Cloud On My Tongue
Tori Amos Lyrics


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Someone's knockin' on my kitchen door
Leave the wood outside what
All the girls here are freezing cold
Leave me with your Borneo
I said I don't need much to keep me warm

Don't stop now what you're doing
What you're doing my ugly one
Bring them all here
Hard to hide a hundred girls in your hair
It won't be fair if I hate her
If I hate her
You can go now
You can go now

You're already in there
I'll be wearing your tattoo
You're already in there

Got a cloud sleeping on my tongue
He goes then it goes and
Kiss the violets as they're waking up
Leave me with your Borneo
I said leave me the way I was before, but

You're already in there
I'll be wearing your tattoo
I'm already in circles and circles and circles again
The girl's in circles and circles and circles again
The girl's in circles and circles and circles again
The girl's in circles and circles and circles again, well

Someone's knockin' on my kitchen door
Leave the wood outside what
All the girls here are freezing cold
You can go now
You can go now
You can go now
You can go now

You're already in there
I'll be wearing your tattoo
You're already in there

Thought I was over the bridge now
Over the bridge now
I'm already in
Circles and circles and circles again
The girl's in circles and circles
Got to stop spinning
Circles and circles and circles again
The girl's in circles and circles and circles again, well
Circles and circles, circles again
The girl's in circles and circles
Got to stop spinning




Circles and circles and circles again
The girl's in circles and circles and circles again, well

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Tori Amos's "Cloud On My Tongue" are riddled with enigmatic and metaphorical phrases that can be interpreted in different ways, but the song generally deals with the themes of longing, desire, and self-actualization. The song opens with someone knocking on the kitchen door, and the singer's request to leave the wood outside can imply an attempt to dissuade the visitor from entering her private sphere, or a metaphor for keeping the coldness of the outside world at bay. The reference to Borneo, a tropical island and a former British protectorate known for its wildlife and biodiversity, suggest a yearning for escape or adventure, or an invitation to the visitor to share the singer's imagination.


Line by Line Meaning

Someone's knockin' on my kitchen door
There is someone at the door and I need to answer it.


Leave the wood outside what
I don't need any wood, so leave it outside.


All the girls here are freezing cold
All the women where I am are very cold and uncomfortable.


Leave me with your Borneo
I want to keep your Borneo, which is likely a reference to an exotic place or thing.


I said I don't need much to keep me warm
I don't require much to feel warm and comfortable.


Don't stop now what you're doing
Continue doing what you're doing right now.


What you're doing my ugly one
I'm addressing the person doing the thing as 'my ugly one,' which could be a term of endearment or an insult.


Bring them all here
Requesting that all of the people present come to a particular location.


Hard to hide a hundred girls in your hair
It would be impossible to conceal one hundred girls in one's hair, which is probably a metaphor for something else.


It won't be fair if I hate her
It would be unjust of me to hate her.


You can go now
You are free to leave now.


You're already in there
You are already inside, which could refer to a location, a relationship, or something else entirely.


I'll be wearing your tattoo
I will have your mark or symbol on my body, likely as a sign of affection or ownership.


Got a cloud sleeping on my tongue
I have a feeling of heaviness or weight on my tongue, like a cloud that is resting there.


He goes then it goes and
Something is going away or leaving, possibly the cloud on my tongue.


Kiss the violets as they're waking up
I will give attention to something delicate or vulnerable, like a violet that is beginning to bloom.


Leave me with your Borneo
Again, I want to keep the exotic Borneo, which could symbolize something I prize and want to hold onto.


I said leave me the way I was before, but
I want to be left alone and not changed, but there is something that makes that difficult or impossible.


Thought I was over the bridge now
I believed that I had overcome a difficult challenge or obstacle, but I was wrong.


I'm already in
I am already committed to something or someone, and it's too late to change that.


Circles and circles and circles again
I feel like I am stuck in a cycle of repetition or routine that I cannot escape.


The girl's in circles and circles
I, or whoever the girl represents, am caught in a pattern of behavior that keeps repeating itself.


Got to stop spinning
I need to put an end to the cycle of repeating patterns and behaviors.




Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: TORI ELLEN AMOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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