Shrike
Hozier Lyrics
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Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird, 'bout it now
Words hung above, but never would form
Like a cry at the final breath that is drawn
Remember me love when I'm reborn
Had no idea on what ground I was founded
All of that goodness is gone with you now
Then when I met you my virtues uncounted
All of my goodness is gone with you now
Dragging along, following your form
Hung like the pelt of some prey you had worn
Remember me love, when I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
I fled to the city with so much discounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
Back to the hedgerows where bodies are mounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
I was housed by your warmth, thus transformed
By your grounded and giving and darkening scorn
Remember me love, when I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
In Hozier's song "Shrike," the lyrics evoke a sense of longing and regret for a lost love. The singer of the song acknowledges that they were not able to express their love when it mattered most, but now they are singing about it like a bird. The words never seemed to come when they needed to be said, but now the singer is speaking of being reborn as a shrike to their lover's sharp and glorious thorn. The imagery of the shrike hanging its prey in a bush draws a parallel to the lover being caught and held by their partner.
The second verse of the song speaks of the singer's transformation once they found their lover. They were lost before they met this person and did not realize their virtues at first. However, when they found their love, they were transformed by their grounded and giving nature. The singer sees themselves now as a bird flying back to their love, and returning to the hedgerows where their bodies are mounted. There seems to be a sense of sacrifice in this line, as if acknowledging that both partners must endure some pain in order to be together.
Overall, "Shrike" tells a story of love and loss, regret and transformation, and the ways that love can change us. The imagery of the shrike and the sharp thorn serves as a powerful metaphor for how we are caught and transformed by the people we love.
Line by Line Meaning
I couldn't utter my love when it counted
I was unable to express my love when it really mattered.
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
But now I'm singing about it like a bird- free, loud and uninhibited.
I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
I failed to raise my voice when you needed it the most.
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird, 'bout it now
But now I'm singing about it like a bird- free, loud and uninhibited.
Words hung above, but never would form
I had so much to say, but the words only remained suspended in my mind.
Like a cry at the final breath that is drawn
Like a last attempt at a final goodbye.
Remember me love when I'm reborn
Please keep me in your memory even after I'm gone.
As a shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
Like a bird diving in to an unavoidable thorn, I am coming to you.
Had no idea on what ground I was founded
I never knew the foundation of my being.
All of that goodness is gone with you now
All of the good and positive parts of me vanished when you left.
Then when I met you my virtues uncounted
When we first met, my virtues were countless.
All of my goodness is gone with you now
All that was once good within me is now gone because of your departure.
Dragging along, following your form
I was following you like a shadow, insignificant and stagnant.
Hung like the pelt of some prey you had worn
I was like a piece of clothing, an accessory that you used and then discarded.
Remember me love, when I'm reborn
Please keep me in your memory even after I'm gone.
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
Like a bird diving in to an unavoidable thorn, I am coming to you.
I fled to the city with so much discounted
I escaped to the city, leaving behind everything that was once important to me.
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
But now I am flying back to you, free and unrestricted.
Back to the hedgerows where bodies are mounted
Returning to the countryside where there were many burial plots.
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
But now I am flying back to you, free and unrestricted.
I was housed by your warmth, thus transformed
You provided a safe place where I was able to grow and evolve as a person.
By your grounded and giving and darkening scorn
Through your kind, generous, and sometimes negative actions, I was reshaped.
Remember me love, when I'm reborn
Please keep me in your memory even after I'm gone.
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn
Like a bird diving in to an unavoidable thorn, I am coming to you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Hozier-Byrne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@osen7498
I couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
The words hung above
But never would form
Like a cry at the final
Breath that is drawn
Remember me, love
When I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp
And glorious thorn
And I'd no idea on what ground I was founded
All of that goodness is goin' with you now
Then when I met you, my virtues uncounted
All of my goodness is goin' with you now
Dragging along
Following your form
Hung like the pelt
Of some prey you had worn
Remember me, love
When I'm reborn
As a shrike to your sharp
And glorious thorn
I fled to the city with so much discounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
Back to the hedgerows where bodies are mounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
I was housed by your warmth
Thus transformed
By you're grounded and giving
And darkening scorn
Remember me, love
When I'm reborn
As a shrike to your sharp
And glorious thorn
@sethrutledge8039
couldn't utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I'm singing like a bird 'bout it now
The words hung above
But never would form
Like a cry at the final
Breath that is drawn
Remember me, love
When I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp
And glorious thorn
And I'd no idea on what ground I was founded
All of that goodness is goin' with you now
Then when I met you, my virtues uncounted
All of my goodness is goin' with you now
Dragging along
Following your form
Hung like the pelt
Of some prey you had worn
Remember me, love
When I'm reborn
As a shrike to your sharp
And glorious thorn
I fled to the city with so much discounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
Back to the hedgerows where bodies are mounted
Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now
I was housed by your warmth
Thus transformed
By you're grounded and giving
And darkening scorn
Remember me, love
When I'm reborn
As a shrike to your sharp
And glorious thorn
@cierra7246
Just the line "back when I met you my virtues uncounted; all that goodness is gone with you now" absolutely breaks me. It's the most poetic and tragic way I've seen someone say "you took the best parts of me with you"
@robynrose3328
literally one of the most beautiful songs I have heard in my lifetime, from his voice delivery, the production, the writing, the meaning, the metaphor... just everything pure poetry.
@midpathblu
Couldn’t have described it better my friend!!!! Cheers
@macymeeks777
"I couldn't whisper when you needed it shouted" goes hard damn
@Digitalhunny
Does Hozier have celtic roots? Is... is this the connection we're hearing & loving so much? 🤗💕💕💕
@joshbarnes2313
Born and raised Irish, I believe😊
@jadex1058
My wife and I chose this song as our first dance, so this was a nice notification to wake up to
@teddyb580
I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but why? It's a pretty sad song. I'm genuinely curious.
@jadex1058
@teddyb totally valid question. A lot of his songs have sad meanings, but he's our favorite artist and we love the way Shrike sounds
@ElijahSinclair1220
I could definitely imagine that
The rhythm is very danceable