--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, it's either kiss me or kill me…" description: "\"Well, it's either kiss me or kill me, that's how I see it.\" — Tom Waits" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/tom-waits-916_kill_well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that_748666.jpg" --- # Well, it's either kiss me or kill me, that's how I see it. ![“Well, it's either kiss me or kill me, that's how I see it.” quote by Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/tom-waits-916_kill_well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that_748666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/tom-waits-916_kill_well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that_748666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/tom-waits-916_kill_well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that_748666.jpg) > “Well, it's either kiss me or kill me, that's how I see it.” [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker frames a relationship as an ultimatum: intimacy or destruction. **In simple terms:** Intimacy versus rejection, framed dramatically. Key Takeaway Seek balanced connection over extreme choices. Themes relationships intimacy extremes choice Mood intense dramatic Type relationship emotional When to use this quote - dating - personal boundaries - conflict Key Concepts dramatic tension binary thinking Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives exist beyond the two extremes? - How can you communicate needs without ultimatums? A Different Perspective May ignore nuanced middle ground. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss/) [Kiss me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss-me/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) ## Related quotes > [“And what if you try to kill me? Or worse: to kiss me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-panova/and-what-if-you-try-to-kill-me-or-worse-to-kiss-me/) [Simona Panova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-panova/) > [“Kiss me, or kill me, Zeke. It’s as simple as that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-m-pierce/kiss-me-or-kill-me-zeke-it-s-as-simple-as-that/) Robyn M. Pierce > [Kiss me with your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/kiss-me-with-your-eyes/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Then in the interest of full honesty, I really wish you'd kiss me right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/then-in-the-interest-of-full-honesty-i-really-wish-you-d-kiss-me/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [Hard rock for me is AC/DC, Def Leppard, Tesla, Kiss. Metal tends to be louder, ruder, darker, like Judas Priest, Slayer, Iron Maiden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-trunk/hard-rock-for-me-is-ac-dc-def-leppard-tesla-kiss-metal-tends-to-be/) [Eddie Trunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-trunk/) > [You said you'd kiss me if I lost Tank." --- "You want me to kiss you?" Oh boy. "You were happy I'd lost your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/you-said-you-d-kiss-me-if-i-lost-tank-you-want-me-to-kiss-you-oh-boy/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [I lean over and put my good ear to his lips, which tickle me as he whispers. "Remember, we're madly in love, so it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-lean-over-and-put-my-good-ear-to-his-lips-which-tickle-me-as-he/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“To kiss and to kill are similar words to eyes that focus with difficulty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-white/to-kiss-and-to-kill-are-similar-words-to-eyes-that-focus-with/) [Patrick White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-white/) > [My hopes are so high, that your kiss might kill me. So won't you kill me, so I die happy. My heart is yours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashboard-confessional/my-hopes-are-so-high-that-your-kiss-might-kill-me-so-won-t-you-kill-2/) [Dashboard Confessional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashboard-confessional/) > [“Eva, stop,' he moaned. 'A kiss from me could kill you...' 'Then it would be a good death,' I breathed, taking his face in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-shulman/eva-stop-he-moaned-a-kiss-from-me-could-kill-you-then-it-would-be-a/) Dee Shulman > [My hopes are so high, that your kiss might kill me. so won't you kill me, so I die happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-hopes-are-so-high-that-your-kiss-might-kill-me-so-won-t-you-kill/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Her kiss could kill us, and my consent signed our death certificates, selfishly and without control. (Eric)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-a-thompson/her-kiss-could-kill-us-and-my-consent-signed-our-death-certificates/) [Shannon A. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-a-thompson/) > [Love me or hate me, kiss me or kill me, darling please do something for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-me-or-hate-me-kiss-me-or-kill-me-darling-please-do-something-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My Hopes are so High that your Kiss might Kill me So wont you Kill me So I die Happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashboard-confessional/my-hopes-are-so-high-that-your-kiss-might-kill-me-so-wont-you-kill-me/) [Dashboard Confessional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashboard-confessional/) > [“She is so lovely she could kill you without you even noticing it. A monster girl who knows when to kiss and when to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-jace/she-is-so-lovely-she-could-kill-you-without-you-even-noticing-it-a/) [Cameron Jace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-jace/) ## More by Tom Waits > [Most of us have the residue of thousands of songs in our ears, that if you end up songwriting, I think you're mostly smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-us-have-the-residue-of-thousands-of-songs-in-our-ears-that-if/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Bill Hicks - blowtorch, excavator, truthsayer, and brain specialist. He will correct your vision. Others will drive on the road he built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/bill-hicks-blowtorch-excavator-truthsayer-and-brain-specialist-he/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Don't plant your days they turn into weeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/don-t-plant-your-days-they-turn-into-weeds/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“T’ain’t no sin to take off your skin, and dance around in your bones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/t-ain-t-no-sin-to-take-off-your-skin-and-dance-around-in-your-bones/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“an all time favorite: "The large print giveth, the small print taketh