And though your teeth have gnashed through death
Still you come to me so gently
And find a soft place on your body
And rub me with it

Of this I won't soon forget
You're the one that will remain
You're the one that will remain

Bust a lock with a rock
Don't need a key to have me
This was your cold discovery

We needed a fever then we needed a cure
The bait no longer lured
Say goodbye quick as you can
A car waits for me just across the border

Wish me luck
No good luck, no bad luck
Just wish me luck in my cold discovery
That you are gone
My cold discovery
That you're the one
That will remain

Oh I can hold a woman
Down on a hardwood floor
Oh I can hold a woman
Down on a hardwood floor
And her teeth can gnash right through me
Looking for a soft place
And of this you won't soon forget
I had no soft place for you to rest

And this was your cold discovery

I can hold a woman
Down on a hardwood floor
I can hold a woman
Down on a hardwood floor

And this was my cold discovery

Few saw it for what it really was


Lyrics submitted by typo

Cold Discovery song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    I went through an Ayn Rand phase when I was a teen, and this reminds me so much of the f*cked up relationship b/w Roark and Dominique (?) in...what's the one before Atlas Shrugged? Yeah, that one.

    I'm not so sure it's about rape. I think it may be about what occurs b/w two people who hurt each other as much as they love each other. All too often we are fed images of shiny white shallow bridal happiness--this song talks about the flip side of that.

    Tori Amos has explored the dark side of sexuality in plenty of her songs, and in her own life. It's there, and too often we do not have the tools to deal/cope with it in this society--which means that it festers, then screams out of us, and when it's gone, we're left with the guilt and the shame that diminishes our own personal understanding of the experience.

    nanobodyon May 30, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Great song....about a dangerous liason.

    "your" cold discovery is "you don't need a key to have me" and "I had no soft place for you to rest"

    in other words, I'm easy to catch, but I'm not gentle

    "my" cold discovery is.... I can hold a woman down on a hardwood floor

    in other words, I have the strength and will to violate you

    sakeboxon April 10, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I really love my song but my girlfriend can't stand it - she calls it the "rape song". I don't think the singer is talking about a literal rape, the picture in my head is an argument that devolves into something physical, but totally non-sexual, and that the song is about his own ability to cope with that. Ie, his discovery is that he is capable of violence.

    The piano line in this song is really awesome.

    thitheron July 28, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I agree with thither in that I believe ths encounter to be more a physical confrontation than a sexual encounter. Maybe a row between lovers or husband and wife

    orourkedaon July 20, 2009   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    Cold discovery: Love & sex, hate & violence, and the uncomfortable infidelity of these pairings.

    chuxvomon September 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The live version (Peel Session) of this is amazing in it's raw energy. When I heard the live version I really paid attention to the lyrics more. I love the line

    "wish me luck/no bad luck/ no good luck, just wish me luck"

    Bill had a real knack for a turn of phrase. One day I think he'll be recognised as one of the foremost songwriters of our time.

    HandsomeDanon April 11, 2018   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    A complete consumption of self by ego. Feeling as if your own self-loathing excuses the hurt you inflict on others. His discovery about their relationship is that he is willing to use physical power, her discovery is his lack of backbone. Her's is something he loathes about himself, wishes he had more control over his emotions as if his emotional insecurity/immaturity is an excuse for abuse and holding a physical power.

    His cold discovery is something he will willingly exploit, her discovery is a flaw he is unwilling to change.

    Mugwump112on April 10, 2023   Link

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