Would That I
Hozier Lyrics


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True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree
Willow dancing on air before covering me
Under cotton and calicos
Over canopy dappled long ago

True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me
That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree
Must be felled for to fight the cold
Fretted fire but that was long ago

And it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where I'm set alight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And I blink in sight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Your blinding light (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where you hold me tight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Light it fire bright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, let it blaze alright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, but you're good to me
Oh, you're good to me
Oh, but you're good to me, baby

With the roar of the fire my heart rose to its feet
Like the ashes of ash I saw rise in the heat
Settle soft and as pure as snow
I fell in love with the fire long ago

With each love I cut loose
I was never the same
Watching still living roots be consumed by the flame
I was fixed on your hand of gold
Laying waste to my lovin' long ago

And it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where I'm set alight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And I blink in sight (ooh-ooh-oh)
Your blinding light (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
You hold me tight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And the fire bright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, let it blaze alright, honey (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, but you're good to me
Oh, you're good to me
Oh, but you're good to me, baby

So in awe there I stood
As you licked off the grain
Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame
As long as amber of ember glows
All the wood that I'd loved is long ago

And it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where I'm set alight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And I blink in sight (ooh-ooh-oh)
Of your blinding light (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, and it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
When you hold me tight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
And the fire bright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Oh, let it blaze, alright (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Oh, but you're good to me
Oh, you're good to me
Oh, but you're good to me
Oh, you're good to me




You're good to me
Oh, but you're good to me, baby

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Hozier's "Would That I" are beautifully poetic and evocative. The first verse describes a woman's hair as being like the branches of a willow tree, dancing on air and then covering the singer. This could symbolize the way that love can engulf and cover us. The verse then goes on to mention cotton and calicos, which could represent innocence and simplicity, and a canopy dappled long ago, suggesting that these memories are from a distant past. The singer then reflects on the pain of love in withdrawal, which was like weeping for him. The metaphor of the saw being known by the tree suggests that the pain of separation is also felt by the one who has left, and must be felled like a tree in order to move on.


The chorus repeats twice, with the singer reflecting that it's not tonight where he is set alight and blinks in sight of the woman's blinding light. This could be interpreted as him not being able to handle the intensity of their love or not feeling worthy of it. He then acknowledges that she is good to him, even though he struggles to fully accept her love. The second verse describes the singer's heart rising to its feet with the roar of the fire, connecting the passion of their love to a blazing fire. The ashes of ash rising in the heat could represent the pain of past relationships being burned away. The verse then goes on to describe how the singer was never the same after each love he cut loose, watching still living roots of the previous relationship be consumed by the flame. He acknowledges being fixed on her hand of gold, which could represent her generosity and support. The final verse describes the singer in awe as he watches the object of his affection "lick off the grain," which is a reference to using a tongue to seal a joint in carpentry. He reflects on how he still worships the flame, even though he has handled the wood, connecting his love to the destructive power of fire. The final chorus repeats the refrain that the woman is good to him, even though he struggles to fully embrace her love.


Line by Line Meaning

True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree
I viewed her beautiful hair as though it was a tree branch


Willow dancing on air before covering me
Her hair was flowing and dancing in the air before eventually covering me


Under cotton and calicos
We were under cotton and calicos (a type of fabric)


Over canopy dappled long ago
Above us was a canopy that had become dappled a long time ago


True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me
I cried while experiencing love withdrawal


That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree
The tree must be aware of the sound of the saw that will cut it down


Must be felled for to fight the cold
The tree must be cut down to be used as fuel to fight the cold


Fretted fire but that was long ago
The firewood has been prepared and fretted a long time ago


And it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Tonight is not the night for a particular event, with ooh-oh-oh-oh being a musical interjection


Where I'm set alight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where I ignite and come to life, with ooh-oh-oh-oh being a musical interjection


And I blink in sight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
I am dazzled by the sight, with ooh-oh-oh-oh being a musical interjection


Your blinding light (ooh-ooh-oh)
Your dazzling light, with ooh-ooh-oh being a musical interjection


Oh, it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Tonight is not the night for a particular event, with ooh-oh-oh-oh being a musical interjection


Where you hold me tight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Where you hug me tightly, with ooh-oh-oh-oh being a musical interjection


Light it fire bright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Light the fire brightly, with ooh-ooh-oh being a musical interjection


Oh, let it blaze alright (ooh-ooh-oh)
Allow the fire to burn brightly and intensely, with ooh-ooh-oh being a musical interjection


Oh, but you're good to me
You are good to me


With the roar of the fire my heart rose to its feet
My heart was filled with joy as the fire roared higher


Like the ashes of ash I saw rise in the heat
I saw the ashes of the ash tree rise in the heat


Settle soft and as pure as snow
The ashes settled gently and resembled fresh snow


I fell in love with the fire long ago
I fell in love with the fire a long time ago


With each love I cut loose
With every love I let go of


I was never the same
I was never the same after each love


Watching still living roots be consumed by the flame
I watched the flames consume the still-living roots


I was fixed on your hand of gold
I was focused on your hand of gold (referring to a wedding ring)


Laying waste to my lovin' long ago
Destroying my past love and moving forward


So in awe there I stood
I stood there in awe


As you licked off the grain
As you licked off the grain of a wooden spoon


Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame
Even though I have worked with wood, I still admire the fire


As long as amber of ember glows
As long as the fire is still burning


All the wood that I'd loved is long ago
The wood that I had loved is now gone


Oh, and it's not tonight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Tonight is not the night for a particular event, with ooh-oh-oh-oh being a musical interjection


When you hold me tight (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
When you hug me tightly, with ooh-oh-oh-oh being a musical interjection


