What Does "Too Sweet" by Hozier Mean? A Lyrical Deep Dive

What is “Too Sweet” by Hozier about?

“Too Sweet” is about two love interests who are polar opposites. The song opens with the lyrics “It can’t be said that I’m an early bird/It’s 10 o’clock before I say a word,” shortly followed by “You keep telling me to live right/To go to bed before the daylight/But then you wake up for the sunrise.” Immediately, we can see that the speaker and his love interest have completely different personalities and outlooks on life. As the song continues, we see that the speaker is jaded and bitter and believes his love interest is too optimistic and uptight for his carefree, self-indulgent nature. This is also evident in the chorus, in which Hozier sings “I think I’ll take my whiskey neat/My coffee black and my bed at 3/You’re too sweet for me.” In saying that he prefers bitter, unaltered beverages, he’s saying that he prefers to live life as it is without trying to improve or change it. We also see how different the characters are in the lines “You treat your mouth as if it’s Heaven’s gate/The rest of you like you’re the TSA.” This lyric implies that the love interest is more uptight and less likely to over-indulge than the speaker, as the TSA is known to uphold strict rules and heavily regulate liquids taken through airport security.

The narrator thinks their partner must mature for the relationship to work. In the pre-chorus, Hozier sings, “Pretty as a vine, as sweet as a grape/If you can sit in a barrel, maybe I’ll wait/Until that day.” Grapes are barrel-aged to make wine, which is far more bitter than grapes off the vine. This implies that the love interest would need to mature or become more jaded in order for the relationship to work. If she doesn’t, she’ll still be “too sweet” for the speaker, as their outlooks on the world don’t match. Some interpretations suggest that the love interest is much younger than the speaker and that these lines hint that the speaker wishes she was older and more mature.

The song is also about overindulgence and self-destruction. Originally written for the album Unreal Unearth, “Too Sweet” is inspired by the sin of gluttony as seen in Dante’s Inferno. The repetition of “You’re too sweet for me” could be a reference to the temptations of indulgence, with the speaker’s partner symbolizing a temptation that the speaker ultimately resists. Symbolism of overindulgence can also be seen in lyrics like “Don’t you just wanna wake up, dark as a lake/Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?/If you’re drunk on life, babe, I think it’s great.”

“Too Sweet” Music Video

The “Too Sweet” music video pays tribute to the song’s success. This music video gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Hozier’s life on tour. We see him and his band rehearsing the song and performing it in front of an audience. There are also several clips of the audience cheering and singing along to the words. This not only shows us how popular the song has become but also how grateful Hozier and his band are for its success.

The opening images are of coffee cups. At the beginning of the “Too Sweet” music video, we see different coffee cups sitting around Hozier’s rehearsal space. This is an obvious nod to the song’s chorus, “I take my whiskey neat/My coffee black and my bed at three.” Ironically, most of the coffees appear to be iced lattes—not black coffee.

The joy of Hozier’s band is at the forefront of the video. While the subject of the song may be “too sweet” for Hozier, the song itself puts a smile on his face. Throughout the video, we see Hozier, his band, and his backup singers smiling, laughing, and joking around in front of the camera. It’s clear how much they enjoy working with each other, performing the song, and getting to share it with fans.

Hozier’s Thoughts on “Too Sweet”

Hozier didn’t expect “Too Sweet” to be a hit. “Too Sweet” was cut from Hozier’s Unreal Unearth album and was instead released later as a part of the Unheard EP. Despite not being included on the album, the song became Hozier’s first No. 1 hit. In an interview with Variety, Hozier said, “I didn’t necessarily expect this kind of reaction. I think I kind of found a new fan base in the last couple of years… Maybe there’s more people who are just listening to the work. But this does feel…a little bit mysterious.”

He says the song is fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Hozier is known for releasing songs and albums that speak about real-world issues, but “Too Sweet” is one of his most playful songs to date. The artist believes this is part of the reason for its success: “It’s a song about somebody who wants to self-destruct and get trashed! You know, I’ve had a quiet laugh to myself about that…But I guess it’s something that’s fun and immediate and doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s part of the appeal.”

The title is based on the idiom “Too sweet to be savory.” In an interview, Hozier said the song “Too Sweet” was inspired by the idiom “Too sweet to be savory,” which is used to describe someone who appears overly nice to the point it seems insincere. Hozier says the phrase is used for “people that are unnerving, that kind of unnerve you, in their demeanor.”

Fun Facts About “Too Sweet”

“Too Sweet” is Hozier’s first #1 single. Released a decade after his debut album, “Too Sweet” became Hozier’s first single to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His only other song to come close was his first single, “Take Me to Church,” which peaked at No. 2 in 2014. “Too Sweet” claimed the top spot in April 2024, in its fourth week on the chart.

