Antony and the Johnsons – Fistful of Love

General Commenti really do think that this song is about a sado-masochistic relationship. maybe suisamurai was taking the mick but to be honest i don't think there is another realistic option. there's nothing wrong with it, in fact it makes the song more beautiful, because of the depth and darkness it gives. 'antony' or whoever he's singing for is the submissive party and he knows that even though his dominating partner can't tell antony he (again im making an assumtion but antony does fancy men so it makes sense) loves him, because that would ruin the rules of their sado-masochistic relationship, but he knows that every fist (Whether that's fisting or punching im not sure) and every lash of the whip is a sign of his love.

antony's amazing honesty when it comes to the fuzzy line between sexual and spiritual love really plays out here in a passionate and beautiful orgy of harmony and a melody that cuts and lashes like the very whip he sings about.

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  @manny_v
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  @manny_v i like this interpretation ! I kind of want this cheerful song to be about a loving S/M relationship rather than about domestic abuse .

  Flag Ændyon December 18, 2018  

General CommentMany bizarre interpretations on this page. The actual meaning was posted by flockprintingstars when he quoted Antony: it's about those abusive relationships where the person being abused feels like it's out of love.

"a ceiling full of stars" the person is childlike with a vivid imagination

"a photograph of time" these relationships always start well and that is what the person being abused remembers and clings to; he or she lives in the past

"I know that you can't tell me" rather than realizing the abuser has no love for him or her, they rationalize it by pretending there is some other reason this supposed love can't be expressed

"the memories of your devotion" all the physical wounds are tolerated because the person being abused interprets them as being loved

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  @Kworb

General CommentA haunting song about domestic violence/abuse. And a fucking brilliant one, at that.

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  @RT--

General CommentThis is currently my favorite song of the album, ‘Hope there’s someone’ got me caught up with this emotional masterpiece of Antony, but I turn to ‘Fistful of love’ in times when feeling down is all I need.. it makes me feel warm inside even though there are tears in my eyes.

My interpretation of the song:
The main person is lying restlessly in bed, thinking about his ex-lover. She realizes how much he meant for her. So she needs to express it (through means of song).
Watching at a photograph she recalls a memory of the relationship as a whole and starts to cry. In that relationship, especially at the nearing end, she expresses her love for him (much like this song is a reprise of that moment) but she knows his feelings for her are changing, becoming less and less, there are only small hints of his love for her.
He wants to tell her he loves her, but he knows he can’t otherwise it will just be meaningless words: you can’t expect to lie when her love is so sincere. His hands become fists and he starts to get angry and emotionally aggressive, starting fights over nothing and burning away her heart (her love) for him. She finally accepts this and remembers when his love for her was sincere.

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  @axxl

General CommentI was lying in my bed last night staring
At a ceiling full of stars
When it suddenly hit me
I just have to let you know how I feel
We live together in a photograph of time
I look into your eyes
And the seas open up to me
I tell you I love you
And I always will
And I know that you can't tell me
So I'm left to pick up
The hints, the little symbols of your devotion
I feel your fists
And I know it's out of love
And I feel the whip
And I know it's out of love
I feel your burning eyes burning holes
Straight through my heart
It's out of love
I accept and I collect upon my body
The memories of your devotion



......i look into your eyes and the seas open up to me,means to me that the seas make me feel sooo small.when i look into your eyes i feel soo small.

i tell you i love you and i always will,and i know that you cant tell me,so im left to pick up the hints,the little symbols of our devotion -means to me,the abuser cant tell the other person he loves him,but he plays mindgames with the other person,and only gives them hints,and symbols.

i feel your fist and i know its out of love.-means the person being abused is trying to convince themselves its out of love.because all the effert ,and energy put into hurting the other person,must mean they love them,other wise they wouldnt waist there time on them.


i accept and collect upon my body the memories of your devotion-means to me that the memories,are pain,injuries,bruises,marks,or scars-that no matter how you try and forget,when you feel the pain or see the bruise,it reminds you of there devotion to hurt you,because to them its out of love-or so your trying to convince yourself its out of love.so the abused person accepts and collects all the pain,and marks upon there body,because they love the abuser so much,and believes that they hurt them out of love.
and pretty much accepts that.

i could be wrong about my interpretation about this song,but everything i wrote is something i felt for someone,and have been through all of that,and when i heard this song it brought back all of those feelings i once felt for someone.how much i loved them,and how much i wanted to believe that all the pain they put me through was out of love.
how crazy love is/-rachel

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  @out of love

My InterpretationI always took this as a song of a child singing to or about a dead father.

I imagine a strict, uneducated, hard working father. A man who never showed any emotions to his children, because that would be considered a weakness, unmanly. A father who never seemed to be able to utter I love you, or to hug his child. This doesn't mean the father doesn't love the child, but it does leave the child thinking "..So I'm left to pick up the hints, the little symbols of your devotion."

And all the child can hold on as proof of that father's love is the disciple that child received. The "fist", the "whip", the "burning eyes."And child realizes that maybe the father never expressed his love, but the father showed his love when he disciplined his children when they did wrong. Not as an act of abuse, but whith the intention of correcting his children. Maybe because the father was uneducated, he didn't know any better way to discipline his children. once again, the "fist", the "whip", the "burning eyes."

It's a beautiful song, and I'd hate to think that there was an underlying sarcasm when Antony sings, "It's out of love." I interpret it as an adult coming to terms with his relationship with his dead father. "I accept and I collect upon my body
The memories of your devotion"

"Fistful of Love"..truly a wonderful, beautiful song.

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  @reformd5

General CommentI love this song.

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  @precipitate

General Commentthat makes two of us. I\'ll be seeing the show on may 31

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  @nope

General CommentThis is such an amazing song. Everything about it is perfect, I can't see how no one else I know gets it! =). Everything from the simple yet tragic lyrics, the brilliant steel guitar and sax jam, Antony's wonderful singing... wow. Antony should do this kinda jam more often!

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  @striderwho

General CommentMaybe it's about being fisted and dominated..

"fistful of love"

"I feel the whip"

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  @SuiSamurai