Best and worst lyric changes in concert

[David]

Worst has to be a tie between:

She said, "I know you and you cannot sing."
I said, "Of course I can you silly thing!"

and:

England's a swine
And it owes me a living

He messed with two of my favorite lines there, but hey. They both sounded great actually, but the originals were perfect, IMO.

Best for me would be:

Can you tease me into an empty page of your diary
Psychologically shave me,
I have faith in you.

When he said, "I'm gonna screw you,"
I felt quite happy for you.

And lastly:

I've heard that you'll try anyone twice.

:)

[Please]

one of my favourites is:

"Someone kindly told me that you collected.... very sharp bread knives"

Don;t really like the lyric changes to 'Please please please.....'

[fortbethel]

Ok City Tormentor tour:

Suedehead: U had to sneak into my room just to play, 'Your Arsenal' The sad ol bitch can b clever when she wants to b. ;)

[Coiffeur_En_Flame]

"Get your fat ass back to the ghetto" has become something of a modern classic.

I didn't much like the Republican and Democrat line in "Irish Blood..." Not because of the symbolism, it just didn't fit very well.

Also "I entered nothing/and nobody entered me" seemed a little cheesy. We knew that was the implication anyway, no need to spell it out.

Coiff.

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

I didn't much like the Republican and Democrat line in "Irish Blood..." Not because of the symbolism, it just didn't fit very well.

I agree, only because an additional two minutes' thought would have provided him a way to carry the change on through Oliver Cromwell... I did a paper on him in 11th grade, but nobody listened while I gave it, and I don't think most American know who the hell he is. Present company excepted, of course.

[Comtesse]

I was always fond of:

To be Finnish would be a relief

And

Please depressing Belgians

I'll have to ponder on this a bit more...

[vicarinatutugal]

Worst has to be a tie between:

She said, "I know you and you cannot sing."
I said, "Of course I can you silly thing!"








I love that change. :D:D

I am not too keen on the englands a swine one. :(

[Danny]

I don't like the way he's changed Please Please to:

"For once in my life, let me get who I want"

It ruins the unversal sentiment of the song for me.

[vicarinatutugal]

I am just going to lower the tone a tad and tell you my actual fav lyric change, its when he sings "Disappointed" Morrissey changed a line to "your friends and your foes, would rather die than have to shag you instead of touch he sometimes says kiss or sleep. :p

[Comtesse]

I don't like the way he's changed Please Please to:

"For once in my life, let me get who I want"

It ruins the unversal sentiment of the song for me.

Actually, "Let me have who I want". I completely agree - it's a distressing change. Some things are sacred!

I can't seem to remember most of my faves... time to break out the bootlegs!

[robertzombie]

I've heard that you'll try anyone twice.

:)

Which song is that?

[Young And Alive]

Which song is that?

Let Me Kiss You.

Original line: "I've heard that you'll try anything twice.

[robertzombie]

ah yes :D thanks

[vivabob]

is not the best or the worst ...

but do you remember the one where he sang about his testicals .. that was funny , think it happened in newbury or somewhere

[dislocate my shoulder]

Also "I entered nothing/and nobody entered me"
Coiff.

Add "Until you came with a key Ouch! and did your best for us":rolleyes:

I prefer "in ruins" to "confused".

Good one is "I will lie down and be sat on", and "It's impossible for our flesh to combine" I take too.

[Please]

is not the best or the worst ...

but do you remember the one where he sang about his testicals .. that was funny , think it happened in newbury or somewhere

Yes that was from the live version of 'Tomorrow'
something along the lines of 'i;ve got two testicals....

[sistasheila]

Visconti is me
Magnani you'll never be

he sang at some concerts inc berlin 2006
changing too

"Visconti is me,
DIANA DORS you will always be"

i love that because my name is diana too and even he sang (of course) about a different diana i was delighted to hear him sing my name as well as the william`s and sheila`s morrissey fans in the world :-)



say my name say my name...when no one is around you....(...) you better say my name..*lol*

[jossu]

I was always fond of:

To be Finnish would be a relief

And

Please depressing Belgians

I'll have to ponder on this a bit more...

