"Sedated" is an indie-rock song listed as the eighth track on the album, written by Hozier alone. "Sedated" contains stripped-back instrumentation with uplifting piano, gospel choir melodies, and rich, dark vocals while the lyrics depict an "addictive love", warning of "creeping shadows, poison, and personal decay".
Sedated
Hozier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To feel dizzy, to derail the mind of me
Just a little hush, babe
Our veins are busy but my heart's in atrophy
Any way to distract and sedate
Adding shadows to the walls of the cave
You and I nursing on a poison that never stung
Somewhere for this, death and guns
We are deaf, we are numb
Free and young and we can feel none of it
Something isn't right, babe
I keep catching little words but the meaning's thin
I'm somewhere outside my life, babe
I keep scratching but somehow I can't get in
So we're slaves to any semblance of touch
Lord we should quit but we love it too much
Sedated we're nursing on a poison that never stung
Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it
Somewhere for this, death and guns
We are deaf, we are numb
Free and young and we can feel none of it
Darlin', don't you, stand there watching, won't you
Come and save me from it
Darlin', don't you, join in, you're supposed to
Drag me away from it
Any way to distract and sedate
Adding shadows to the walls of the cave
You and I nursing on a poison that never stung
Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it
Somewhere for this, death and guns
We are deaf, we are numb
Free and young and we can feel none of it
Sedated we're nursing on a poison that never stung
Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it
Somewhere for this, death and guns
We are deaf, we are numb
Free and young and we can feel none of it
Hozier's "Sedated" is a song that not only sounds hauntingly beautiful, but also explores some deep concepts about addiction and detachment. The lyrics speak to feeling removed from one's life, almost as if watching it from afar, and turning to substances or distractions to escape that feeling. The first verse sets the tone with lines like "Just a little rush, babe, to feel dizzy, to derail the mind of me / Just a little hush, babe, our veins are busy but my heart's in atrophy." The rush and hush mentioned here are likely referring to drugs or alcohol, but could also represent any sort of distraction that one turns to in order to quiet the mind.
The chorus then amplifies this feeling of detachment, with the repeated lines "Sedated we're nursing on a poison that never stung / Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it / Somewhere for this, death and guns / We are deaf, we are numb / Free and young and we can feel none of it." The poison here could be literal, in the sense of addiction to drugs or alcohol, or could be more metaphorical, referring to any habit or behavior that is harmful and distancing. The final lines of the chorus suggest a sense of societal disillusionment - the idea that youth is wasted on the young, and that we are all trapped in a cycle of numbness and apathy.
The second verse speaks to the struggle of trying to break free from this cycle, with lines like "Something isn't right, babe / I keep catching little words but the meaning's thin / I'm somewhere outside my life, babe / I keep scratching but somehow I can't get in." The sense of being outside one's life, and unable to re-enter it, is a common theme for those struggling with addiction or detachment. The verse also touches on the idea that we are slaves to touch and connection, even when it is harmful, because we crave some sort of feeling or sensation.
Overall, "Sedated" is a powerful song that speaks to the human condition in a raw and honest way. The haunting melodies, combined with the thoughtful and introspective lyrics, make for a truly memorable listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a little rush, babe
I need a quick thrill, just a momentary high to distract me.
To feel dizzy, to derail the mind of me
I want to feel out of control and forget about everything for a while.
Just a little hush, babe
Be quiet and don't ruin the moment.
Our veins are busy but my heart's in atrophy
Physically, I'm keeping busy, but emotionally I'm dying inside.
Any way to distract and sedate
I'll do whatever it takes to forget my problems for a while.
Adding shadows to the walls of the cave
I'm making things worse for myself by ignoring reality.
You and I nursing on a poison that never stung
We're addicted to something that has never caused us any pain.
Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it
The poison we're addicted to is slowly destroying us from the inside out.
Somewhere for this, death and guns
People are dying and there's violence happening somewhere for the sake of the thing we're addicted to.
We are deaf, we are numb
We are so addicted that we don't hear or feel anything anymore.
Free and young and we can feel none of it
Even though we're young and supposedly free, we're stuck in our addiction and can't enjoy life.
Something isn't right, babe
I can sense that this isn't healthy or normal, even if I can't articulate why.
I keep catching little words but the meaning's thin
I'm trying to understand what's going on, but I can't quite grasp it.
I'm somewhere outside my life, babe
I feel like I'm watching someone else's life instead of living my own.
I keep scratching but somehow I can't get in
I'm trying to break through to reality, but something is holding me back.
So we're slaves to any semblance of touch
We'll do anything for even a hint of pleasure or escape.
Lord we should quit but we love it too much
Even though we know we should stop, we're too addicted to give it up.
Darlin', don't you, stand there watching, won't you
I'm asking someone to help me, even though it's hard to admit that I need it.
Come and save me from it
I need someone to rescue me from this cycle of addiction.
Darlin', don't you, join in, you're supposed to
I'm trying to justify my addiction by encouraging someone else to do it with me.
