title track as a single, reaching number one on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart. He released his second album, Wasteland, Baby! in March 2019, which debuted atop the Irish Albums Chart and the Billboard 200, and has since been certified gold in the U.S.
Blood Upon the Snow
Hozier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nature offers a violence
The bear that keeps to his own line
The wolf that seeks always his own kind
The world that hardens as the harsher winter holds
The parent forced to eat its young before it grows
Every bird, gone unheard
The winter sunrise, red on white
Like blood upon the snow
Like blood upon the snow
The ground walked here is a wonder
It ceases never to hunger
And all things nature's given
She takes all things back from the living
I've walked the earth and there are so few here that know
How dark the night and just how cold the wind can blow
I've no more hunger now to see where the road will go
I've no more kept my warmth
Than blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
It's not my arms that will fail me
But this world takes more strength than it gave me
The trees deny themselves nothing that makes them grow
No rain fall, no sunshine
No blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
To all things housed in her silence
Nature offers a violence
The lyrics of Hozier's song "Blood Upon the Snow" divulge profound insights into the harsh realities of nature and the human condition. The opening lines, "To all things housed in her silence, nature offers a violence," suggest that nature itself can be unforgiving and brutal. This is exemplified through the mention of the bear and the wolf, creatures that prioritize their own survival and kin. The lyrics imply that the world becomes hardened during the harsh winter, symbolizing the struggle for survival and the sacrifices made to sustain life, such as the parent forced to consume its own young.
The song continues with the imagery of birds starving on frozen ground and the winter sunrise appearing as blood upon the snow. These lines represent the desperation and brutality of nature in its wintry state. The persona expresses their understanding of the darkness of the night and the coldness of the wind, suggesting they have experienced the harshness of life firsthand. They confess that they no longer have a longing to explore where the road will lead, indicating a sense of resignation and acceptance of their fate.
The final stanza emphasizes the strength and resilience of nature, contrasting it with the fragility of humanity. The trees, symbolizing the perseverance of nature, are shown to take whatever they need to grow without hesitation. This stands in contrast to the persona, who laments their lack of strength to combat the world's demands. The absence of rain, sunshine, and blood upon the snow indicates that they feel depleted, unable to nourish themselves or make a lasting impact.
Overall, "Blood Upon the Snow" delves into the duality of nature, highlighting its beauty and brutality, while also exploring the vulnerability and struggles of humanity in this unyielding environment.
Line by Line Meaning
To all things housed in her silence
Nature brings a forceful, destructive nature to all living beings
The bear that keeps to his own line
Even the bear, who sticks to his own path, faces nature's aggression
The wolf that seeks always his own kind
The wolf, who searches for companionship among his own species, still confronts the harshness of nature
The world that hardens as the harsher winter holds
As winter intensifies, the world becomes even more unforgiving and unyielding
The parent forced to eat its young before it grows
In order to survive, a parent is driven to consume its own offspring before they can fully develop
Every bird, gone unheard
Every bird is left unnoticed and starving
Starving where the ground has froze
The birds suffer hunger when the frozen ground prevents them from finding sustenance
The winter sunrise, red on white
The cold wintery morning sun paints a red hue on the white snow, resembling blood
Like blood upon the snow
The sight of the red sun on white snow is reminiscent of blood shed
The ground walked here is a wonder
The land that has been traversed reveals a marvel
It ceases never to hunger
This land is perpetually ravenous
And all things nature's given
Nature gives birth to all living beings
She takes all things back from the living
Yet, nature eventually reclaims everything it has created
I've walked the earth and there are so few here that know
Having experienced life, I have discovered that very few people truly understand
How dark the night and just how cold the wind can blow
They fail to comprehend the depths of darkness during night and the biting chill of the wind
I've no more hunger now to see where the road will go
I no longer yearn to uncover the destination of the path I walk
I've no more kept my warmth
I have lost my own warmth and vitality
Than blood upon the snow
Similar to blood staining the snow, my warmth has dissipated
It's not my arms that will fail me
My physical strength is not what will let me down
But this world takes more strength than it gave me
Instead, it is the demanding nature of this world that drains my inner strength
The trees deny themselves nothing that makes them grow
Trees unreservedly acquire all necessary resources for their growth
No rain fall, no sunshine
They require both rainfall and sunshine
No blood upon the snow
However, unlike blood on the snow, they do not demand sacrifice or suffering
To all things housed in her silence
Once again, nature subjects all living beings to its violent nature
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Hozier Byrne, Bear McCreary
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheMajinTrunks
@@takumifujiwara783 Man... The game's writing is bad. Really bad. The Surtr thing is .... just one example.
It's an incoherent, incompetent, idiotic, inconsistent mess.
Character actions are absurde. It's... i just. Pick any character. Any event... and it falls appart.
Take Surtr and Sinmara. Remove Sinmara from the plot. Nothing Changes. Remove Surtr from the plot.. nothing changes.... except Frayer survives and Asgard itself as a land is intact. Odin would still be dead. Thor would Still be dead. Surtr did NOTHING at the final battle. His inclusion in the plot is overconveluted and utterly pointless.
