Album: East Side Story (1981)

Charted: 41 49

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• I bought a toothbrush, some toothpaste
  A flannel for my face
  Pajamas, a hairbrush
  New shoes and a case
  I said to my reflection
  "Let's get out of this place"
  
  Passed the church and the steeple
  The laundry on the hill
  Billboards and the buildings
  Memories of it still
  Keep calling and calling
  But forget it all, I know I will
  
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered
  What's been going on
  Now that you have gone
  There's no other
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered
  
  I'm at the car park, the airport
  The baggage carousel
  (The people keep on grindin')
  Ain't wishing I was well
  I said it's no occasion
  (It's no story I could tell)
  
  At my bedside empty pocket
  A foot without a sock
  Your body gets much closer
  I fumble for the clock
  Alarmed by the seduction
  I wish that it would stop
  
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered
  What's been going on
  Now that you have gone
  There's no other
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered
  
  I bought a novel, some perfume
  A fortune all for you
  But it's not my conscience
  That hates to be untrue
  I asked of my reflection
  Tell me what is there to do?
  
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered
  What's been going on
  Now that you have gone
  There's no other
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered
  
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered
  
  Tempted by the fruit of another
  Tempted but the truth is discovered Writer/s: Christopher Difford, Glenn Tilbrook
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 50

• Nomad from TexasI think Jelly Bean got it right.
• Rockhead from Austin TxIf you research the phrase "foot without a sock" it's an English slang phrase referring to a man that is looking for a sock to slide his foot into or more bluntly,
  
  From urban dictionary...
  
  "A foot without a sock is a man who is constantly looking to have sex with someone. In other words, a man-slut. It is called being a foot without a sock becuase the man always needs something to stick himself in.
  Dan: Man, it's weird that Steve has had sex with the hottest girl on the planet, and now hes going after
  
  Sharon, and shes like a 4 out of 10!
  
  Bob: Dude, hes just a foot without a sock."
• Ken Hensley from California'Tempted' just bleeds soul. I can't believe it was not a number 1 pop hit in the United States. Even Joe Cocker covered it.
• Alby from Paris, FranceWhat's with the two people here identifying "a foot without a sock" as a gay thing? That's not interpretation, that's projection.
• Jellybean from AlabamaMy interpretation is that the tempted part has double meaning. the man has been cheated on by his girlfriend/wife and he's left her. So she was the first to be tempted. He buys a suitcase, toothbrush, face cloth, etc. for a trip to get away and start over. He then meets someone new and is tempted but feels like he's betraying the ex because he realizes 'there's no other'. So he buys her some gifts to try to win her back because now he realizes that they've both been tempted but he still wants to be with her.
• Ann Bones from HonoluluIt's about a man in a heterosexual marriage or domestic relationship who is tempted by the fruit of another, sexually speaking, by a gay man (one sock off the foot in bed) and the truth that's discovered is that he is gay. He is leaving his old heterosexual life and memories, which he is sure he will forget, and moving into his new life, his new gay life.
• Joe from 49417@Richie from Tx: Holy crud, you're REALLY REACHING (projecting)! Your inclination to associate such disparate images as "foot without a sock" to "close proximity to naked guy" shows where your head's at.
• Paul from Columbus OhI read the other comments and feel that he and his sweetheart are doing well until he is tempted by the fruit of another woman. She finds out and they part ways when he made the mistake (there’s no other). I had a race car and didn’t want to commit to a marriage. We parted ways and I realized it was too late but I made the choice. Stupid is as stupid does..sound familiar? Remember that the other may not be a friend for life. Many of us have been tempted and maybe our parents were right.
• Roi Rouge from UsaTo Geo From Chicago: what we call a washcloth (for the face) is called a flannel by Brits.
• Kathy from BostonI always thought it was about a dude leaving the house/apt he shared with his girlfriend after he got caught cheating and she left him. He buys a bunch of stuff to start anew and then observes the passing sights from the cab driving him to the airport. "Forget it all, I know I will" is him telling himself he will get over it, eventually. He was "tempted" by another woman, loses his girlfriend because of it, and now he realizes "what was going on" - that he truly loves the one he lost. I always took the whole "body gets much closer / fumble for the clock / alarmed by" as being a dream (and a cool play on words). He is having a sexy dream about the girlfriend, and then is woken up by the alarm clock - it surprises him that he still dreams about her and he wishes he would stop. The "but it's not my conscience that hates to be untrue" may be that it isn't his guilt that makes him wish he didn't cheat (and therefore lose his girlfriend) but rather the fact that he lost her. His heart/mind hates to be untrue because of the consequences, not necessarily the actions (which would be guilt/conscience). Great song!
• Karen from TexasDustin, The movie is Yhe Wilde Wedding with Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Patrick Stewart.
• Dustin Williams from FloridaThere was a movie that ends in a wedding scene and the family starts all singing this son TEMPTED but I can’t for the life of me remember what movie it was...if anyone knows please tell me!
• Geo from ChicagoWhat is meant by “a flannel for my face” ?
• Bummer from UsaI've always wondered and still do to this day who and or what the names of the women dancing in the background are? they are smoking HOT!! I hope some one knows??
• Rob Disner from AtlantaAlways wonder about the muted “toothbrush” line that you hear before the first verse. It’s almost like Carrack came in too soon during one of the takes, and they tried to erase it but it didn’t fully go away.
• Kate from DelawareI have always thought it was about I fidelity. He was tempted by another woman, but he was caught. Tempted by the fruit of another (Eve offering the apple to Adam), Tempt but the truth is discovered".
  