When did he sing that?:D What was the gig?

[dislocate my shoulder]

When did he sing that?:D What was the gig?

"At some point into "The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils", Morrissey jokingly sang "To be Finnish would be a relief" instead of "To be finished would be a relief", but since the joke was probably lost on most, he then sang "To be Swedish would be a relief"."
27 October 1997
Civic Arts Plaza, Thousand Oaks, CA

From Passions Just Like Mine

:D

[jossu]

"At some point into "The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils", Morrissey jokingly sang "To be Finnish would be a relief" instead of "To be finished would be a relief", but since the joke was probably lost on most, he then sang "To be Swedish would be a relief"."
27 October 1997
Civic Arts Plaza, Thousand Oaks, CA

From Passions Just Like Mine

:D

LOL!:D That's got to be one of my favourite lyric changes. I also love "Of course I can you silly thing!" and the comment he made about "I Can Have Both" and ice cream (can't remember what concert that was...)

[jeniphir]

I prefer "my whole life in ruins" vs. "whole life confused," as well. And I really dislike "Let me have who I want." Agree that singing about US politics in "Irish Blood" has never worked.

When I saw him in Boston last month he sang, "Rosselini I'd rather be," and of course I had to joke that I wondered whether he meant he'd rather be Roberto Rosselini. . .or Isabella!

--jeniphir

[Jimmybob12]

"that song is about strawberry ice cream and vanilla ice cream, it isn't about anything else."

14/2/2000 Akron, Ohio

[Tbevie]

“You’ll never see all of the SHIT in life it’s cost me” Satan rejected my soul.

[Radio Berlin]

I lost my wig in newport pagnell :p

and I like the change in please please please
and all the changes in you have killed me
(esp. and you did okay but)

Not a lyric change, but still funny:
I will die with both of my hands untied. maybe not, who knows?

[David]

I love that he changed the "tomorrow" in "Tomorrow" to "mañana," in Chile. :)

To whomever mentioned his changes in "You Have Killed Me" in Boston this summer: my favorite was "Anne Sexton I'll be." :)

[Cassius]

I liked his change in "You Have Killed Me" : "Anne Sexton...you don't even know who that is."

My friend and I also particularly loved (and laughed our asses off when we heard it!), in "I Will See You In Far Off Places" : "If George W. Bush doesn't kill you." :D

[Buzzetta]

I have always liked the live changes to "You've got everything now" concerning why he has never had a job. I thought the song was better live to begin with and the lyrical changes are also improved over the studio release.

[Comtesse]

I remember when I thought that he was singing, "You're asking for it... I want to shag it" at the end of "The More You Ignore Me..." I was so disappointed when I realized it was actually, "You're asking for it... And it you shall get".

[Maurice E]

the best recent one is;
"I still don't know what drugs are!" in the Queen is Dead. A brilliant lyric from a 48 year old international playboy!

the worst is "let me have who I want" in Please Please Please. this is a beautiful song, yes, even with the trumpet solo!
but this lyric detracts a lot from the beauty of the song and its universal theme; and it also kinda runis the mass sing along...

[Comtesse]

Oh, I just remembered one! I loved when he changed the last line of "Meat Is Murder" to, "Do you care how animals die?" Very powerful - and right to the heart of the matter.

[ihaveavauxhall]

Actually, "Let me have who I want". I completely agree - it's a distressing change. Some things are sacred!

I can't seem to remember most of my faves... time to break out the bootlegs!


Actually i really liked the change, thought it became more intense, does he change that a lot? i heard it in Manchester in December, if he changes it more than the original its almost like the "original" is the altered one :)

[Worm]

Oh, I just remembered one! I loved when he changed the last line of "Meat Is Murder" to, "Do you care how animals die?" Very powerful - and right to the heart of the matter.

