Stone love, she kneels before the grave
A brave son, who gave his life
To save the slogans
That hovers between the headstone and her eyes
For they penetrate her grieving

New love, a boy and girl are talking
New words, that only they can share in
New words, a love so strong it tears their hearts
To sleep through the fleeting hours of morning

Love is careless in its choosing
Sweeping over cross and baby
Love descends on those defenseless
Idiot love will spark the fusion
Inspirations have I none
Just to touch the flaming dove
All I have is my love of love
And love is not loving

Soul love, the priest that tastes the word and
Told of love, and how my God on high is
All love, though reaching up my loneliness evolves
By the blindness that surrounds him

Love is careless in its choosing
Sweeping over cross and baby
Love descends on those defenseless
Idiot love will spark the fusion
Inspirations have I none
Just to touch the flaming dove
All I have is my love of love
And love is not loving


Lyrics submitted by BigPoppaChidog, edited by malavita

Soul Love Lyrics as written by David Bowie

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Soul Love song meanings
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19 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment
    It's about being alone and unloved when the rest of the world has a love of some sort. All Ziggy has is his romantism (love of love) and he knows that he's missing out, but he's unwilling to do anything, since he's afraid of getting hurt, but he'd do anything to be in love for just one second.
    Child Of Musicon June 06, 2005   Link
  • +6
    My Interpretation
    Well, I disagree with what most people here think of this song. To me, it always seemed that this was about how the occidental culture always puts its idea of "love" everywhere. Love is just another built concept that we use to interpretate our world. Seen with the eyes of an outsider, love is everywhere and its everything but at the same time it is many thing and nothing. I hope i can make myself clear... anyway, that's the way i like to see it.
    aquarellaon August 25, 2009   Link
  • +4
    General Comment
    This is one of my favorite Bowie songs, especially since I love Ziggy Stardust so much. I believe that the song is just about different kinds of love, like the love of a mother to her dead son or the love between a boy and girl, a priest and God, etc. It's a beautiful song, really. I like how Bowie can write a love song that isn't just about a girl or something, but just about love in general. Pretty awesome.
    clearlygonemadon October 16, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment
    "Inspirations have I none, just to touch the flaming dove" That line kills me with its awesomeness.
    tehfailon January 26, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    This is a great song. I think Child of music has the meaning nailed down pretty good
    MidnightFoxon January 28, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    "Love is careless in its choosing...Love decends on those defenseless..." How true and tragic. And then comes to those in need not at all.
    tintineton May 01, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    so much loneliness in this song! i love the first verse. the son probably went to war for a politician's cause ("slogan" or maybe a pun on slow gun?) and now this "slogan" cause is the gun that's separating a mother and her son.
    hallospacegirlon September 06, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    "stone love" = phsyical love...a love you can see and feel..."soul love" = something that you can not see...but you know in your heart that it's there
    static_shadow48on March 13, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    Gore Vidal once said “The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.” Love is innate, irrepressible and takes many forms. The opening verse of a mother sitting a grave reminds me of Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Septimus Smith left for “France to save an England which consisted almost entirely of Shakespeare's plays and Miss Isabel Pole in a green dress walking in the square.” Or as Bowie succintly puts it "to save the slogans". Love is not loving but love is insatiable. It is built into the fabric of every one of us. Call it a soul, call it an evolutional benefit. Whatever it is, we need it. For country, for the opposite or same sex, for our parents, for our siblings. It cannot be escaped and is hard wired into our response to the world.
    dolphinpotson March 06, 2016   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    That's interesting. This is one of my favorite Bowie songs too!
    ImaNotOkayon June 29, 2005   Link

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