You hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed

You hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed, oh

My black eye casts no shadow
Your red eye sees nothing
Your slaps don't stick, your kicks don't hit
So we remain the same
Love sticks, sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit

A kick to the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none
Oh, a kiss with a fist is better than none

I broke your jaw once before
I spilled your blood upon the floor
You broke my leg in return
So sit back and watch the bed burn
Love sticks, sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit

A kick in the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none
Oh, kiss with a fist is better than none

You hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed, oh

Oh, you hit me once, I hit you back
You gave a kick, I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed


Lyrics submitted by claire16, edited by Reisam, tellemonstar

Kiss With A Fist Lyrics as written by Matthew David Allchin Florence Leontine Mary Welch

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Kiss with a Fist song meanings
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41 Comments

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  • +17
    General Comment

    Quote from Florence and the Machine's myspace page: "Kiss with a fist is NOT a song about domestic violence. it is about two people pushing each other to phsycological extremes because they love each other. the song is not about one person being attacked, or any actual physical violence, there are no victims in this song. sometimes the love two people have for each other is a destructive force. but they cant have it any other way, because its what holds them together, they enjoy the drama and pushing each others buttons. the only way to express these extreme emotions is with extreme imagery, all of which is fantasism and nothing in the song is based on reality.

    leona lewis's bleeding love isn't actually about her bleeding. this isnt really about punching someone in the face. thank you and goodnight."

    facadeon August 13, 2008   Link
  • +8
    Lyric Correction

    Better THAN none. THAN THAN THAN BETTER THAN NONE. than.

    cyberchondriacon January 02, 2012   Link
  • +4
    My Interpretation

    my interpretation of this song seems completely different to everyone elses.

    my thought was that the song was about two people who felt very strongly towards each other, but either one or both of them were already in relationships. they couldn't finish it and didn't want to cheat, so the only way they could be strongly passionate with each other was to beat each other up. they burnt the bed to remove the temptation to do anything else on it. the whole "a kiss with a fist is better than none" refers to the fact they can't kiss each other properly, but by hitting each other, they're at least gaining some physical contact that no-one can deem as morally wrong in the sense of cheating. so i guess in a way it's sadomasochistic, but it's just a song about making the best of a situation (break the lock if it don't fit). i also thought the "slaps don't stick, your kicks don't hit" bit was demonstrating that they didn't feel any pain out of what they were doing. and the "so we remain the same" bit was referring to how they had not technically cheated and became bad people. also, the chorus comprises of two people taking it in turns to assualt each other, which i think is like them creating their own version of a "give-and-take" relationship.

    i know the song is provoking because people get angry about songs that might condone domestic violence (quite rightly) but i think the variety of interpretations demonstrates what a great song it is. one of my all time favourites :)

    OLIVIAAA17on March 07, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    It's clearly not about domestic violence - if it was, she wouldn't be hitting back. It's metaphorical for a relationship full of non-physical fights. She's saying fighting is better than having no relationship, or a relationship without fights - fighting is actually a very healthy sign in a relationship.

    missmeon July 08, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    i love this song so much :) my summer anthem :D

    F.U.C.K.hollywood!.on August 06, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    first saw this on 4music advert and looove it. ^^^i agree proper summer tune (: about mental torture [rather than physical violence] in a relationship, i believe. Bascially two people constantly trying to score points off each other.

    thatgirl_on August 06, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    it is metaphorical, and florence and the machine are of course covering themselves they dont want people thinking their sadomasochists lol. Of course to the casual listener would seem to be a about violence, but what i actually think its about is a turbulent relationship where a couple are the opposite of each other so they both get on each others nerves alot but they still love each other even after all the arguments and even though they know they will continue to fight

    'my black eye cast no shadow your red eye sees no pain' - this i believe refers to the fact that the argument was petty and didn't effect the way they feel for eachother

    'broke your jaw once before spilt your blood upon the floor you broke my leg in return sit back and watch the bed burn' - this is saying they have argued but afterwards they can lay back appologize let the moment pass/allow the flames to die out then have a laugh about the whole thing.

    this is what i think its about hope i helped (rate if i did lol)

    lorenz0on January 09, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i absolutely love it!! its ridiculous that she had to actually explain that the song wasn't about endorsing violence, thats sad, ignorant people

    parisummeron October 11, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    so catchy (:

    kiss.with.a.fiston October 30, 2008   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    LOL who the hell thought this was about domestic violence or abuse or something shit? Seriously, what? Haha.

    This is exactly my kind of relationship. Teasing, tormenting, criticizing and just being mean to my sweetheart... I can't help it, it's just how I love someone. (I also shower them with kisses, of course. with fists.)

    I discovered it from Jennifer's Body (hated the movie, but the soundtrack is so good, I'm thinking of buying the CD), and just... fell in love.

    One of my favorite songs ever.

    Oh and her performance is just perfect. I love her voice and the way she sings just fits these lyrics.

    musawion July 05, 2010   Link

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