'Twas not my lips you kissed
But my soul
About This Quote
Interpretation
The line contrasts physical intimacy with a deeper, spiritual or emotional connection. By insisting that the kiss reached her “soul,” the speaker elevates the act from mere sensual contact to an encounter with her inner self—suggesting recognition, vulnerability, and a kind of love that feels transformative. The archaic contraction “’Twas” gives the sentiment a lyrical, almost poetic register, as if the speaker is quoting or performing a heightened romantic truth rather than speaking casually. In a Garland attribution, the appeal may lie in her public association with torch songs and emotionally direct performance, but the meaning stands independently as a declaration that true affection is measured by depth of feeling, not by physical gesture alone.




