Hozier's "Take Me to Church" is a song that has been playing on the radio and a few commercials here and there but listeners probably haven't taken the time to listen to it. Listening to it does not mean just listen to it, but to process, analyze and understand it. Nowadays so many listeners just hear a catchy rhythm and a chorus that repeats itself. Hozier plays with his lyrics to give the reader or listener one impression with the first play through, and then the deeper the song is looked into and the lyrics have been read, the song changes. Upon a first listen, along with reading the title, Hozier gives the impression that this song is about going to church. The words in the chorus are literally "take me to church" but that's not really what the song is about. The irony of this song is how well the lyrics are specifically crafted to make the listener think more. Not only is it impressive but it helps the song reach a wider audience. .
The song is essentially a metaphor comparing religion to a relationship. The speaker compares worship to sex in the second line of the fourth stanza with "She tells me 'worship in the bedroom."' He goes on to use the line "The only heaven I'll be sent to/ is when I'm alone with you" in which Hozier uses symbolism to show that when they are alone together it's comparable to heaven or the perfect, pure, flawless place. During the chorus when Andrew Hozier exclaims "Take me to church/ I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies", the speaker is referring to sex by wanting to worship his partner. He's also talking about his differences to other people and how he is accepting them. The simile "I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies" shows that he will love his partner like a dog, being loyal and faithful. Hozier talks about giving his life, not in death, but that Hozier wants to be with his partner and give them everything he has to offer.
