its one of my favorite songs... yet i dont quite understand it. i asked in the song meanings thread but nobody answered me. could someone explain it to me please?

Morris and Jerome were the thieves trying to steal Aura from Prince in Grafitti Bridge.

I like to think that this was Prince's response against AIDS ...

of course, I could be wrong...

Possible response to being dumped by Kim Bassinger cuz she deemed him untrustworthy? Inquiring minds want to know.

ufoclub said:

Possible response to being dumped by Kim Bassinger cuz she deemed him untrustworthy? Inquiring minds want to know.

Jack Nicholson was hotter...

It's been a long while since I've read the Bible story, so maybe someone else can better explain the story. But basically the "thieves in the temple" were supposedly holy men selling selling doves in the temple. Jesus was angry about it (I can't remember if it was because they were ripping people off or if he was just mad that commerce was going on in a holy place, or maybe both), and he overturned their tables and chastised them.

I think the analogy in the song is that Prince has a pure love for someone and it's sacred (so it's the temple in this case), and that pure place is being disrepected. The disrepect could be either something that has gone on in Prince's real life or it could be in reference to the plot of the movie.

That's my take on the song's meaning.

First, to make the song better is to not to think of it as being a personal experience that happened to Prince but to anyone who can relate it to their own life.

The song is about someone stealing your signigicant other, plain ansd simple.

They would be the theives in the temple of love, quite lyrically brilliant actually.

CHORUS:
Love - come quick
Love - come in a hurry
There are thieves in the temple 2night

They don't care where they kick
Just as long as they hurt U
There are thieves in the temple 2night
Love - if U're there come save me
From all this cold despair
I can hang when U're around
But I'll surely die if U're not there

CHORUS

I feel like they're looking 4 my soul (Soul)
Like a poor man looking for gold (Gold)
There are thieves in the temple 2night
Voices from the sky say rely on your best friend 2 pull U through
But even if I wanted 2 I couldn't really truly cuz my only friend is U
Come on
There are thieves in the temple 2night

Kicking me in my heart
Tearing me all apart (Tearing me, tearing me, tearing me all apart)
Cuz me and U could have been a work of art
Thieves in the temple
Baby, don't U know I'm holding on the best that I can
Love - please help me be the better man
Better than the thieves in the temple, in the temple 2night
Oh, thieves in the temple (2night) 2night
Hurt me

CHORUS (Thieves in the temple) {x4}
U said U loved me!
U said I was your baby!
U was supposed 2 take care of me! (Love - come quick)
U lied! (Love - come in a hurry)
Lied! Lied!
Thieves in the temple 2night
Lied!

Its a prayer for salvation.

JoeTyler said:

ufoclub said:

Possible response to being dumped by Kim Bassinger cuz she deemed him untrustworthy? Inquiring minds want to know.

Jack Nicholson was hotter...

You know, I wasn't even kidding. It was a big drama at Paisley Park when she broke up with him (she had even been lined up to be in the movie "Graffiti Bridge"), and after they broke up, up comes this song.

blueautumn said:

First, to make the song better is to not to think of it as being a personal experience that happened to Prince but to anyone who can relate it to their own life.

The song is about someone stealing your signigicant other, plain ansd simple.

They would be the theives in the temple of love, quite lyrically brilliant actually.

thats exactly what i thought... lol except, i couldnt put it into words to say so :]

but i wasnt sure because its prince. it could mean anything.

blueautumn said:

Voices from the sky say rely on your best friend 2 pull U through
But even if I wanted 2 I couldn't really truly cuz my only friend is U

that is SUCH a good bit in the song. and that whole extended version

put ur foot on the rock, let me show u how 2 clock

prince doesn't make 'm like that anymore

IstenSzek said:

blueautumn said:

Voices from the sky say rely on your best friend 2 pull U through
But even if I wanted 2 I couldn't really truly cuz my only friend is U

that is SUCH a good bit in the song. and that whole extended version

put ur foot on the rock, let me show u how 2 clock

prince doesn't make 'm like that anymore

youre right, unfortunately

interesting....

seems that Prince created his best songs when he was in love or broken hearted.

when the last time he was in love?

