I Am Stretched On Your Grave
Sinéad O'Connor Lyrics

I am stretched on your grave
I am lying stretched out on top of your burial site

And will lie there forever
I will remain here for eternity

If your hands were in mine
If we were physically together holding hands

I'd be sure we'd not sever
I believe our love would never end

My apple tree my brightness
A term of endearment for the deceased

It's time we were together
The singer desires to be reunited with their loved one

For I smell of the earth
The singer has been lying in the dirt and has the scent of decomposition

And am worn by the weather
The artist has been exposed to harsh outdoor elements and is worse for it

When my family thinks
The artist is reminiscing about a time when they were with their loved one

That I'm safe in my bed
Their family believes they are sleeping soundly

From night until morning
Throughout the entire night

I am stretched at your head
The artist is laying atop their loved one's grave

Calling out to the air
The singer is shouting their grief to the empty sky

With tears hot and wild
The singer is crying in a visceral and unrestrained manner

My grief for the girl
The singer is mourning the loss of their beloved

That I loved as a child
The artist fell in love with their loved one when they were young

Do you remember
The artist is addressing their loved one's memory

The night we were lost
An evening when the two were disconnected from the world and fully immersed in each other

In the shade of the blackthorn
The specific location where they found themselves lost

And the chill of the frost
A seasonally appropriate moment in their history

Thanks be to Jesus
Gratefulness towards God

We did what was right
The two acted morally and ethically towards each other

And your maiden head still
The singer is referring to the fact that their loved one never lost their virginity

Is your pillar of light
Something precious that continues to shine brightly in a dark world

The priest and the friars
Religious figures

Approach me in dread
They come to the singer cautiously and fearfully

Because I still love you
The singer's love for the deceased persists, despite their passing

My love and you're dead
A statement of fact about their current state

I still would be your shelter
The artist would continue to provide comfort and protection for their loved one

Through rain and through storm
No matter the difficulty or danger

And with you in your cold grave
Despite being buried and presumably no longer present

I cannot sleep warm
The artist is deeply impacted by their loss and cannot find inner peace