☝️ Key Points
- The song is about a past relationship and the loss of innocence through growing up
- The comfort and convenience of adult life have dulled the emotions of the people in the song
- They felt responsible for things that were beyond their control
- The damage to their relationship was not caused by youthful carelessness, but by the pressures of growing up
- The chorus expresses longing for the past and a lack of understanding of how it could be lost
Interpretation
The lyrics of 'Damage Gets Done' by
Hozier are about a past relationship and the loss of innocence that comes with growing up. He reminisces about a time when he and his partner had few material possessions ('And two outfits then to my name'), but were still happy because they had each other ('We knew what our love was worth').
The line 'It's the comforts that make us feel numb' suggests that the comfort and convenience that come with growing up and financial success have made them emotionally numb. They have turned necessity into virtue and learned to appreciate the little things in life ('If the sun shone on us it's a plus').
In the verse 'Being blamed for a world we had no power in', he reflects on how they felt responsible for things that were beyond their control. With the line 'Being reckless and young is not how the damage gets done', he states that it wasn't youthful recklessness that damaged their relationship, but rather the pressures and responsibilities of adulthood.
The chorus 'I haven't felt it since then, I don't know how the feeling ended but I know' expresses his longing for that past time and his bewilderment at how it could be lost. Overall, 'Damage Gets Done' is a nostalgic and melancholic reflection on growing up and the changes it can bring to relationships.