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“Abstract (Psychopomp),” written by Hozier, Bēkon, Rappy, Daniel Krieger, Peter Gonzales, Craig Balmoris, Tyler Mehlenbacher & Stuart Johnson, is a song released on the 18th of August, 2023. It is the fourteenth song from Hozier’s 2023 album, Unreal Unearth. The meaning of “Abstract (Psychopomp)” lyrics by Hozier reflects on memories, love, & misbelief, experienced towards the end of life. This song represents memories of Hozier from seeing an animal getting hit by a car in Greystones and another being coming across a dead sheep as a kid. It also adds the memory of being in love as well.
The song is inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, where a sphinx appears in the 8th Circle of Hell, specifically in the 9th pouch known as the Pouch of the Sowers of Discord or Schismatics. Here, the souls are punished by being split and wounded. In the study of religions and mythology, a psychopomp is a being who guides spirits from the world of the living to the afterlife or underworld. The singer uses ‘Psychopomp’ in the title of this song as a reference to him rushing towards dying animals to comfort them.
You can listen to Hozier’s “Abstract (Psychopomp)” below.
Hozier, Abstract (Psychopomp): the Lyrics & Their Meaning
The first verse of Abstract (Psychopomp)” lyrics by Hozier begins with the rain, which means cleansing and revival. “Sometimes it returns, like rain that you slept through // That washed off the world, the streets looking brand new,” means a sense of resurrection from the struggles we face in life. Everything looks brand new. These are the exact same feelings he had when he met his romantic interest. This is expressed with the lines “I will not be great, but I’m grateful to get through // The feeling came late, I’m still glad I met you”.
In both Pre-Chorus of the song, Hozier talks about his experience with seeing an animal hit by a car and a dead sheep, following childhood trauma. He says he is not haunted by the memories, although they still hurt him. His romantic interest is there to soothe him through his emotional journey. These sentiments are expressed with the lines “The memory hurts but does me no harm // Your hand in my pocket, to keep us both warm”. However, the incident he witnessed in Greystones as a child convinced him how fragile life is and life goes on with or without us. This sentiment is shared by the lines “The poor thing in the road, its eye still glistening // The cold wet of your nose, the earth from a distance”. In the Chorus, he repeats “See how it shines” four times and in Post-Chorus, he vocalizes “Oh-oh-ooh” four times.
The second verse of “Abstract (Psychopomp)” lyrics by Hozier describes the power of love and how love can defeat the misery of the world. Sometimes, he recalls the incident in Greystone from his memory not as an accident but as a choice of the person to go and comfort the deer hit by a car as it is dying. These emotions are expressed by the lines “Sometimes there’s a thought like you choose what you’re doing // But it comes to naught when I look back through it”. Then, he also calls it a choice of the deer to put itself in a position of danger and harm. Here, he is comforted by his romantic interest, just like the dying deer. Then, he confesses his love for his partner.
In the bridge of the song, Hozier fears that he is eternally trapped in his memories as a child. However, he convinces his partner that, his memories will always be a part of him. It doesn’t matter how problematic his memeories are but his memories are what make him who he is today. The lines “The w…ds up through the concrete // The traffic picking up speed” mean Hozier struggles to maintain balance in his life amid chaos of his childhood. All that are balanced in his life are love and terror.
What Are the Lyrics of “Abstract (Psychopomp)” by Hozier?
These are the lyrics of Hozier’s “Abstract (Psychopomp)” via Genius:
Abstract (Psychopomp) Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Sometimes it returns, like rain that you slept through
That washed off the world, the streets looking brand new
I will not be great, but I’m grateful to get through
The feeling came late, I’m still glad I met you[Pre-Chorus]
The memory hurts but does me no harm
Your hand in my pocket, to keep us both warm
The poor thing in the road, its eye still glistening
The cold wet of your nose, the earth from a distance[Chorus]
See how it shines
See how it shines
See how it shines
See how it shines[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh-ooh
Oh-oh-ooh
Oh-oh-ooh
Oh-oh-ooh[Verse 2]
Sometimes there’s a thought like you choose what you’re doing
But it comes to naught when I look back through it
I remember the view, streetlights in the dark blue
The moment I knew I’d no choice but to love you[Pre-Chorus]
The speed that you moved, the screech of the cars
The creature still moving, that slowed in your arms
The fear in its eyes, gone out in an instant
Your tear caught the light, the earth from a distance[Chorus]
See how it shines
See how it shines
See how it shines
See how it shines[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh-ooh
Oh-oh-ooh
Oh-oh-ooh
Oh-oh-ooh[Bridge]
Darling, there’s a part of me
I’m afraid will always be
Trapped within an abstract from a moment of my life
The w…ds up through the concrete
The traffic picking up speed
All my love and terror balanced there between those eyes[Chorus]
Hozier’s “Abstract (Psychopomp)” Lyrics
See how it shines
See how it shines
Comment on the meaning behind the song “Abstract (Psychopomp)” lyrics by Hozier below or on the Twitter handle “@laviasco”. We have also analyzed “Butchered Tongue” and “First Light” by Hozier.