  I bought a novel, some perfume
  A fortune all for you
  But it's not my conscience
  That hates to be untrue
  I asked of my reflection
  Tell me what is there to do?
  
  He bought girlfriend/wife gifts because he feels guilty for being unfaithful.
  
  "There's no other" I have taken that he ended the affair, and he won't cheat again.
  
  Of course, this is just my opinion, but it makes more sense than anything with homosexuality.
• Anthony from New York, NyThing is I don't believe this song is about homosexuality in the least & I think it's a stretch for those of you who believe so to read that into the song. "Your body gets much closer I fumble for the clock" is just referring to the person (most likely a lady) that he's in bed with. It's not speaking of a man I believe.
  
  Also the lyric "Tempted by the fruit of another" is simply meant to mean lust basically. The basic attraction men or women have for one another, in this case man to woman. "Tempted-by-the fruit-of-another" Tempted by someone's good looks, their body, etc. In the case of a man + woman, her face, her breast, her backside, he natural assets, "the fruit of another" that's easy. I don't believe it's referring to a specific person, as in someone's wife or daughter or friend. It's pretty straightforward I think.
• Richie from TxTry imagining it it as a guy who has a girlfriend but has unexpectedly had a gay encounter, likes it and is now emotionally compromised. The lyric "a foot without a sock" suggests proximity with a naked guy.
• Chuck from Charlotte, NcThe version in Reality Bites is absolutely re-recorded. Carrack's vocal is different in the first line and he changes little things throughout the tune. He stays faithful to the original, but definitely makes some subtle changes. It is not a re-mix.
• Mike from Park Ridge, IlI still don't get what they mean by tempted by the fruit of another.
• Cyberpope from Richmond, CanadaThis site really is great for tweezing out an ear worm like this one that's been in my head for the past hour!
• Cyberpope from Richmond, CanadaThe obvious meaning would be to be tempted by another man's woman(or his daughter)
• Eric from Boston , MaThis is just my take: I know once i drove through a few states (from massachusetts) to try and work something out with this woman i had it for that moved back home. same time frame, i meet someone new that i started developing an interest in. the long distance attempt ended up being a disaster, and when i have back here is maturing into something. to me, this song is eerily similar to that story. 1st verse is the organization of the trip and the commute to the destination, 2nd is the anticipation/anxiety of seeing her again building, and 3rd is knowing it will end as a last hurrah instead of patching it up for the long haul. The chorus is knowing in the back of your mind that no matter what goes on with this new interest, somehow she'll still always be compared to what you had previously...
• Melissa from Windsor, CanadaI think I'm one of the many who don't totally understand this song. I love it, but I can never really tell what's going on. If it's not his conscience that hate's to be untrue, then what is it? Dones he feel like he really belongs to the woman he's not supposed to be with? And which does he ultimately choose? Which one is he talking to anyway?
• Alma from Laredo, TxOne of the best songs from our '80's soundtrack. I have always loved Paul Carrack's voice in all the rock groups he was in.
• Laura from Weymouth, MaI love this song. It works on many levels. But it's also good to finally get an explanation on the really weird lyrics. Or the lyrics of any 'Squeeze' song for that matter.
• Garry from Darlington, EnglandMatt in Walled Lake - I think what you hear as 'lesbian' is, in fact, 'what's been' as in 'what's been going on' said by Chris Difford towards the end of the song. You can see it if you take a look at the video clip.
