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.
In a Week
Hozier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like the damp grass that yields to me
I have never known hunger
Like these insects that feast on me
A thousand teeth
And yours among them, I know
Our hungers appeased
We lay here for years or for hours
Thrown here or found
To freeze or to thaw
So long we become the flowers
Two corpses we were
Two corpses I saw
And they'd find us in a week
When the weather gets hot
After the insects have made their claim
I'd be home with you
I'd be home with you
I have never known sleep
Like the slumber that creeps to me
I have never known color
Like this morning reveals to me
And you haven't moved an inch
Such that I would not know
If you sleep always like this
The flesh calmly going cold
We lay here for years or for hours
Your hand in my hand
So still and discreet
So long we become the flowers
We'd feed well the land
And worry the sheep
And they'd find us in a week
When the cattle show fear
After the insects have made their claim
After the foxes have known our taste
I'd be home with you
I'd be home with you
They'd find us in a week (Lay here for years or for hours)
When the weather gets hot (So long we become the flowers)
They'd find us in a week (Lay here for years or for hours)
When the cattle shows fear (So long we become the flowers)
And they'd find us in a week
When the buzzards get loud
After the insects have made their claim
After the foxes have known our taste
After the raven has had its say
I'd be home with you
I'd be home with you
I'd be home with you
I'd be home with you
I'd be home with you
I'd be home with you
In "In A Week," Hozier tells the story of a couple who have died and are lying in the grass. The first verse begins with the singer saying he has never known peace and hunger like the damp grass beneath him and the insects feeding on him. He shares that he and his partner have sustained each other's hunger and that their heartbeats have slowed, leading them to die together.
The second verse, the singer speaks about how he has never known sleep like the slumber that creeps to him and the colors of the morning that reveal to him. He questions if his partner could always sleep so soundly, while their flesh goes cold. They lie together, hand in hand, until they become the flowers below them.
The chorus repeats the lyrics, "and they'd find us in a week when the weather gets hot, after the insects have made their claim. After the foxes have known our taste, I'd be home with you." The singer desires to be home with his partner, even in death.
The song is a beautiful and haunting tale of two lovers who have died, and is interpreted to mean that they chose to die together. The imagery of the damp grass and insects feeding on them gives a sense of the inevitability of death, while the slow heartbeat and feeding of each other's hunger show the love and comfort the two bring to each other in their final moments.
Line by Line Meaning
I have never known peace
I have never experienced true peace in my life
Like the damp grass that yields to me
Similar to how the damp grass bends under my weight
I have never known hunger
I have never experienced true hunger in my life
Like these insects that feast on me
Similar to how these insects feed on me
A thousand teeth
So many potential threats surrounding me
And yours among them, I know
Including you, I am aware of this danger
Our hungers appeased
Our desires have been satisfied
Our heartbeats becoming slow
We are calming down and becoming relaxed
We lay here for years or for hours
We have been in this same position for what feels like a very long time
Thrown here or found
We either ended up here by accident or were placed here intentionally
To freeze or to thaw
Either becoming numb or slowly regaining feeling
So long we become the flowers
We have been here so long that we have become a part of the landscape
Two corpses we were
We entered into this position as living beings and now we are dead
Two corpses I saw
The singer is reflecting on the fact that both they and their partner are now dead
And they'd find us in a week
It would take about a week for someone to notice our absence
When the weather gets hot
It would be during a time when the temperature rises
After the insects have made their claim
After the insects have consumed our flesh
I'd be home with you
Even after death, the singer longs to be with their partner
I have never known sleep
I have never truly experienced restful sleep
Like the slumber that creeps to me
The artist is describing a feeling of sleep taking hold of them
I have never known color
The artist has never seen such vivid colors before
Like this morning reveals to me
The beauty of this moment has newly opened up to the artist
And you haven't moved an inch
The singer's partner has remained completely still
Such that I would not know
To the point where the artist has no way of knowing
If you sleep always like this
If their partner always sleeps so soundly
The flesh calmly going cold
The body is gradually losing its warmth
Your hand in my hand
The singer is holding their partner's hand
So still and discreet
Both partners are incredibly still and silent
We'd feed well the land
After our deaths, our bodies would nourish the earth
And worry the sheep
Our presence may frighten or disturb those who happen upon us
When the cattle shows fear
The animals may become alarmed and agitated in our presence
When the buzzards get loud
When birds of prey become more vocal and alert
After the foxes have known our taste
After they have become accustomed to consuming our flesh
After the raven has had its say
When the scavengers have had their fill and moved on
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Hozier Byrne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sergio Biancu
on Take Me to Church
Stupendaaaaaaa!!!!
Saul Giron Pineda
on Take Me to Church
.s.xñékeokdp2
Music Masti
on In A Week
Bored. QC stuff
Gregg Andely
on Take Me to Church
hi
Sanae Chairi
on Take Me to Church
very nice
Firoj Khan
on Run
good
William Lawrence Brown
on Take Me to Church
hp
Faizan Aziz
on Take Me to Church
baby blue eyes
Djlux DangiwanGregg Andely
on Take Me to Church
baby blue eyes
Srikar Dora Jaram
on Take Me to Church
amen