That... ONE. Just ONE. I could go on a tangenet about almost every single major event in the game.
@TheMajinTrunks
@@takumifujiwara783 The ending makes no sense.
Faye didn't want them... to fulfill the Giants prophecy... so she sent them... to SEE The prophecy in the first game?!
Also they didn't fulfil the giant's prophecy... by fulfilling ... faye's prophecy?!
But the giants are al about "prophecies can't be changed"?
It's like the writers wanted to GET to an emotional Payoff, but had NO IDEA how to get there.
And like that was the entire first game. It's the JOURNEY. Not the destination. That... in fact most stories. The destination is obvious. From the SECOND Baldur is revealed as being sent by Odin, you KNOW Kratos is beating Odin. HOW do we get there is the journey. And the Journey of Ragnarok is shit. Utter utter shit.
Yes Sindri's killing of Odin is emotionally satisfying, but when the reason for that revenge is just garbage.... why would anyone be invested.
@LokiAndLoiDontGiveADamn
3:30 DAMN! When that God of War theme came in my eyes just suddenly became full of tears out of epicness! That was too powerful! 🤯🤯🤯
Edit: spoiler ahead ⬇️
Edit: I wrote the original comment before finishing the game, but now it hits way more differently because the song is played in game after a certain character’s funeral! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
@kewpiemayo4364
To all things housed in her silence
Nature offers a violence
The bear that keeps to his own line
The wolf that seeks always his own kind
The world that hardens as the harsher winter holds
The parent forced to eat its young before it grows
Every bird, gone unheard
Starving where the ground has froze
The winter sunrise, red on white
Like blood upon the snow
Like blood upon the snow
The ground walked here is a wonder
It ceases never to hunger
And all things nature's given
She takes all things back from the living
I've walked the earth and there are so few here that know
How dark the night and just how cold the wind can blow
I've no more hunger now to see where the road will go
I've no more kept my warmth
Than blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
It's not my arms that will fail me
But this world takes more strength than it gave me
The trees deny themselves nothing that makes them grow
No rain fall, no sunshine
No blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
Blood upon the snow
To all things housed in her silence
Nature offers a violence
@daanabbring5409
@@edwardarroyo834 Especially the real ending...
Spoiler ahead
After Brok's funeral the credits roll again. That moment was so well crafted, especially how Mimir came with the answer for the riddle. That hit too hard for me.
@SonySoundtracksVEVO
Listen to the official God of War Ragnarök soundtrack here: https://godofwar.lnk.to/ragnarokAY
@najialayoubi7200
t3
@XcelesteXmagixX
Hey, someone posted Bear's song without actually doing any derivative work from it (fan art compilation, commentary). I can't claim copyright or flag it so it comes to your attention, but perhaps you guys can take care of it for Sony and the game's composer. https://youtu.be/wV0ejaIA8Wo
@evangelosjustthat6209
"Death can have me , when it earns me "
@TheMajinTrunks
Atreus: Surtyr please help
Surtr: NO
Kratos: we're leaving
Surtr: ok i'll help.
@takumifujiwara783
@@TheMajinTrunks I also thought that was a weird build up.
@TheMajinTrunks
@@takumifujiwara783 Man... The game's writing is bad. Really bad. The Surtr thing is .... just one example.
It's an incoherent, incompetent, idiotic, inconsistent mess.
Character actions are absurde. It's... i just. Pick any character. Any event... and it falls appart.
Take Surtr and Sinmara. Remove Sinmara from the plot. Nothing Changes. Remove Surtr from the plot.. nothing changes.... except Frayer survives and Asgard itself as a land is intact. Odin would still be dead. Thor would Still be dead. Surtr did NOTHING at the final battle. His inclusion in the plot is overconveluted and utterly pointless.
That... ONE. Just ONE. I could go on a tangenet about almost every single major event in the game.
@takumifujiwara783
@@TheMajinTrunks as much as it does bother me a bit also I still liked the game. It was definitely rushed. But I feel like the ending was satisfying. And that's something allot of franchise always miss or mess up on is the ending.
@TheMajinTrunks
@@takumifujiwara783 The ending makes no sense.
Faye didn't want them... to fulfill the Giants prophecy... so she sent them... to SEE The prophecy in the first game?!
Also they didn't fulfil the giant's prophecy... by fulfilling ... faye's prophecy?!
But the giants are al about "prophecies can't be changed"?
It's like the writers wanted to GET to an emotional Payoff, but had NO IDEA how to get there.
And like that was the entire first game. It's the JOURNEY. Not the destination. That... in fact most stories. The destination is obvious. From the SECOND Baldur is revealed as being sent by Odin, you KNOW Kratos is beating Odin. HOW do we get there is the journey. And the Journey of Ragnarok is shit. Utter utter shit.
Yes Sindri's killing of Odin is emotionally satisfying, but when the reason for that revenge is just garbage.... why would anyone be invested.
@karb4942
Hozier and Bear McCreary is the collab I never knew I needed