Would That I - Hozier

[Verse 1]
True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree
A willow dancing on air before covering me
Under cotton and calicoes
Over canopy dapple long ago

In this song, Hozier makes use of extended metaphors to represent his love life. In the first verse, the speaker compares his lover to a tree, imagining himself standing under her and letting her cover him with her hair, like the branches of a willow would. The willow is an imposing presence, one that speaks of stability and resilience, one that is able to completely envelop the speaker, shrouding him in its shade: the picture the lyrics paint is soothing, with the mention of cotton and calicoes acting as a comforting reminder of the safe and intimate connection that the lover is able to provide.
Yet, the willow carries with it a connotation of mourning, of sorrow: in the bible it is under the willow that the Jewish people mourn their homeland, singing and weeping and hanging their harps on its branches (Psalms 137:1). In later centuries, the tree was often depicted on mourning jewelry and urns, or engraved on tombstones. The name itself, "weeping willow" alludes to the symbolism. This could indicate that the relationship that Hozier is talking about is already over, and he's recalling it with a tinge of sadness or resignation: the canopy that sheltered him in the past is no longer able to do so, the comfort only remaining in his memories.

[Verse 2]
True that love in withdrawal was the weepin' of me
That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree
Must be felled for to fight the cold
Fretted fire but that was long ago

In the second verse, we get a confirmation: Hozier is experiencing "love in withdrawal". The relationship might be over, but the love isn't so easily forgotten. However, even as he remembers the happy moments, he can't help but think that he should have seen the end coming (the sound of the saw must be known by the tree). Hozier believes he and his lover were ultimately doomed to hurt each other. Another possible interpretation in this case would be that the speaker himself is the saw: perhaps he is blaming himself for the end of the relationship, wondering whether his shortcomings shouldn't have come as a surprise to his lover. 
The warmth from the relationship is gone, and Hozier now reluctantly recognizes that he needs something new to keep him warm. In the past, he feared the destructive power of fire, a force of nature that is antagonistic to the willow he took shelter under, but now that the cold is here he realizes that he might need to cut down some branches to feed the flame keeping him alive.

[Chorus]
But that's not tonight (Oh, oh)
Where I'm set alight (Oh, oh)
And I blink in sight (Oh, oh)
Of your blinding light (Oh, oh)
And it's not tonight (Oh, oh)
Where you hold me tight (Oh, oh)
And the fire bright (Oh, oh)
Oh, let it blaze alright, honey (Oh, oh)
Oh, but you're good to me, oh, you're good to me (Oh, oh)
Oh, but you're good to me, baby (Oh, oh)

The first chorus comes almost a surprise, with its uniquely zealous tone that clashes palpably with the slow and melancholic feel of the verses. Hozier’s new relationship stands in glaring contrast to the previous one, blinding him with light and enveloping him in flames that erase the hurt of his past. Despite the destructive characteristics most often associated with fire, the singer does not see this development in a negative light, and instead welcomes it and rejoices in it as something that is new and exciting. He repeats the words "you're good to me" as if it were something unexpected, the idea that fire could bring life instead of death. 

[Verse 3]
With the roar of the fire, my heart rose to its feet
Like the ashes of ash, I saw rise in the heat
Settled soft and as pure as snow
I fell in love with the fire long ago

[Verse 4]
With each love I cut loose, I was never the same
Watching still-living roots be consumed by the flame
I was fixed on your hand of gold
Layin' waste to my lovin' long ago 

The third verse lingers on the image of fire as rebirth, with the ashes resulting from the blaze  becoming pure, soft snow that is able to cleanse the speaker. Though this new lover is passionate and bright, her light is blinding him from the full scope of the destruction: "Watching still-living roots be consumed by the flame" might be a nod to the fact that he is not fully ready to move on yet and this transition is hurting him, the fire lapping at memories still too fresh. 

Similarly, “I was fixed on your hand of gold” is possibly a reference to the story of King Midas. 
In Ovid's Metamorphoses XI, King Midas was hospitable to a satyr and was rewarded with a wish, granted by Dionysus. The king wished to be able to turn everything he touched into gold. After the initial period of elation at the magic touch, the king quickly discovered that even the food he touched turned into gold, rendering him unable to eat. Depending on the version of the myth, he is then either granted a reversal of the wish, or he dies of starvation after praying in vain for the curse to be lifted. 
In this song, the reference could allude to the idea that, to put it bluntly, not all that glitters is gold, and a passionate and jealous lover might not end up being a good long-term companion. 

There is reassurance, though, in the way that the chorus cuts in, saying "it's not tonight" as if to imply that even if this affair isn't bound to end well, that's a problem for the future, and we don't have to worry about that right now. Now, all that matters is that you're warm, and you're bright, and you're here when I need you.

[Verse 5]
So in awe, there I stood as you licked off the grain
Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame
As long as amber of ember glows
All the "would" that I'd loved is long ago

In the last verse Hozier confesses to watching in awe as his new lover, the “fire”, consumes and destroys the remnants of his past love, the “wood.” 

The word "grain" most likely refers to the wood grain being damaged by the fire while it's burning, but I've also come to like an alternative reading. Fire as a purification method isn't a new idea: for centuries farmers have used fire to quickly dispose of straw after harvesting grains, like wheat and rice, in a practice called "stubble burning". This method has the benefit of being fast and effective, but there are also drawbacks. While widely believed to leave behind more fertile land, the opposite is actually true: stubble burning reduces the amount of nutrients in the soil by a staggering 90%. 
In the context of the lyrics, this could mean that the fire is only beneficial as a short-term solution, and might only leave more destruction in its wake than originally planned.

"As long as amber of ember glows" is another interesting line. As long as the fire in this relationship keeps burning, he doesn't have it in him to regret his past lovers. However, fire cannot keep burning forever without fuel. What happens when the memories that nourish their passion are thoroughly reduced to ashes? Will the flame dwindle? Will the excitement wear off, leaving only the cold that Hozier talked about in the beginning? 

“All the would that I loved is long ago” is clever wordplay.
On one hand it plays on the pronunciation of would and recalls the past lovers as “wood” that he’s loved long ago (All the WOOD that I loved is long ago = he is in love with the flame today, and doesn't want to think about the past).
On the other, the singer is able to finally let go of the idea that loving more would have fixed his past failings (all the “I wish I had loved” is long ago = it's no use to keep thinking about what I could have done differently, the past is in the past).

The song ends with Hozier entering the last chorus and affirming his present relationship as being "good for him" one last time. If his conclusion on the past is that it's no use worrying about it, then his stance on the future might be similar: no matter the ending of this love story, he is enjoying the present moment and all the fervor and excitement it brings with it.

Random Thoughts

I simply cannot stop thinking about this song. Every time I listen to it I have to take a moment to say "what the fuck does he mean by this?" out loud before i can continue, this man eludes me. 

This is basically the polished version of a short essay i did a few years ago for my classes, much longer and better written but still not perfect. I tried to give you my interpretation of every line of the song as well as an overarching meaning, but I am not gonna lie it's not even complete. however, if i truly added every single scattered thought i have, this would have been insanely long and frankly incomprehensible, so i tried to limit myself. 

Please comment any thoughts or interpretations you have! I would truly love to hear it, even if they are different from my own!!