away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/an-all-time-favorite-the-large-print-giveth-the-small-print-taketh/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'll tell you all my secrets but I lie about my past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-ll-tell-you-all-my-secrets-but-i-lie-about-my-past/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [For a songwriter, you don't really go to songwriting school; you learn by listening to tunes. And you try to understand them and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/for-a-songwriter-you-don-t-really-go-to-songwriting-school-you-learn/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'm trying to learn how to write faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-trying-to-learn-how-to-write-faster/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-world-is-a-hellish-place-and-bad-writing-is-destroying-the/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'm always looking for sounds that are pleasing at the time. The sound of a helicopter is really annoying until you're drowning, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-always-looking-for-sounds-that-are-pleasing-at-the-time-the-sound/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-was-born-in-the-back-seat-of-a-yellow-cab-in-a-hospital-loading/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [There's not much difference between what I appear to be on stage and what I am. I think people like that, that I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-not-much-difference-between-what-i-appear-to-be-on-stage-and/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [The devil knows the Bible like the back of his hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-devil-knows-the-bible-like-the-back-of-his-hand/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I bark my voice out through a closed throat, pretty much. It's more, perhaps, like a dog in some ways. It does have its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-bark-my-voice-out-through-a-closed-throat-pretty-much-it-s-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) [Explore all 328 Tom Waits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) ## More Kill quotes > [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“If you’ve bullshitted me, angel, I’m going to kill you.” The other male rolled his eyes. “I’m already dead, idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/if-you-ve-bullshitted-me-angel-i-m-going-to-kill-you-the-other-male/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [What doesnt kill you makes you stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbly/what-doesnt-kill-you-makes-you-stronger/) Bubbly > [Curiosity Can Kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anison/curiosity-can-kill/) [Anison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anison/) > [Don't smoke. Don't kill yourselves. Don't maim yourselves. Tell your friends. Please don't smoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-eszterhas/don-t-smoke-don-t-kill-yourselves-don-t-maim-yourselves-tell-your/) [Joe Eszterhas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-eszterhas/) > [“The only ones who kill are those prepared to be killed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lelouch-vi-britannia/the-only-ones-who-kill-are-those-prepared-to-be-killed/) [Lelouch Vi Britannia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lelouch-vi-britannia/) > [Boredom is vastly underrated. Boredom means that nothing is trying to kill you every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/boredom-is-vastly-underrated-boredom-means-that-nothing-is-trying-to/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [“I’m going to kill Mr. Mysterious for this. Kill that crazy motherfucker. Why does he have to live on the edge all the time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-huss/i-m-going-to-kill-mr-mysterious-for-this-kill-that-crazy-motherfucker/) [J.A. Huss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-huss/) > [“Be that as it may, we do need you in particular to complete this assignment. (Syd) What is it with you government assholes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/be-that-as-it-may-we-do-need-you-in-particular-to-complete-this/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“I'm only one kill away from Command Assassin. Be a damn shame for that kill to be you" (Darion)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-only-one-kill-away-from-command-assassin-be-a-damn-shame-for-that/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Well, let's say you heard a fight in the boys' bathroom, and you broke it up. What would you do naturally if you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/well-let-s-say-you-heard-a-fight-in-the-boys-bathroom-and-you-broke/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [Nothing will kill what you've been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/nothing-will-kill-what-you-ve-been-called-to-do-more-than-comparing/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I imagine that in a closed, hermetic society like the mob, where everybody knows each other, it must be really, really unpleasant to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dominik/i-imagine-that-in-a-closed-hermetic-society-like-the-mob-where/) [Andrew Dominik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dominik/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Fuck, Princess. You kill me. Every damn time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarina-bowen/fuck-princess-you-kill-me-every-damn-time/) [Sarina Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarina-bowen/) Browse all 3,038 Kill quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, it's either kiss me or kill me, that's how I see it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Waits" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that-s-how-i-see-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kill" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that-s-how-i-see-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/tom-waits-916_kill_well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that_748666.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/tom-waits-916_kill_well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that_748666.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/tom-waits-916_kill_well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that_748666.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Well, it's either kiss me or kill me, that's how I see it.” — Tom Waits", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Waits", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Well, it's either kiss me or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that-s-how-i-see-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/well-it-s-either-kiss-me-or-kill-me-that-s-how-i-see-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```