"Take Me To Church"
My lover's got humour
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshiped her sooner
If the heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting 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
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[Chorus 2x:]
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
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 something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work
[Chorus 2x:]
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
Good God, let me give you my life
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
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[Chorus 2x:]
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
Good God, let me give you my life
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshiped her sooner
If the heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting 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
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[Chorus 2x:]
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
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 something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work
[Chorus 2x:]
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
Good God, let me give you my life
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
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[Chorus 2x:]
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
Good God, let me give you my life
I first heard this song and saw the music video when I was at the Youth Workers Convention in Sacramento. The guy who was leading the seminar showed this to us because it was just about to become big in the US and all the teenagers would begin watching it. I was shocked when I saw this, and I didn't fully understand it at first. The guy doing the seminar had us split into groups after we watched it so we could discuss it and process what we saw and had us think about what it is portraying and the message it's giving. Prior to splitting off, we were told that this was representing Russia and how they are against the gay lifestyle. As we were discussing, it appeared that they were hurt by the church for saying how loving and accepting they are and how they forgive sins. However, they then felt that they don't accept people when they do open up about their sins and how they don't fit into the churches "perfectionism" - they don't live a perfect, acceptable sin life. It hurt that they were so hurt by the church. Hozier says, "Sexuality, and sexual orientation — regardless of orientation — is just natural. An act of sex is one of the most human things. But an organization like the church, say, through its doctrine, would undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about sexual orientation — that it is sinful, or that it offends God. The song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love. Turning your back on the theoretical thing, something that's not tangible, and choosing to worship or love something that is tangible and real — something that can be experienced." (http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/03/qa-hozier-on-gay-rights-sex-good-hair.html)
I think if I got the chance to talk to someone after them seeing this video and relating to it, I think I would apologize for how harsh the church has been towards the choices they've made. The church has been called to love people, not to judge and to hate. We are supposed to let God be the judged, and we have taken that role upon ourselves. I think I would just try and build relationship with whoever I would be talking to and listen to their heart and their opinion. Sometimes it can be best for us to not talk and just to listen to other people's opinions and wait for the moment when they ask us and they feel comfortable enough with us to ask or to question things. Instead of the Church constantly opening their mouths and saying our opinion about every little thing that goes against the Bible, I think we should learn to listen sometimes, not talk, and listen to how the people around us are feeling and learn to just simply love them. That is all.
