I went in the desert
I went searching for the truth
I stumbled across you
And I know you're not the truth
I went in the ocean
I went looking for some love
All I found is that I found
I haven't found enough
I stand alone now
I stand alone
Can you save me from myself
You are my temptation
You are my temptation
To do what I know is
You are my temptation
You are my temptation
To do what I knew is wrong
What I knew is wrong
Is you
I stand alone now
I stand alone
Can you save me from myself
Oh please
They've been killing children
And nobody seems to care
They've been laughing at my god
My god I wouldn't dare
You are my temptation


Lyrics submitted by nonemoreblack

Temptation Lyrics as written by O. Leiber D. Gamson

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Temptation song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

6 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this annother song about about love and self-destruction. The person in the song loves annother person who has completly lost it...the singer still cares about the world, seeks truth and compassion but feels the temptation to give up and self-destruct.

    soapyon November 16, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I personally think this is about a man falling in love with -someone- (not necessarily gay)... in which this pairing is concidered 'wrong' by society.

    being gay and reading these lyrics and listening to the song, these not a doupt in my mind lol my biggest clue that it could be gay?

    "They've been killing children And nobody seems to care They've been laughing at my God My God, I wouldn't dare"

    They've been killing children - teaching childeren that this is morally wrong.

    They've been laughing at my God My God, I wouldn't dare - in my opinion this doesn't necesarily mean God, rather then his being as a whole. Basically he's comming to terms with people automatically hating him for this.

    Kitsune_Tokkanon September 09, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    now that I think of it...

    "I stand alone now/I stand alone" doesn't refer to him not having anyone, rather then being seperated from society...

    The first 2, and especually the second 'paragraphs' (for lack of my brain thinking ATM) are saying that he's found someone, fallen in love with the person, and is observing himself like in;
    "I stumbled across you and I Know you're not the truth" and "All I found is that I found I haven't found enough"

    and knowing that, the large portion of the song is self-explanitory.

    Kitsune_Tokkanon September 09, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    They've been killing children And nobody seems to care They've been laughing at my God My God, I wouldn't dare You are my temptation.....

    Combined with the chanting....Is powerful, to me anyways. Very powerful.

    Faaip De Oiadon December 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I have listened to this song a million times, and always assumed he was talking about someone who was out of bounds to love, but now that I read the lyrics again, it looks like The Last Temptation of Christ. Wandering through the desert, disrespect for a God-figure, Romans killing children. I am so not religious, but it almost seems scarily evident.

    emilybtayon April 30, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hmmm....The previous comment is interesting by emilybtay. Following in the same vein, what about this? The temptation could be god, or a different god at least. What he knows is wrong is to believe, or the temptation could be satan. But you may very well be correct.

    Androgyneon April 30, 2013   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.