Drag me away from it
I need someone to physically pull me out of this mess and help me detox.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Hozier Byrne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sleepless-cc4mo
Just a little rush, babe
To feel dizzy, to derail the mind of me
Just a little hush, babe
Our veins are busy but my heart's in atrophy
Any way to distract and sedate
Adding shadows to the walls of the cave
You and I nursing on a poison that never stung
Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it
Somewhere for this, death and guns
We are deaf, we are numb
Free and young and we can feel none of it
Something isn't right, babe
I keep catching little words but the meaning's thin
I'm somewhere outside my life, babe
I keep scratching but somehow I can't get in
So we're slaves to any semblance of touch
Lord we should quit but we love it too much
Sedated we're nursing on a poison that never stung
Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it
Somewhere for this, death and guns
We are deaf, we are numb
Free and young and we can feel none of it
Darlin', don't you, stand there watching, won't you
Come and save me from it
Darlin', don't you, join in, you're supposed to
Drag me away from it
Any way to distract and sedate
Adding shadows to the walls of the cave
You and I nursing on a poison that never stung
Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it
Somewhere for this, death and guns
We are deaf, we are numb
Free and young and we can feel none of it
Sedated we're nursing on a poison that never stung
Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it
Somewhere for this, death and guns
We are deaf, we are numb
Free and young and we can feel none of it
@DawnXMarie
As with some of his other songs, Sedated is written with real life emotion. With depth that reaches so far into my heart that my soul cries for mercy.
I've felt it with my own addiction and with seeing how poisoning myself affected those that cared enough to try to help me. And for me, that hurts the most.
At first, I didn't catch on to the fact that certain people didn't hang with me because they were interested in doing those same things with me. They were around me because they were trying to drag me away from it. But instead they began using too.
Eventually understanding did detonate loudly and clearly inside of me. And knowing that they wouldn't be in this, doing this, living this, if it weren't for me, matters in ways that my own use never did or ever could.
Hearing him sing:
"Darlin', don't you, stand there watching, won't you
Come and save me from it
Darlin', don't you, join in, you're supposed to
Drag me away from it.".
Breaks me down hard, and that is not at all an easy thing to do.
That section of lyrics reminds me of my ridiculous defense-
I argued or insisted that they didn't drag me away from it, but instead they joined into it. I said it wasn't my fault that they joined in. I didn't hold a gun to their heads. They were more than capable of saying no instead.
Basically I insisted that if they would have dragged me away from it, I wouldn't have been doing it and neither would they.
That's Bullshit.
And deep inside I knew it because I joined in when I had been trying to drag someone else away from it.
It is a vicious cycle that I, thankfully, do not ride anymore.
This song brings me too far back inside MY life(babe) when I don't have the option of turning it down or changing it to something else, and the pain is a severe, yet appropriate punishment.
I apologize for my lengthy lament, but it needed to be said - or written out.
🖤
Edit:
Tonight, when this video came on, I went to skip it but somehow the comments caught my eye. This comment that I left about 4 or 5 years ago was there at the top; and there was a line going straight thru most of what I wrote making it barely legible. So I decided to fix it. I left the song playing and those awful feelings from my past were seemingly fresh once again. Therefore, my edit became more of a rewrite written around the section of lyrics that I included and much of my original content because I didn't delete any of that. I simply expanded the comment for your hopeful understanding of what I was trying to say.
When I finished, I attempted to shorten it but anything I tried to change became entirely incomprehensible. So I had to leave it the way it is.
I considered just trashing the entire thing... But I can't.
Take care.
@SouthCom1917
This is one of the main songs I listened to when I was a heroin and painkiller addict. I knew the song was lamenting the exact kind of situation that I was in, but Hoziers voice was so soothing that I kept listening. Seven years later now and I'm opiate-free. It took a while for me to feel comfortable listening to this song again. It has a different meaning to me now, and I hope there are a lot of other people out there listening who also kicked painkillers.
If you're struggling with addiction, it does get better. You can beat it, and there's nothing wrong with asking other people for help. Life is too short and precious to be spent numb to the beauty it has to offer.
@zoya5091
I'm so glad that you beat your addiction 💖
@theresaparkhurst1684
Same but for me it was to To Be Alone. He just captures to gut wrenching sorrow and emptiness so perfectly. I’m sober now too, seven years in February.
@jacobmontecinos5883
Your a breathing miracle-addiction is a killer 😢
@arixtrbl6
this is amazing, congratulations!! I hope you have all the health and happiness in the world ❤
@orobles90
🎉🎉🎉 3 years for me
@RayllaTatielle
"adding shadows to the walls of the cave", Hozier made the best interpretation for the Cave Myth from Plato i could imagine.
@LadyMossdown
I never made that connection! :o
@brooklynsfinstallday
oH SHIT!
@senorxcoldhands9671
Exactly what I thought :')
The Allegory of the cave.