原发于https://music.douban.com/review/7342281/
和http://endiego.lofter.com/post/1cef90da_55cd24c

歌词自译与背景查考

Take Me to Church —— Hozier

[Verse 1]
My lover's got humour
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshipped her sooner
If the heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
"We were born sick", you heard them say it
My church offers no absolutes
She tells me "worship in the bedroom"
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
I was born sick, but I love it
Command me to be well
我的爱人很是幽默
明知众人侧目
她仍会对葬礼抱以嘲笑
我真该趁早去崇拜她
假若圣谕真的曾被传达
那她定是仅存的真实
每个礼拜日愈发无味
荼毒每周刷新一次
「我们生而有罪」，你听他们居然这么说
但我的教堂并不提供「绝对真理」
她只告诉我「在卧室进行崇拜」
我能被派往的惟一天堂
就是和你独处的时刻
我生来「有病」，但我热爱此疾
何必命令我去「痊愈」？

[Pre-Chorus]
Amen, Amen, Amen

[Chorus] (x2)
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
拖着我前往教堂
好吧，我会在你们虚假的殿堂前如狗般匍匐
向你们坦诚我的「罪孽」，任你们磨刀以待
判处我永无尽期的死亡
「仁慈的上主」啊，我的性命就任你们夺走也罢

[Verse 2]
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
To keep the goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
Drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work
如果我是黄金时代的异教徒
我的爱人便是永恒的阳光
为了让女神永远与我相伴
她亦索求牺牲献祭
我愿倾空沧海
为她取得璀璨宝藏
再为盛宴备好美食——
那匹毛色鲜亮的高大骏马
你为何要深藏在马厩里？
我们大批挨饿的忠诚信徒
看你美味非常
丰盛无比
正可以拿来充饥

[Chorus] (x2)

[Bridge]
No masters or kings when the ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene
Only then I am human
Only then I am clean
我们的祭仪开始时，绝无「万军之主」在场
在悲哀浊世的疯狂万象中
没有哪种无邪，比起我们的温柔之「罪」更加甜蜜怡人
惟因承载此罪，我方生而为人
惟因承载此罪，我方洁净如新

[Pre-Chorus]
Amen, Amen, Amen

[Chorus] (x2)

————————————

参考资料：
[1] http://genius.com/Hozier-take-me-to-church-lyrics/
[2] http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/03/qa-hozier-on-gay-rights-sex-good-hair.html
[3] http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=32921
[4] http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/31/hozier-best-vocalists-female-take-me-to-church
[5] http://state.ie/features/video-premiere-hozier-take-me-to-church

因为这首歌的MV（http://v.yinyuetai.com/video/812907 ）主题是反对恐同（针对俄罗斯的反同性恋法案——出自参考资料[5]），于是对歌词的理解大多也集中在这个话题上。但是在搜索一些资料后注意到，虽然MV的确是针对那特定事件主题而作，但歌词本身的含义似乎并不限于此——而是更加广泛地，嘲讽了教条主义化的宗教对于「人性」和人「性」的压制（而一切性取向正是人性之中天然存在，不该被扼杀的）。

所以，我的理解是歌词里面存在着一些明显的对应关系——「Church」与「Bedroom」，「Good God / masters or kings」与「Goddess」，这些是互为反衬，而「She」「Goddess」与「Pagan」则是互相映照关联。以自愿献给异教Goddess的的Sacrifice / Ritual反对迫使人认罪，出自于所谓的「Good God (masters or kings)」的永无尽期的死亡。

并且Goddess事实上正是「my lover」，惟因真爱才会崇拜，进而甘愿完成Sacrifice，而非认同教条化的虚假圣殿。由此才被他们（副歌中的「你们」）被认为是生而有罪，这里原本并不涉及性取向——认同性行为的神圣性，崇拜爱人而非崇拜教条，本身就已足够被认为是大不敬了。

于是对于这种「定罪」，反击便是——既然这是「你们」的时代，坦诚「罪孽」而死，永不获救赎（重生），也要好过以丧失本性为代价的「痊愈」，但若仍是异教的黄金时代，那么，你们这些趾高气扬，肆意论断他人罪行的「high horse」下场可就不妙了——对于恋人之爱的信徒（也就是教条崇拜的反对者），「你们」这些磨刀以待，想要我们死亡的家伙，才正好拿来做我们盛宴上的美味。这里，根本上还是双关文字游戏，而非真正宣扬以牙还牙。

最后附上作者本人的说明（出自参考资料之[2]）——

【"Take Me to Church" is essentially about sex, but it's a tongue-in-cheek attack at organizations that would … well, it's about sex and it's about humanity, and obviously sex and humanity are incredibly tied. Sexuality, and sexual orientation — regardless of orientation — is just natural. An act of sex is one of the most human things. But an organization like the church, say, through its doctrine, would undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about sexual orientation — that it is sinful, or that it offends God. The song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love. Turning your back on the theoretical thing, something that's not tangible, and choosing to worship or love something that is tangible and real — something that can be experienced.
But it's not an attack on faith. Coming from Ireland, obviously, there's a bit of a cultural hangover from the influence of the church. You've got a lot of people walking around with a heavy weight in their hearts and a disappointment, and that shit carries from generation to generation. So the song is just about that — it's an assertion of self, reclaiming humanity back for something that is the most natural and worthwhile. Electing, in this case a female, to choose a love who is worth loving.】
「Take Me to Church」在根本上是有关于性的歌曲，不过实际上是种玩笑式的反击，针对教条式的组织……这首歌有关于「人性」和人「性」，很明显它们是紧密相连的。性，以及性取向——无论是哪种取向——都是极为自然的。性行为是最为人性的行为之一。但是像教堂之类的组织，通过其教条，成功地压抑了人性，通过向人们灌输要对性取向羞耻的观念——认为性取向是有罪的，或者说是冒犯上主的。这首歌关系到通过爱之行动来自我肯定，并且取回自身的人性。拒绝那些虚无缥缈的理念，选择去崇敬或者爱慕那些真实不虚的事物——能够被真实体验到的事物。
但这首歌并不是要反对信仰。在爱尔兰，很明显一直有着来自教堂的文化影响。你可以看到，有许多人心中背负着失落的重负，四处漂泊，而这些陈腐之物代代相传。所以，这首歌是有关于——自我肯定，取回自身的人性，那原本是最为自然并且最有价值的。对女性而言，也是要选择值得去爱之人相爱。