Stealing Rosemary
The Bangles Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you need me
I'll be here
On my knees
On my knees

In the neighbor's garden
Where the light is growing long
Stealing Rosemary for you, my love
It's the tiny lies I tell

For you to please
You to please
Early in the morning
When the light is growing strong

Stealing Rosemary for you, my love
I'm Stealing Rosemary
Flowers crushing on my skin
Tuscan Blue

All for you
Caught in rain and running
Home to you
I'm coming home

Stealing Rosemary for you, my love




I'm stealing Rosemary for you, my love
Stealing Rosemary

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Bangles' song Stealing Rosemary capture the intensity of a love that is so strong that the singer is willing to compromise her values to please her beloved. The opening verses convey the singer's readiness to do whatever it takes to make her lover happy, including getting on her knees in submission. The chorus reveals the central theme of the song, as the singer admits to creeping into her neighbor's garden at sunset to steal rosemary for her lover. The song highlights how love can make us do things we wouldn't have otherwise, and we sometimes find ourselves employing tiny white lies to keep the excitement and passion of love alive.


The song talks about the singer stealing rosemary for her lover. The choice of rosemary is symbolic, as the herb is associated with remembrance, commitment, and love. The line "tuscan blue" suggests that the rosemary being stolen is of the Tuscan Blue variety, which signifies trust and loyalty. Similarly, the singer's dedication to her lover is one of trust and loyalty that drives her actions, and she's willing to brave the rain and all sorts of adverse conditions to make her way back to her lover.


Line by Line Meaning

If you need me
I am willing to be there for you if you require my assistance


I'll be here
I will remain present and available to you


On my knees
I am in a state of supplication, showing my humble devotion to you


On my knees
I remain in my humble state, continuing to show my devotion


In the neighbor's garden
I am in the nearby garden that belongs to another individual


Where the light is growing long
I am here during the time when the sun is setting and the daylight is fading away


Stealing Rosemary for you, my love
I am taking some of the herb Rosemary from this garden, without permission, because I know you desire it


It's the tiny lies I tell
I am resorting to dishonesty in order to accomplish the task of taking this Rosemary for you


For you to please
My motivations for stealing this Rosemary is to satisfy your desires


You to please
My ultimate goal is to please you with my actions


Early in the morning
I am doing this task during the early hours of the day


When the light is growing strong
It is during the time when the sun is rising and the morning light is increasing in intensity


I'm Stealing Rosemary
I am continuing to take the herb Rosemary without consent


Flowers crushing on my skin
As I take the Rosemary, its accompanying flowers are getting crushed against my skin


Tuscan Blue
This particular Rosemary plant has a type called Tuscan Blue


All for you
All of this, the theft of Rosemary and the discomfort of taking it, is done for your benefit


Caught in rain and running
As I am leaving the garden, I am caught in a sudden rainstorm and must run away


Home to you
Despite the inclement weather, my destination and purpose is to come to you


I'm coming home
I am making the final leg of my journey and will soon be home with you


Stealing Rosemary for you, my love
Once again, I recount the fact that I have taken Rosemary from someone else's garden for you, my beloved


I'm stealing Rosemary for you, my love
I repeat this statement for emphasis, to show how much I care for you and am willing to do for you


Stealing Rosemary
The final line reiterates my actions of taking Rosemary without consent, once again highlighting my devotion and love for you




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DEBORAH MARY PETERSON, SUSANNA LEE HOFFS, VICKI PETERSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Heather MacGillivray

Love it. There’s a fantastic Old English Traditional Folk Song feel to it ... yet kinda rock n roll too.

Eric Adams

It does have a folk song feel but Paul Simon spent nearly a year in England playing folk clubs so I hear both.

aluffarb

Kind of like The Byrds' cover of the traditional "Wild Mountain Thyme"

Mariana

it feels like a Simon & Garfunkel song to me!

VickiB25

That version is better than the one on the Doll Revolution's album. I love the non stop uptempo on verses.

Phenix Returns

great song buy the dvd for a better quality : it's a great dvd ! their last albums are very good too !

Memento Mori

Good song from good band!!

BILL MURRAY

Up and coming bands will do cover version of THIS one.
That's a testimonial to the
influence of the Bangles.

Giampi

This song like many others of the Bangles shows a very different percentage of favor from the one posted by TheBanglesMusic. I wonder if a lot of people listen to music or just watch videos.

Carl Busque

Great song!

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