It’s been eight weeks since 9-1-1 sent fans and characters spiraling by killing off Peter Krause’s beloved character Bobby Nash, and I, for one, still can’t hear the gorgeous, soulful sounds of Hozier without wanting to scream/cry/throw up.

Much to the agony and disbelief of viewers, after a two-part Contagion-inspired biolab emergency went wrong, Bobby succumbed to a deadly virus in Episode 815, “Lab Rats.” As his internal organs shut down, the fearless fire captain told his work son Buck (Oliver Stark) that he loved him, shared an emotional farewell with his wife Athena (Angela Bassett), and knelt down to pray in his final moments. We also got glimpses of the team learning of his death, and in case those visuals weren’t devastating enough, 9-1-1 went a step further and helped set the tone with a moving hit song. While Bobby was the only character carried out of that lab in a body bag, Hozier’s “Work Song” was another casualty of the episode.

In the immediate aftermath of Bobby’s death, the acclaimed 2014 song that accompanied the show’s saddest scenes shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart — presumably as fans listened in continued mourning of 9-1-1’s patriarch. As the days and weeks passed, I found “Work Song” subconsciously playing on a loop in my head, taking over my TikTok For You Page, and ultimately serving as a haunting reminder of Tim Minear’s show-altering “creative” choice. Just as “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol feels like a gut punch to Grey’s Anatomy fans, once you hear “Work Song” in the context of 9-1-1, there’s no going back.

Searching “Work Song Bobby Nash” and related show and song hashtags on TikTok reveals a digital graveyard comprised of heartbreaking fan edits, tearful live reactions to the episode, and even tributes to the fire captain at Hozier concerts. Some Bobby tributes set to “Work Song” are genuinely funny explorations of the fandom’s collective grief. But even in lighthearted references, hearing any part of the song is now triggering.

Lyrically and thematically, the Hozier hit was a thoughtful, top-notch (and likely a financially ambitious) choice for the major Bobby (and Athena) scene. But now, in one of Season 8’s many sins, that very good song was ruined for fans! It’s like Pavlovian conditioning, but instead of dogs salivating at the sound of a bell, Bobby Nash’s many children now tear up at the sound of “Work Song.”

In tandem with that infamous April Fool’s Day script, the song’s inclusion also fueled fans’ hope that Bobby would somehow be buried alive and rescued. After hearing the “Work Song” lyrics, “No grave can hold my body (Bobby!) down, I’ll crawl home to her,” fans had renewed hope that Krause would eventually return to the series, only to end the season without a resurrection and even greater sorrow.

Hozier, we still love you and your music. But I’ll never be able to listen to “Work Song” again without thinking of the late, great Bobby Nash. May he (and “Work Song”) rest in peace — or, you know, return from the dead at any time! That would be preferred!

9-1-1 Season 8 is now streaming on Hulu with Season 9 set to premiere on ABC in fall 2025.