October 7 will mark two years since Hozier’s spontaneous release of “Swan Upon Leda.” A song that is steeped with mythological and geopolitical references, it is immensely rich with the messages it gives to its listeners, as so many of Hozier’s songs do. While adding depth and layers to the song, it’s mythological richness can make it easy for some to miss the point Hozier’s is trying to make. While the song was originally released in solidarity with American women after the overturning of Roe v. Wade and with Iranian women in their fight with their government, its relevance and importance only continues to grow. “Swan Upon Leda” offers essential insights into our societal and political system and how we interact with those in power.
Hailing from Ireland, a country rich in political strife and hard fought victories, Hozier rarely shies away from difficult themes and messages in his music. Additionally, his most recent album, Unreal Unearth which includes “Swan Upon Leda,” is inspired by Dante’s Inferno. It serves as a prime example of the way he utilizes classical literature and themes to portray modern ideas. Both of these inspirations unite in “Swan Upon Leda” to paint a picture of the patriarchy, apartheid, misogyny, human rights and most significantly occupation. Before the official release of the song, he released a teaser on social media in which he quoted Egyptian author Mona Eltahawy in saying “the systemic oppression of women is the world’s oldest form of occupation.” He explores this theme of occupation in many different layers, ranging from Ireland to Greece to Palestine.
The song title, and much of its lyrics, are inspired by the Greek myth of Leda and the Swan. In this myth, Zeus, attracted to Leda’s great beauty, turns into a swan and rapes Leda, ultimately impregnating her. In the first verse, Hozier largely deals with this myth, tying it into men’s occupation over women and their reproductive freedom, singing that “a crying child punches a child into the night” with no evidence of the man responsible, he doesn’t leave “so much as a feather behind.” The stark imagery Hozier creates here of a child birthing a child brings into memory the horror stories of many young girls having to bear their rapist’s child since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Men can cause irreparable harm to young women and yet leave with no chains attached, no proof they were there, not a feather left behind. Using the Greek myth to connect the unnamed subject of the song highlights the history of this struggle. The fight for reproductive justice goes back centuries, a string that connects even Greek goddesses with lay people in the 21st century.
This idea of occupation over a woman’s body is expanded upon, being broadened beyond interpersonal relationships to international ones. At the end of the first chorus and into the second verse, Hozier ties in the Palestinian occupation to this story of fighting for morality and human rights. He ends the first chorus comparing the swan upon Leda to the “empire upon Jerusalem.” In biblical and historical contexts, Jerusalem serves as a birthplace of religions, peoples and cultures. In the same way that Zeus violently forced himself upon Leda, a woman capable of birth, Israel violently forced itself upon Palestine in 1948. He continues to expand on this specific occupation throughout the second verse in which he tells the story of a woman smuggling medicine across a checkpoint in occupied Palestinian territory. An advocate for a free Palestine, Hozier signed a letter of support in 2021 in which he highlighted the connections between the Irish and Palestinian occupation by the British and Israeli governments, respectively. This link with Ireland, is further emphasized in the actual music behind the lyrics, which have roots in Irish folk song. However, Hozier does not stop at calling out these oppressors. As the song goes on, he humanizes all sides and shines a light at the end of the tunnel.
In the chorus, Hozier’s lyrics are somewhat bleak but they also offer a sliver of hope and strength. After the first verse, discussing the occupation of female bodies by the decisions of men, and the second verse, discussing the occupation of Palestine by Israeli forces, Hozier reminds listeners that “the gateway to the world was still outside the reach of him”. He continues on with the assertion “what never belonged to angels, had never belonged to men”. Most literally, Hozier is affirming that men can try all they want to control women’s reproductive freedom, but they will never have full control, they will never be the ones to bring life into this world. He further explores this message by asserting that reproduction has “never belonged to angels,” essentially saying that the church will also never have full control over a woman’s body and the ability to birth life. While not as literally, this too can be applied to the Palestinian occupation. Israel can try all it can to rid the land of Palestinians but their fight and their history will continue to live on.
While all of this can be a bit heavy to contend with, battling with moral superiority and right vs wrong, Hozier offers a new perspective to take. He argues that people are not the system that they live in. Oppressive occupation forces are composed of people, who are exactly that: people. At the checkpoint mentioned earlier, Hozier describes “someone’s frightened boy” holding a “gun in a trembling hand.” Once again appealing to motherly nature, Hozier paints a scene of a mother’s child, just like you and I, who is a victim of the system in which he lives. He highlights the brutal cycle of violence, and what little care large institutions show for individual lives as he describes “one more sweet boy to be butchered by man.” However, Hozier reminds us that we are all humans, both the oppressed and oppressor. Most people on both sides are only trying to see the end of another day by doing what they must to survive the system they were born into. This compassion is essential when looking at these hate filled issues.
In his song, “Swan Upon Leda,” Hozier ties together Greek mythology with recent events to create a narrative that highlights the struggle of mankind and the need for human dignity and respect. As we move further away from Roe v. Wade being overturned, this message becomes only more relevant. Additionally, with this song being released on October 7, 2022, Hozier could not have predicted its relevance only a year later in the escalation of the Palestinian genocide. There is a lot to be learned from Hozier’s message here: the cycle of violence, humanizing the world and breaking free of violent oppressors. This song, and much more of Hozier’s work, offers intellectual insights into many of these issues and more, many of which continue to grow in relevance and importance.