And the fire bright (ooh-ooh-oh)
And the fire burns brightly, with ooh-ooh-oh being a musical interjection


Oh, let it blaze, alright (ooh-oh-oh-oh)
Allow the fire to burn brightly and intensely, with ooh-oh-oh-oh being a musical interjection


Oh, but you're good to me
You are good to me


You're good to me
You are good to me


Oh, but you're good to me, baby
You are good to me, baby




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Hozier Byrne

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@pinmint

[Verse 1]
True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree
A willow dancing on air before covering me
Under cotton and calicoes
Over canopy dappled long ago
True that love in withdrawal was the weepin' of me
That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree
Must be felled for to fight the cold
Fretted fire but that was long ago

[Chorus]
It's not tonight (Oh, oh)
Where I'm set alight (Oh, oh)
And I blink in sight (Oh, oh)
Of your blinding light (Oh, oh)
Oh, it's not tonight (Oh, oh)
Where you hold me tight (Oh, oh)
And the fire bright (Oh, oh)
Oh, let it blaze alright (Oh, oh)
Oh, but you're good to me, oh, you're good to me (Oh, oh)
Oh, but that you're good to me, baby (Oh, oh)

[Verse 2]
With the roar of the fire, my heart rose to its feet
Like the ashes of ash, I saw rise in the heat
Settled soft and as pure as snow
I fell in love with the fire long ago
With each love I cut loose, I was never the same
Watching still-living roots be consumed by the flame
I was fixed on your hand of gold
Layin' waste to my lovin' long ago
[Chorus]
But that's not tonight (Oh, oh)
Where I'm set alight (Oh, oh)
And I blink in sight (Oh, oh)
Of your blinding light (Oh, oh)
And it's not tonight (Oh, oh)
Where you hold me tight (Oh, oh)
And the fire bright (Oh, oh)
Oh, let it blaze alright, honey (Oh, oh)
Oh, but you're good to me, oh, you're good to me (Oh, oh)
Oh, but you're good to me, baby (Oh, oh)

[Verse 3]
So in awe, there I stood as you licked off the grain
Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame
As long as amber of ember glows
All the "would" that I'd loved is long ago

[Chorus]
And it's not tonight (Oh, oh)
Where I'm set alight (Oh, oh)
And I blink in sight (Oh, oh)
Of your blinding light (Oh, oh)
Oh, it's not tonight (Oh, oh)
Where you hold me tight (Oh, oh)
And the fire bright (Oh, oh)
Oh, let it blaze alright (Oh, oh)
Oh, you're good to me, oh, you're good to me (Oh, oh)
Oh, but you're good to me (Oh, oh)
Oh, oh, you're good to me, you're good to me (Oh, oh)
Oh, but you're good to me, baby (Oh, oh)



@hawkwood9257

True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree
Willow dancing on air before covering me
Under cotton and calicoes
Over canopy dead but long ago
True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me
That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree
Must be felt 'fore the fire get cold
Befriended fire but that was long ago

But that's not tonight (Oooh, oooh)
I'm set alight (Oooh, oooh)
My blinking sun (Oooh, oooh)
Your blinding light (Oooh)
Oh but that's not tonight (Oooh, oooh)
Will you hold me tight? (Oooh, oooh)
Light that fire bright (Oooh, oooh)
Oh, let it blaze all night (Oooh)

Oh, but you're good to me
Oh, you're good to me
Oh, but you're good to me, baby

With the war of the fire my heart moves to its feet
Like the ashes of ash I saw eyes in the heat
Feel it soft and as pure as snow
I fell in love with the fire long ago
With each love I could lose I was never the same
Watching still living roots be consumed by the flame
I was fixed on your hand of gold
Lay in waste of my loving long ago

But that's not tonight (Oooh, oooh)
Well I'm set alight (Oooh, oooh)
My blinking soul (Oooh, oooh)
Your blinding light (Oooh)
Oh that's not tonight (Oooh, oooh)
Will you hold me tight? (Oooh, oooh)
Let that fire burn (Oooh, oooh)
Oh, let it blaze all night honey (Oooh)

Oh, but you're good to me
Oh, you're good to me
Oh, but you're good to me, baby

So in awe there I stood as you licked off the grain
Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame
Long as amber of ember glows
All the wood that I'd loved this long ago

But that's not tonight (Oooh, oooh)
I'm set alight (Oooh, oooh)
My blinking soul (Oooh, oooh)
Your blinding light (Oooh)
Oh that's not tonight (Oooh, oooh)
Will you hold me tight? (Oooh, oooh)
Let that fire burn (Oooh, oooh)
Oh, let it blaze all night (Oooh)

Oh, but you're good to me
Oh, you're good to me
Oh, but you're good to
Oh, you're good to me
You're good to me
Oh, you're good to me, baby



All comments from YouTube:

@justbreathe7816

Hozier could sing my chemistry assignment and it would sound divine.

@sanaearthfire3833

i was literaly studying chemistry now lololo

@pinnipedwithhumanqualities5276

He could sing my dreadful 8 page report about tonoplast permeability of sugar beets measured from spectrophotometric analysis of betacyanin and I would cry from the sheer beauty.

@anasmouada9538

he could sing my notes and ill get an A

@anti_fragile

@@pinnipedwithhumanqualities5276 i understood some of those words

@mercedesroberts4680

he could sing my economy revision for French history and sound amazing

14 More Replies...

@smithjohnson3144

This song reminds me of those moments where you’re alone. Not necessary sad or happy, but just existing in the world and contemplating life.

@carriedl1988

It's drinking coffee, in your chair, dim lights, no TV or phone. Just existing. ♥️

@jamilcharles9159

That's me almost all the time when I'm alone omg

@McVet3

Exactly!

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