EXPLORING EMOTIONAL MEANING: A SEMANTIC STUDY OF MOOD IN THE SONG “WORK SONG” BY HOZIER

Abstract

This study investigates how emotional meaning is constructed through mood in Hozier's song “Work Song.” Using a qualitative semantic approach—specifically componential analysis and sentiment mapping—the research analyzes the song's lyrics as the primary data source, supplemented by contextual information from artist statements and listener reception. The analysis proceeds in two stages: line-by-line semantic tagging of emotion-bearing words, followed by discourse-level analysis of mood shifts. The results reveal three dominant mood clusters: (1) enduring devotion, marked by repetitive, ritualistic language; (2) somber longing, conveyed through imagery of labor, night, and physical exhaustion; and (3) defiant hope, expressed through conditional statements and future-oriented verbs. Mood is shown to be semantically layered, with individual lexical items carrying multiple emotional valences depending on syntactic position and collocational patterns. Based on the findings, a semantic mood map is proposed to illustrate how Hozier constructs a cohesive yet dynamic emotional narrative. The study concludes that the song's emotional resonance arises not from isolated affective words but from the systematic interaction of lexical semantics, repetition, and situational grounding. These findings have implications for lyric analysis and the semantics of music.