• Matt from Walled Lake, MiThis song is about the lead singer's girlfriend who leaves him for a woman. This is verified by the subliminal whispering of "lesbian" repeatedly at the end of the song in the phrase "tempted by the fruit of another, tempted but the truth is discovered (lesbian)." It's quite suble but quite noticable if you listen for it.
• Anduarto from St.louis, MoWould be on my list of 10 best singles from the 80's
• Garry from Darlington, EnglandCraig in Melbourne - prepare to be put out of your misery...
  what you can hear towards the end of the song is Chris Difford saying 'what's been going on'.
  Check the clip out on 'youtube' - you can see for yourself.
  Garry, Darlington, England
• Tracy from Niagara Falls, OnI've often listened to this song and wondered which person has been 'discovered' cheating. Was it the singer himself who has had the truth discovered about his affair? Or was it his ex cheating? Perhaps 'there is no other' because he cannot get over the hurt of being cheated on. This song has always perplexed me...it could go either way. Either way, a great song.
• B.l. from Barry, TxMy favorite Squeeze tune, and a great job by a great singer, Carrack.
• Michaela from Usa, NyAwesome song! Thunbs up!
• Matt from Maryland, LaSounds like a Hall and Oats song to me,but I liked the song by Squeeze.
• Steven from Vancouver, WaThe beginning of this song sounds like it was stolen by "Hand Me Down World" by The Guess Who.
• Luke from Manchester, EnglandCool For Cats is possibly Squeeze's best known song
• Luke from Manchester, EnglandThe chorus isn't "lover" it's "tempted by the fruit of another, tempted but the truth is discovered. What's been going on now that you have gone. There's no other, tempted by the fruits of another..."
• Billy from Albany, Nywhat the hell does lipzeg mean??
• Craig from Melbourne, AustraliaTowards the end, after the oft repeated "Tempted by the fruits of a lover" you hear way down in the mix some one saying something. I just cant pick it up, bit it sounds like some one saying "Lipzeig" - lol - or something like that. It's driven me nuts for years!
• Nicole from Kenosha, WiThis song is in the video game Grand Theftauto Vice City, I love this song.
• Rayna from Pembroke Pines, FlI think it's a man in a relationship fantasizing about being with someone who's not his partner, but he loves his partner enough not to act on the fantasy.
• AnonymousThe version in Reality Bits is a re-mix, not a re-recording.
• Bill from Rockland, MeDirk, here's my take. A guy is in a relationship. He has an affair. He leaves his relationship for this new woman. And that ends up not working. He's now reflecting on the first relationship, and how he shouldn't have left, but now it's too late!
• Dirk from Nashville, TnSo... what is actually really transpiring in this little narrative. Is this dude headed for a rendez-vous with somebody? Or is he acting out a pathetic fantasy, checking into a hotel to meet someone, even though "there's no other"?... I never got it. "What's been going on now that you have gone? There's no other," the story goes. So then... why is he buying new pajamas and a toothbrush? Or is it a dream, suddenly interrupted by the alarm clock? And if it's a dream, why is he out moving along past the laundry on the hill?... I've been trying to get clarity on this since 1980. Somebody help me.
• Joe from Clifton, NjDifford & Tilbrook are the most underrated songwriting team in popular music -- easily.
• Nessie from Sapporo, JapanTheir best-known song, but far from their best.
• Monty from Omaha, NeThis song is on the reality bites soundtrack, it was re-recorded and is listed as Tempted '94, ethan hawke also sings a tune on the album
• Melissa from Green Bay, WiWas this also used in Reality Bites???
• Andrew from Raleigh, NcThis is probably Squeeze's most well known song.
• Vincent from Sanantonio, TxIn the US, this was used in both a Dentine Ice commercial and a GAP commercial.

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