Take Me to Church Lyrics
My lover's got humour
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshipped her sooner
If the heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's gettin' more bleak
A fresh poison each week
We were born sick, you heard them say it
My church offers no absolutes
She tells me, "Worship in the bedroom"
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
I was born sick, but I love it
Command me to be well
[Pre-Chorus]
A, amen
Amen, amen
[Chorus]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Oh, good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Oh, good God, let me give you my life
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
To keep the goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
Drain the whole sea, get somethin' shiny
Somethin' meaty for the main course
That's a fine lookin' high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starvin' faithful
That looks tasty, that looks plenty
This is hungry work
[Chorus]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins, so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Oh, good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins, so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Oh, good God, let me give you my life
[Bridge]
No masters or kings when the ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene
Only then, I am human, only then, I am clean
Oh, oh, amen
Amen, amen
[Chorus]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Oh, good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Oh, good God, let me give you my life
[Produced by Hozier and Rob Kirwan]
[Video directed by Brendan Canty and Conal Thomson]
About
“Take Me to Church” is the debut single by Irish recording artist Hozier. It has become an international hit, reaching #1 in 12 countries, and has been certified five times platinum in the US. “Take Me to Church” was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Song of the Year” in 2015.
Despite its widespread and international success, Hozier was a struggling musician when he recorded the song. And in fact, it wasn’t until the music video — a critique of Russia’s anti-LGBT+ policy, which some audiences have found controversial — went viral that the song attracted attention.
“‘Take Me to Church’ is essentially about sex,” Hozier said in an interview with New York Magazine in March 2014, adding that “it’s not an attack on faith.”
It’s about sex and it’s about humanity, and obviously sex and humanity are incredibly tied. Sexuality, and sexual orientation — regardless of orientation — is just natural… The song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love.
The song has also garnered attention from musicians around the world — it was, for example, covered on The Voice, and director David LaChapelle released an interpretive dance video of “Take Me To Church”, featuring British Royal Ballet veteran Sergei Polunin performing choreography by Jade Hale-Christofi.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
I struggle to comment on why it’s been such a lasting piece of music. There is sort of an austerity to the way that song is recorded, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, there’s a rawness to it. But I think, also, the theme of it is universal, this idea that powerful organizations use people’s sexuality in order to mobilize people against women, gays, and the justification behind that is often religious in nature.
— Via Genius Verified.
The cover art for the Take Me to Church EP as well as the artwork for both Hozier’s albums and all his EPs are made by Hozier’s mother Raine Hozier-Byrne. She is described as an artist whose work is
An examination of the contemporary sublime, subjective perception, memory, and loss
- 1.Take Me to Church
- 4.Someone New
- 5.To Be Alone
- 6.From Eden
- 7.In a Week
- 8.Sedated
- 9.Work Song
- 12.Foreigner’s God
- 15.Run