The Meeting Place
XTC Lyrics


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Meet you in the secret place
Scuffling in the dirt I wait
Whistle will blow, whistle will blow,
Share a joke the laugh's on me
But when I get you on your own we'll see
Someone might hear, someone might hear
You're a working girl now
You've got money of your own
Hmmm the meeting place
Hmmm the meeting place
Strolling under grimy skies
Machines that make you kiss in time
Smoke on your breath, smoke on your breath
Chimney never looked so good
Never looked the way it should
From lying in the bracken wood
Coat on the ground, coat on the ground
Take a walk down the lane
We'll be late back again




Hmmm the meeting place
Hmmm the meeting place [x3]

Overall Meaning

The Meeting Place by XTC is a song that speaks about two people who want to meet secretly in a particular place. The singer waits in the dirt for the other person to arrive, and when the whistle blows, they will share a joke, but they know that someone might hear them. The second stanza describes the place they're meeting; under grimy skies, the machines that make them kiss in time, and the smoke on their breath. They see beauty in the smoky chimney, and in lying in the bracken wood, coat on the ground, and down the lane.


The lyrics are ambiguous, and the meaning is open to interpretation, but it could be about a secret meeting between two lovers or a group of friends. The whistle blowing could be a signal for them to meet, while the reference to the working girl suggests that one of them is a prostitute. The grimy skies, the machines that make them kiss, and the smoke on their breath imply a polluted industrial landscape, but it's apparent that the two people find beauty in the meeting place.


Overall, the song captures the feeling of a secret meeting, the excitement and anticipation of seeing someone you're not supposed to see at a particular place. It's a song that leaves you with a sense of longing, a desire to know more about the meeting place and the people involved.


Line by Line Meaning

Meet you in the secret place
I'll meet you at the place we always meet in secret


Scuffling in the dirt I wait
I'm patiently waiting for you, even if it means getting a bit dirty in the process


Whistle will blow, whistle will blow,
We need to be careful so we don't get caught, but we'll know when it's safe to meet up when I whistle


Share a joke the laugh's on me
We can have some fun and share a laugh, but ultimately I'm the one taking the risk by meeting you


But when I get you on your own we'll see
Once we're together and away from prying eyes, anything can happen


Someone might hear, someone might hear
We need to be cautious because there's a chance someone could overhear us


You're a working girl now
You're financially independent and don't rely on anyone else for support


You've got money of your own
Your financial independence means you have your own source of income and don't need to rely on anyone else


Hmmm the meeting place
I look forward to meeting you at our secret spot


Strolling under grimy skies
We'll walk around in less than ideal conditions, but that won't stop us from enjoying our time together


Machines that make you kiss in time
We'll stroll around while machines operate in the background, but we'll still be in sync with each other


Smoke on your breath, smoke on your breath
You might have been smoking, but that doesn't matter to me because I'm just happy to be with you


Chimney never looked so good
Even the unsightly chimney looks beautiful because I'm with you


Never looked the way it should
We'll appreciate the chimney not for what it's supposed to look like, but for what it represents to us in this moment


From lying in the bracken wood
We may have had to hide in the bushes to avoid detection and meet in secret, but it's worth it to be together


Coat on the ground, coat on the ground
We'll sit down together and enjoy our surroundings, even if it means getting a little dirty


Take a walk down the lane
Let's go for a walk together and enjoy each other's company


We'll be late back again
We may lose track of time while we're together and end up staying out later than expected


Hmmm the meeting place [x3]
No matter how many times we meet, it's always special and exciting to see you at our secret spot




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: COLIN MOULDING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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