“Crucify” is about Tori Amos’s struggle to overcome self-hatred, and by extension, to help any listeners overcome their own self-hatreds. Although often accused of being sacreligious, the song’s message and metaphor are actually consistent with mainstream Christianity. Tori’s father is a liberal Christian minister, so it’s not too surprising that Tori picked up some skill in delivering a challenging sermon.

Tori explained how she created the song:

Bells started going off every time I wouldn’t stick up for myself. I accepted Quasimodo was a squatter in my cerebral area. A rhythmic pattern kept chasing me around. I dug out the drum machine and put the pattern down. I would leave that pattern on for hours while I just sat and argued with myself about stuff. The first music to get put to the pattern was the ‘B’ section, ‘I’ve been looking for a saviour’… a door opened and the demons started to show up.

–Little Earthquakes songbook