What does Kiss From a Rose mean?

Seal: Kiss From a Rose Meaning

Tagged: Kissing [suggest]
Album cover for Kiss From a Rose album cover

Song Released: 1994


Kiss From a Rose Lyrics

There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea.
You became the light on the dark side of me.
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.
But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and
The light that you shine...

  1. anonymous
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    Feb 22nd 2011 !⃝

    "Now that your rose is in bloom...kissed by a rose on the face."

    It's clear to me that the rose is Heidi Klum's vagina. Do the math.

  2. anonymous
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    Feb 21st 2011 !⃝

    Doesn't anyone here have any street experience? It's "grave" and he's a junky, and this isn't a "happy happy" song, even if it is quite beautiful. The key phrase is (from memory) "my eyes become wide and the light that you shine can't be seen". He's telling her loves her but when he shoots up all her love won't matter much. She's a rose, he's a dead man. Her love is a "kiss from the rose on a grave". She's probably not going to save him.

  3. anonymous
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    Feb 19th 2011 !⃝

    Oh gaad. It is obviously his point to make the song giving the impression of being about drugs. It's a friggin poetic simili. So damn obvious. whats the point of discussing.

  4. anonymous
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    Jan 22nd 2011 !⃝

    Okay people i think many lyric's online are confusing people...the correct lyric's are;

    "...when it snows my eyes become large and the light that you shine CAN'T be seen..."

    this is what he meant, when the song came out a long time ago i had a book with the lyric's and the sheet music and in that book it showed "can't" now i don't know if it's his accent or they wrote it weird in some places maybe in the actual cd it still said 'can' who knows but it's not rocket science that this sentence makes more sense anyways...
    i found lyric's online too that had the "can't" in place of the 'can'

    I listen to the song over and over and if you bring up the volume and if you can play it a little slower he doesn't cut the caaan]....you can clearly hear especially when you slow it down him saying can't...
    pronouncing the t is hard in music as a teacher of music I hear a T...try saying "can't be seen" in a normal everyday voice...you woudl sound stupid if you said "Can'TTTTTT BE SEEN" say it over and over..you'll see WHEN YOU SING THE WORD 'CAN' you hear a nnnn like a hum and actually the nnn is longer...Try it when you sing it with Can...it's hard not to sing '...and the light that you shine cannn be seen' you feel forced to elongate the n sound but with can't you sound just like seal singing it

  5. anonymous
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    Dec 11th 2010 !⃝

    I seriously think this song is about either cocaine or heroine. I'm not trying to say that Seal is a drug pusher, but the song is about it. I don't even think Seal wrote the song. I mean, it could be about love (definetly not sex or being raped by a viking), but to me, there are so many refrences to drugs. Ugh! I used to love the song until I realized it's totally about drugs.

  6. anonymous
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    Oct 24th 2010 !⃝

    There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea.
    (This is him alone and depressed [graying]. This can mean aging too but this "gray" is a theme in the whole song and depressed/sad/lifeless seems to fit well for me.)

    You became the light on the dark side of me.
    (Now her light has become part of him. Specifically the dark side of him. What could that be? The Depression? Temptations? Mistrust of dislike of people? She has changed that part of him and introduced light to the dark.)

    Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.
    (Is this what has been replaced? Now his dark side doesn't need drugs because Love is a better high.)

    But did you know,
    That when it snows,
    (This could reference drugs - maybe drugs happening around him. "When it snows" is something external occurring not an action by him.)

    My eyes become large and
    (This is certainly puzzling. When do eyes become large? In fear or excitement?)

    The light that you shine can be seen.
    (This is about that "light on the dark side of me" mentioned earlier. He is changed inside and His dark side isn't so dark anymore and it's obvious to others but also to himself. He can notice the light's effects in his heart when faced with this temptation.)

    Baby,
    I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grave.
    (This is a visual - the soft, delicate, vibrantly colored, fragrant beauty against the cold, hard, rough, gray stone. Another reference to light against dark.)

    Ooh,
    The more I get of you,
    The stranger it feels, yeah.
    (Just what it says.)

    And now that your rose is in bloom.
    (Now that her life - loveliness - light - good is starting to "bloom" in his heart; change him into a better man.)

    A light hits the gloom on the gray.
    (Love shines into my soul.)

    There is so much a man can tell you,
    So much he can say.
    (Just as it says.)

    You remain,
    My power, my pleasure, my pain, baby
    (Just as it says - our lovers/partners ARE our power, pleasure and pain.)

    To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny.
    Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?
    (Just as it says.)

    I've been kissed by a rose on the gray
    (Something life-giving has happened to the sad, dying, self-destructive, places in his heart.)



    ...And if I should fall along the way
    (and if I should slip)

    I've been kissed by a rose

  7. anonymous
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    Oct 7th 2010 !⃝

    "The word love was never mentioned in this song." Someone didn't listen to the song or bother reading the lyrics. Oh well. Since I'm with a guy that this song reminds me of I'll try..

