I Would Do it Again: Loving Without Regret in Hozier’s ‘Francesca’

Condemned. Being swept into a forever storm. Being cast as a warning for centuries to come. That is the story of Francesca da Rimini, a character in Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno,” part of his larger work “The Divine Comedy.”  In Dante’s poem, Francesca and her husband’s brother Paolo are trapped in the second circle of hell, eternally swept together in a violent wind after having an affair with each other. They are so close to one another but are condemned to never touch. Giovanni Malatesta, her husband, killed Paolo and Francesca after catching them both in bed. Their story is meant to serve as a moral lesson; a warning about lust and its consequences. 

However, singer Hozier shifts the focus of their story into his song Francesca. Instead of a story of shame and punishment, he emphasizes devotion and choice. The heart of the song is not about what they lost… it is about what they would choose again. 

“I’d tell them put me back in it,” the first line of the chorus, is a defiant expression of the love Francesca feels for Paolo. She is willing to go through literal hell and back for her lover, further proven with the lyric “I would do it again.” The punishment becomes secondary when love is eternal. 

That fierce refusal to regret loving someone feels especially relevant to teenagers. Adolescence is often when emotions first feel overwhelming and all-consuming. First, love can feel infinite, and first heartbreak can feel catastrophic! Adults sometimes dismiss teenage relationships as dramatic or temporary, but “Francesca” validates that intensity. It suggests that loving deeply is not foolish; it is incredibly human. 

For teens, loving “despite the storm” can take many forms. It might mean standing by a relationship others do not fully understand, or displaying vulnerability in a world that’s avoidant of emotions. It might even mean accepting that heartbreak is possible and choosing to create that connection anyway. The combination of these lyrics “If someone asked me in the end/I’d tell them to put me back in it” shows the boldness and willingness of wanting to experience love again, even if it ended badly before. Instead of seeking pain as proof that love was a mistake, Hozier suggests that pain can simply be evidence that something mattered. 

At the same time, the song offers a moment to reflect. Passion is powerful, but it should not erase one’s identity. For young people, there is a balance between devotion and preserving yourself. The beauty of the song Francesca lies in that kind of tension. That love can have fire without denying its consequences. 

Francesca is not just a retelling of a medieval forbidden romance. It is a reminder that love, no matter how complicated, imperfect, or short-lived, can shape who we become. This message is especially important to teenagers – we are beings of ‘firsts’ after all. And Hozier, my favorite man EVER, turns this cautionary tale into a declaration – that love can be worth the storm! 

Sources: Hozier Explores Themes of Identity, Modernity, and Religion in Unreal Unearth – The Oberlin Review