Professor Hellmers

Caroline Sproat
ENG 1201-527
December 06 2020
1
Open Hands/Closed Fists

“But I want it, it’s a crime, that she’s not around most of the time.” Hozier’s “Cherry
Wine” uses pathos to provide a secure and intimate feeling for the audience, both in the
“Unplugged - Mahogany Session” and the original music video. The videos and lyrics show just
easily how pain and abuse can conceal themselves in the idea of love.

The story of abuse is set by a couple and their son in the original music video. The song’s
lyrics coincide with the visual story told in the music video. The scene opens to the woman
sitting at her vanity, removing her makeup in a dimly lit bedroom. She has various flashbacks to
the “good times” with her lover, ones where they were happy together, and ones where she felt
safe with him. They talked in the living room, and laughed together, yet the future for them was
entirely different than the memories she had with him. The woman reveals a black eye from
under her makeup, which signals the physical abuse. Still remembering the joyful times, she is
momentarily distracted by her flashback but then sees a picture with her son. She feels she must
endure the relationship for their son’s sake. Later, she tends to the black eye and her partner
kisses her (a sad attempt at an apology) which she accepts, nonetheless. He pushes a lock of her
hair to conceal the bruise, which falsely reassures her that she’s safe with him, when reality he’s
the one putting her in danger. Towards the end, she continues to try and justify his behavior
because of the ‘love’ he shows her after the fact. In the last scene, she uncovers her face which
symbolizes her readiness to move on and face the music because after all, his actions speak
louder than his words.

The theme of domestic violence is reoccurring throughout the piece and describes the
cycle of abuse that far too many victims fall into. With words like: “...Hot and fast and angry as
she can be -- I walk my days on a wire...”, it’s no question that the abuser makes it impossible for
the victim to see a way out of the relationship. The victim is walking on eggshells the entire time
and trying not to upset their abuser. In this song, however, it’s from an interesting perspective as
the typical narrative of abuse in relationships features the man as the abuser, but in this case, the
pronouns suggest that the man is the victim. Hozier (Andrew John Hozier-Byrne) is flipping the
script and shedding light on abuse in many forms. The line “...Open hand or closed fist would be
fine...” proposes the idea that the victim is willing to do anything they can to stay with the
person, often enduring physical abuse simply to appease them. This fear tactic keeps them stuck
with the abuser for much longer and often prevents them from getting necessary help.
Cherry Wine uses imagery to convey the soft, warm feelings of the piece. Both audibly
and visually, the videos give the viewer a comfortable vibe right away. In the acoustic version,
the cozy backdrop is dimly lit with many candles, and Hozier’s soft voice and guitar fills the
room. The music itself is set up like any other love song, and without paying attention to the
Professor Hellmers
Caroline Sproat
ENG 1201-527
December 06 2020
2
lyrics the listener might just think it is a love song – and won’t suspect that anything’s off at first.
The issues are slowly revealed in the lyrics and then become hard to ignore.

Hozier and his team use a combination of pathos and logos to support their claim. Pathos
is used to appeal to the viewer’s emotion. Obviously with domestic violence as a main theme, the
music will provoke strong emotions that leave the audience captivated. They can’t seem to look
away because they want to see what else happens. The video solicits empathy from the audience
with the appeal to emotion. Unfortunately, the song could be relatable to some, causing an even
deeper connection to the song. If anything, the lyrics use the opposite of logos, to support their
claim of irrational love (the love being displayed doesn’t make sense). The woman who
continually goes back to the man who hurt her is not able to think logically. This infers that he
has manipulated her to the point where she doesn’t notice that anything is wrong (or fears that
she can’t escape).

The artist chose to include themes of domestic abuse to stir a reaction out of viewers. It
was intentionally created with raising awareness in mind, and to make it known that there is help
available for victims struggling in an abusive relationship. They highlighted the ambiguity of
abuse, where it presents itself as loving until the victim finally comes to terms with everything
and realizes that it isn’t healthy.

Combining the music video and lyrics, it is revealed that the woman is multi-faceted,
much like the mirror. The side she shows the world is independent and in love with the man, and
the other side recognizes that she is constantly being hurt by him. Both sides feud with each
other because the woman wants to think that the man is truly in love with her, when in fact it is
quite the opposite. She takes off the layers of her makeup (stripping down symbolically as well)
by finding herself in the mirror. As the music progresses, both faces mesh together, and she is
forced to confront the harsh reality of the abuse she’s facing.
Professor Hellmers
Caroline Sproat
ENG 1201-527
December 06 2020
3

Works Cited
Hozier. “Hozier - Cherry Wine (Official Video).” ​YouTube​, 13 Feb. 2016,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdSCCwtNEjA​. Accessed 26 Sept. 2020.
Mahogany. “Hozier - Cherry Wine (Unplugged) | Mahogany Session.” ​YouTube,​ 10 Apr.
2014, ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtRIz7VocNs​. Accessed 27 Sept. 2020.
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