    There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea.
    (He was growing older, alone, looking out at the world)

    You became the light on the dark side of me.
    (She came into his life and showed him love)

    Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.
    (He became addicted to her love)

    But did you know,
    (But did you know)

    That when it snows,
    (That when my heart grows cold because I'm getting apathetic and having doubts again)

    My eyes become large and The light that you shine can be seen.
    (My eyes open wide in wonder as your love warms my heart to the point everyone can see the difference)

    Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey.
    (Baby every time you kiss me reminds me I'm not alone anymore)

    Ooh, The more I get of you, Stranger it feels, yeah.
    (He knows she loves him dearly but he's not used to it)

    And now that your rose is in bloom.
    (He knows she has a lot to show him? I don't know how to see this line.)

    A light hits the gloom on the grey.
    (Her love shines through his darkness and brightens his world)

    There is so much a man can tell you, So much he can say.
    (He doesn't know how to show his feelings for her?)

    You remain, My power, my pleasure, my pain, baby
    (She's everything to him. Gives him strength to try harder, makes him happy, but he still hurts?)

    To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny.
    (As time goes on he finds himself becoming more addicted to her)

    Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?
    (He's getting apathetic again, he obviously had some bad relationships in the past)

    But did you know, That when it snows, My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen.
    Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey.
    Ooh, the more I get of you
    Stranger it feels, yeah
    Now that your rose is in bloom.
    A light hits the gloom on the grey,
    I've been kissed by a rose on the grey,
    I've been kissed by a rose
    I've been kissed by a rose on the grey,
    (repeat from earlier)

    ...And if I should fall along the way, I've been kissed by a rose
    (He knows that if he gets to the point of breaking down or giving up all he has to do is remember that she loves him)

    The lyrics repeat for the rest of the song.

  8. angie
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    Sep 26th 2010 !⃝

    A greying tower he represents himself as an older strong man. A tower represents 'strength' grey representing 'older'.This song to me is about an older more experienced man meeting and wooing a young less experienced, delicate girl. The rose represents her 'tenderness, youthfulness'. The relationship is based purely on sex, on his part. The word love was never mentioned in this song. The way he felt for her became an addiction because he was so caught up in lust, he was powerless to the sex. Then when she finally opened up to him he can now say that a young beautigul girl fell deep in love with him. The more he be with her the strange it feels because he's never been with a girl as young and tender as her. Even when he is alone he can feel the presence of her deep emotions for him, even though he is only using her for sex. "Now that your rose is in bloom a light hits the gloom on the grey". Meaning now that her love is fully flourished and bloomed he can now say that he was loved by a younger woman. To him it was a game to see if he could get a young woman to fall in love with him--in which he won.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. angie
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    Sep 26th 2010 !⃝

    This song is about a man who was in great despair, he was lonely and felt hopeless. He met a woman who brought light to his world and he fell deeply in love with her. (When it snows his eyes become large and the light that she shine can be seen). When she leaves him alone it becomes cold and her true colors are now showing because his eyes are now opened to her deceit---her true colors are now showing.
    This song is not about drugs it is about a man who was lost and hopeless he found someone and fell so deeply in love that it became and addiction. He was addicted to her softness, gentleness, and beauty like the rose. She obviously didn't feel the same way about him because she was cheating---(is it addiction healthy?) He is letting her go "I've been kissed form a rose on the grey". He can say that he has experienced love and was burned by it. This song is not about drugs or death.

  10. anonymous
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    Sep 1st 2010 !⃝

    I don't get any drug reference from this song but "kiss from a rose on the grey" sounds like a euphemism for a rather popular sexual act to me. I can't work out if Seal meant it that way or not.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  11. anonymous
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    May 4th 2010 !⃝

    I think you are all missing the point. The song is actually about sex.

    There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea.
    (I used to be alone.)

    This describes his lack of bedroom action. The greying tower obviously his unused penis.

    You became the light on the dark side of me.
    (But then, I found you, the better half of me.)

    The dark side of him is a reference to interacial sex.

    Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.
    (Love found me and made me happy.)

    Love kept him 'high' or 'hard' instead of viagra, which is a pill.

    But did you know,
    (Did you know,)

    That when it snows,
    (When you show me your love,)

    Obviously ejaculation

    My eyes become large and
    (I absorb it and)
    The light that you shine can be seen.
    (Your love reflects off of me.)

    They have an orgasm.

    Nuff said

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
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    Mar 18th 2010 !⃝

    Well, people's pupils dilate when they are attracted to someone...that could be part of the large eyes thing.
    And being in love has similar effects to taking drugs.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    Mar 12th 2010 !⃝

    this song is about his love that died and she is with him allways ( the light on the dark side of me) when it snows (gets bad) her light comes out and shines. And she re mains his power pleasure and pain.Hes been kissed by a rose on a grave ( honard to know his love that died)

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. InHisHands
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    Mar 12th 2010 !⃝

    This is a song about true love....that only comes once in a life time...this song is about a waltz. A waltz of love of two people that have been hurt badly and are dead internally. One man is on the left hand and the woman on the right. The woman is the light of the man. The man being her spirit. The woman has bloomed into an angel, giving his soul light..."When it snows my eyes become large" meaning like the birth of Christ...bringing light. The mans spirit is born again...the true spirit of himself that he once lost. Both are given hope for true love...as it slowly blooms.. "And if should Fall" meaning he knows that the love of this woman will not fade....what they have is forever....love is forever.

  15. anonymous
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    Feb 23rd 2010 !⃝

    Could it be about a father and his daughter who has bloomed? Maybe the grey represents the elderly father. Maybe he is warning his daughter about "so much a man can tell you" just a thought....

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway



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