Hozier - Talk (audio) -

: References to The Divine Comedy appear through the "sweat of fever on the brows of Beatrice," positioning the narrator within the circles of sin before love is lost.

: He explicitly states, "I try to talk refined for fear that you find out / How I'm imaginin' you," suggesting the romanticism is a tactical choice to avoid scaring off the object of his affection. Hozier - Talk (Audio)

: He envisions himself as various parts of this tragic myth—the voice urging Orpheus, the "dreadful need" that made him turn back, and the "immediate forgiveness" in Eurydice. : References to The Divine Comedy appear through

Hozier uses Greek and classical literature to build the song's "refined" exterior: Hozier uses Greek and classical literature to build

or a into the mythological roots of his more recent work?

The narrator admits to using "lofty tales" and romantic imagery to mask his true, perhaps more primal, intentions.

: The audio maintains a heavy, bluesy atmosphere that matches the "underground" and "trench" imagery used throughout the lyrics.