The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Love for Sale" by the artist "Tony Bennett"

Tony Bennett's song "Love for Sale" paints a bleak portrait of prostitution, using the metaphor of love as a commodity.

The opening lines create an oppressive atmosphere of a desolate city at night, dominated by loneliness and hopelessness. The only sign of life is the "heavy tread of the heavy feet" of a policeman patrolling the empty streets. In this atmosphere of despair and indifference, she appears – a woman forced to sell her body.

"She opens up her “shop”" - this phrase bluntly describes the beginning of her working day. The metaphor of the shop emphasizes the commercial nature of what is happening, where love and intimacy become a commodity.

"Her smile turns to a grin" - this detail conveys the woman's inner state. Behind the feigned cheerfulness and flirtation lies bitterness and cynicism. She is forced to play a role to survive in this cruel world.

The chorus "Love for Sale" is repeated throughout the song like a haunting melody, emphasizing the main theme – the devaluation of love in a world ruled by money. The woman offers different kinds of love, "old love, new love, any love but true love." She has known falsehood and pretense, and her heart has hardened under the weight of circumstances.

The reference to poets is a sarcastic jab at the romanticization of love. The lyrical hero contrasts naive verses with the harsh reality where love is just a transaction.

The final lines are an invitation to a world of vice and despair. "Follow her up the stairs" is the path to a brothel, where illusions of happiness and intimacy are sold.