Kiss And Tell
Roxy Music (Bryan Ferry) Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ten cents a dance
It's the only price to pay
Why give 'em more
When it's only love for sale?

Adam and Eve
It's the oldest game in town
Just a one way street
To a faded magazine

Kiss and tell
Money talks it never lies
Kiss and tell
Give and take eye for an eye

Fever the heat of the night
Dreamer stealer of sighs
One public face
In a private limousine

Flash photograph
It's the only light you see
No secret life
There's no secret you can steel

Your lips are moving
But I will never know
What they mean
Kiss and tell

Money talks and love it burns
Kiss and tell
Give and take we live and learn
Kiss and tell

We never lie
Eye foe an eye




Blood on a nail
Kiss me again

Overall Meaning

The song "Kiss and Tell" by Roxy Music delves into the theme of the transactional nature of relationships, where love and intimacy are for sale. The opening lines "Ten cents a dance, it's the only price to pay, why give 'em more when it's only love for sale?" creates a sense of disillusionment with the idea of love that is only available for purchase. The use of Adam and Eve as a metaphor for the game of love selling like a commodity draws from the illusionary quality of love and how it can be corrupted.


The song also talks about the imbalance and betrayal in the relationship and the underlying feeling of transactional exchange. The line "Money talks it never lies, give and take eye for an eye" suggests how love is something that can be bought, sold, and traded, much like a business deal. The chorus of the song seems to be a cynical take on love with the idea that no one can be trusted and that everyone has something to hide. The lines "Your lips are moving but I will never know what they mean, kiss and tell" creates an image of people lying and pretending to be someone they're not, and then exposing others' secrets to get a competitive edge.


In summary, "Kiss and Tell" is a cautionary tale of the high cost that comes with love when it is transactional, and the risks that come with sharing intimate details.


Line by Line Meaning

Ten cents a dance
Dancing for money is so cheap


It's the only price to pay
There's no other way to get paid


Why give 'em more
Why offer more when it's just love they're selling?


When it's only love for sale?
It's just the affection they're after


Adam and Eve
The beginning of life, the origin of love


It's the oldest game in town
It's the oldest way of making love


Just a one way street
It's a journey where there's no turning back


To a faded magazine
Toward a world of fantasy, where you're just a side character


Kiss and tell
Selling your secrets for fame


Money talks it never lies
Money is powerful enough to get people to do things they normally wouldn't


Give and take eye for an eye
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth


Fever the heat of the night
Passionate love, the essence of the night


Dreamer stealer of sighs
The one who puts you to sleep and takes you away from reality


One public face
The face of the one who is in the spotlight, always on display


In a private limousine
Away from the public, into your own world


Flash photograph
A picture taken in an instant, to capture the moment


It's the only light you see
The only light in the darkness, the only way to see


No secret life
There's nothing hidden, everything is in the open


There's no secret you can steel
There's nothing you can take away, nothing that's not already known


Your lips are moving
You're saying something, but I can't trust you


But I will never know
I'll never know your true intentions


What they mean
What are you trying to say? What message are you trying to convey?


Kiss and tell
A story of deception, of selling out for fame


Money talks and love it burns
Money has power, but love is all-consuming


Give and take we live and learn
Life is a series of trade-offs, where we gain as much as we give


We never lie
We always tell the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be


Eye foe an eye
An eye for an eye, in retaliation for what's been done


Blood on a nail
The result of the game, the price of playing


Kiss me again
One final kiss, one last moment of passion




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GRAHAM GOULDMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@cecile5090

Still listening in 2024. He had the best voice in rock.

@adriangabrielzancada1173

Estoy de acuerdo contigo!. Su música estilizada, su voz elegante y su delicada banda, Roxi Music, los hacen únicos! Saludos desde Buenos Aires

@chaotic_geisha

Elegant music for elegant people 🤍

@martinmcdonald4207

I`ve been a paid up member of that club since the `70`s! in with the `in crowd`. Cheers.

@reginaldoalves3246

Are there still elegant people in this chaotic world?

@lifeneverfeltsogood

​@@reginaldoalves3246 not many.

@user-fr4rf8ew4n

Для меня настолько редкое имя что подумал автор этого комментария Danielle Moore из Crazy P😅

@dgeci

@@reginaldoalves3246 Some hipsters with bears and stuff but they are boring people way too self centered and way too serious. The 80's were creative, stylised but also light hearted. This kind of (false) innocence has been lost.

7 More Replies...

@micheladerry5681

a very classy man. There arent any today... what a pity

@AndyJ-ps6yv

Timeless. They don’t come any cooler than Mr. Ferry!

More Comments

More Versions