And why Kim B.? She looks so different than the rest of his women? why do they broke up?

Bria needs to dumb his ass so he can make an album with good songs.

IstenSzek said:

blueautumn said:

Voices from the sky say rely on your best friend 2 pull U through
But even if I wanted 2 I couldn't really truly cuz my only friend is U

that is SUCH a good bit in the song.

yes. one random line in one of a hundred random Prince songs that can just gut you if you've ever felt that way.

irinact said:

interesting....

seems that Prince created his best songs when he was in love or broken hearted.

when the last time he was in love?

And why Kim B.? She looks so different than the rest of his women? why do they broke up?

Supposedly like most all rock stars he was cheating on her! This is all hearsay, but's its what I gleemed from gossip. You weren't supposed to mention her name at PP or he would get in a bad mood.

I think they're friendly now. He offered to help her financially when she was getting in a bit of trouble, and of course all the Alec Baldwin recordings she leaked completely took the spotlight now.

Kind of like the Mel Gibson recordings, although those take it to a new level!

ufoclub said:

irinact said:

interesting....

seems that Prince created his best songs when he was in love or broken hearted.

when the last time he was in love?

And why Kim B.? She looks so different than the rest of his women? why do they broke up?

Supposedly like most all rock stars he was cheating on her! This is all hearsay, but's its what I gleemed from gossip. You weren't supposed to mention her name at PP or he would get in a bad mood.

I think they're friendly now. He offered to help her financially when she was getting in a bit of trouble, and of course all the Alec Baldwin recordings she leaked completely took the spotlight now.

Kind of like the Mel Gibson recordings, although those take it to a new level!

thank you for answering.

Wow, I didn't know that Prince was offering to help to Kim B. when she was in trouble. That says it all, he probably is very caring person deep inside.

And of course he is sensitive but probably shows his sensitiveness trough his songs only.

His mean image he puts up for people so they won't take any advantage of him or hurt him, IMO.

.

[Edited 2/6/11 17:00pm]

Efan said:

It's been a long while since I've read the Bible story, so maybe someone else can better explain the story. But basically the "thieves in the temple" were supposedly holy men selling selling doves in the temple. Jesus was angry about it (I can't remember if it was because they were ripping people off or if he was just mad that commerce was going on in a holy place, or maybe both), and he overturned their tables and chastised them.

I think the analogy in the song is that Prince has a pure love for someone and it's sacred (so it's the temple in this case), and that pure place is being disrepected. The disrepect could be either something that has gone on in Prince's real life or it could be in reference to the plot of the movie.

That's my take on the song's meaning.

[Edited 2/6/11 17:30pm]

I always throught the lyrics were straight forward.

Somone (kim) has left him and he is mentally fighting getting angry and bitter. end of.

He even refers to it as a song he wrote in anger.

It works particulary well with the 12" lyrics.

IstenSzek said:

blueautumn said:

Voices from the sky say rely on your best friend 2 pull U through
But even if I wanted 2 I couldn't really truly cuz my only friend is U

that is SUCH a good bit in the song. and that whole extended version

I agree!! This is my favorite lyric in the song..

Is the "Best Friend" he speaks of God, or the woman that got taken away from him? love that duality! Either way it works and is a beautiful sentiment which ever way you look at it.

that line also always reminds me of that other superb lyric:

would u run 2 me if somebody hurt u

even if that somebody was me?

I thought it was a song about his heart (and affections). Kim left him, and he was sad because he felt she took something from him (her lady parts) so he has to sing about how he feels betrayed because he felt attached to her.

but as for the movie, morris and jerome are the thieves stealing aura from prince.

rap said:

From my understanding it was about engineers pilfering from the vault.