“Too Sweet” went viral on TikTok. Part of the song’s success is owed to Hozier’s online fan base. The artist teased the song’s release on TikTok, and soon after, it went viral as TikTok users began posting videos lip-syncing to the lyrics. When asked about the song’s TikTok success, Hozier said, “It’s all been a pleasant surprise for me. But that’s the beauty of people just making their own thing, their own little memes, their own little jokes on TikTok.”

The song was cut from the Unreal Unearth album. Hozier’s third studio album, Unreal Unearth was inspired by Dante’s Inferno. Each song on the album is based on one of the nine circles of Hell. Both “Too Sweet” and “Eat Your Young” were based on the theme of gluttony, and ultimately, Hozier chose to put “Eat Your Young” on the album because it was more serious and dealt with real-world issues like capitalism and consumerism.

“Too Sweet” is the first #1 U.S. single by an Irish artist in 34 years. Before Hozier, Sinead O’Connor was the last Irish artist with a No. 1 single in the U.S. O’Connor and Hozier shared the same charting week in April, 34 years apart. Hozier is quoted as saying, “There’s something wonderful about that.”

Why is “Too Sweet” so popular?

The lyrics contradict Hozier’s previous work. Long-time fans of Hozier know that “Too Sweet” isn’t the first time the artist has referenced sweetness in his songs. However, usually, that sweetness is considered a good thing, like in “Work Song,” when he writes, “There’s nothing sweeter than my baby/I’d never want once from the cherry tree/‘Cause my baby’s sweet as can be/She’d give me toothaches just from kissing me.” “Too Sweet” allows fans to see Hozier use a familiar metaphor in a new and exciting way.

The bass line is immediately recognizable. The first 20 seconds of “Too Sweet” are instrumental, with a strong focus on the bass that makes the song instantly recognizable to fans. Rolling Stone says the song has a “tough, catchy retro-R&B groove,” and because of this, fans of all kinds of genres can enjoy the song.

“Too Sweet” is a fun, upbeat song. Many of Hozier’s songs are commentary about real-world issues, like politics and religion. But while these songs are important, they’re often too heavy for mainstream popularity. On the other hand, “Too Sweet” is an upbeat song about lovers who are polar opposites. This is something many people can relate to and easily sing along to, which plays a huge role in the song’s popularity.

Other Popular Hozier Songs

Take Me to Church “Take Me to Church” was Hozier’s debut single, released on September 13, 2013, and is the opening track of his self-titled debut album. Lyrically, “Take Me to Church” is a metaphor in which Hozier compares his lover to religion, featuring lyrics like “Take me to church/I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies.” The song grew out of Hozier’s frustration with the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, and it shows Hozier’s support for the LGBTQ+ community. The music video features two men in a romantic relationship. Later in the video, one of the men is kidnapped from his house, taken into a forest, and beaten by a lynch mob. Hozier’s intention was to bring attention to the repression and persecution of the gay community in Russia.

Work Song “Work Song” is the 5th single and the 9th track on Hozier’s debut album. It is a gospel-blues song that Hozier says is one of his favorites on the album. The song includes gospel backing vocals and church-like hand claps, and has themes of love, sin, and religion, with lyrics like “If the Lord don’t forgive me/I’d still have my baby and my babe would have me.”

Cherry Wine “Cherry Wine” is the 7th and final single off of his debut album. It was released on February 12, 2016, with proceedings from downloads going toward anti-domestic violence charities. The song’s lyrics describe being trapped in an abusive relationship while still having fondness for one’s partner. The accompanying music video stars Saoirse Ronan as a domestic violence victim.

Nina Cried Power “Nina Cried Power” is the first track and lead single from Hozier’s second studio album, Wasteland, Baby!. With blues and gospel influences, the song makes references to artist-activists like Woody Guthrie, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone (whom the song is named after), and others. The song is a salute to these artists’ contributions to the protest music of the American Civil Rights Movement, with lyrics like “It’s not the waking, it’s the rising.” The name of the track is a nod to Nina Simone’s recording of “Sinnerman,” which features the lyrics “I cried power.”

Francesca “Francesca” is the third single from Hozier’s third studio album, Unreal Unearth. The song and the album are both inspired by Dante’s Inferno. “Francesca” refers to the character Francesca da Rimini, a noblewoman condemned to the second circle of Hell for her lustful sins. Francesca fell in love with her husband’s brother and does not regret her affair, even though it landed her in eternal torment. Francesca’s feelings are shown in the lyrics, “I’d tell them, ‘Put me back in it’/Darlin’, I would do it again/If I could hold you for a minute/I’d go through it again.”