Hee hee. Yes, because God knows the rest of the song is so vague and indirect. [smiley]

[Practising Troublemaker]

I like Bigmouth when he changes "Sweetness I wasn't joking when I said by rights you should be blugened in your bed".

So simple yet so good :)

[lottie]

I love the "of course i can you silly thing" its very funny.

and "vegetarians know" from at last i am born, screamed my head off with joy at this. :rolleyes:

*bless him*

[jeniphir]

Had to revive this thread to squee over my new most favouritest lyric-change. Sunday night at the Hammerstein NYC, during "Throwing my Arms Around Paris."

"In the absence of yr smiling face, I scooter all over the place."

--jeniphir

[esheh195]

Thanks for reviving the thread...I never saw this one. :)

I still love when he changed the lyrics in Hairdresser on Fire to "and when he said 'I'm gonna screw you', oh I felt quite happy for you" LOL

And though it's not really a lyric change...I enjoy when Moz throws in little comments into his songs like when he performed The Loop last week:
"I just wanna say, I haven't been away I haven't...look! I'm still right here where I actually live" :D

I really can't think of any changes I really don't like, even the change to Please, Please, Please...though I didn't like it at first, kind of grew on me.

[jeniphir]

Yes, I liked that bit about "right here where I actually live," as well. Moz comes alive on stage, no doubt.

--jeniphir

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

At the last few shows I've been to when he's played it, he's put in, "Anne Sexton you will always be" in You Have Killed Me. I can't remember exactly which variations I saw over the summer. Sometimes if you're up front you can see him scrunch up his face as he decides what to sing there... very cute.

And, yes, the scooter bit on the last Hammerstein night was very cute- I had forgotten it until I was listening to the bootleg last night.

[Ronette]

Ah!
Isnt he a wit?
With a resounding t-time.
I loved the Vegetarians know-pure number 94 genius.
'Mozalini is me' I must admit I smiled.

Honestly, he has sang these songs so many times, they must have lost meaning by now.
Poor soul. xx

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

Honestly, he has sang these songs so many times, they must have lost meaning by now.
Poor soul. xx

AH! No.... you haven't seen him live lately? I've only seen him look bored once in 11 shows this year. I can't remember which song... it was a Smiths one. And it was in NY. No, I don't think these songs have lost meaning for him. Not at all. He doesn't have to sing any one particular song, he gets to choose.

[slubacca]

"as the flames rose to her roman nose, and her ipod started to melt"

from "live at earl's court". i think the change was a bit cheeky, perhaps trying to appeal to us 'youngins'.

[jeniphir]

Joan's iPod been the standard lyric there for quite a while now. I said earlier in this thread I think it's one of the best ones. . .if he hadn't changed it, I'd have wondered if he had stopped caring. I take it as proof he's not just "singing by the numbers."

--jeniphir

[slubacca]

Joan's iPod been the standard lyric there for quite a while now. I said earlier in this thread I think it's one of the best ones. . .if he hadn't changed it, I'd have wondered if he had stopped caring. I take it as proof he's not just "singing by the numbers."

--jeniphir

terribly sorry! i didn't have enough time to read through the thread as well as i would have liked while posting that before class. and yes i do agree it shows that he hasn't stopped caring. i've only seen him once live sadly, so i was just going by the earl's court recording.

[Vauxhall95]

the best recent one is;
"I still don't know what drugs are!" in the Queen is Dead. A brilliant lyric from a 48 year old international playboy!

the worst is "let me have who I want" in Please Please Please. this is a beautiful song, yes, even with the trumpet solo!
but this lyric detracts a lot from the beauty of the song and its universal theme; and it also kinda runis the mass sing along...

Nothing unearth shattering, but I did smile when he first brought back "The Queen Is Dead" and sang the line, "...and her iPod started to melt."

I have a love hate relationship with the lyrics changes. They're mostly brilliant, but when you are singing along during the concert, and Mozzer up and changes them on you - well, it makes me very embarrassed (admittedly a personal problem).

[joey]

Two icy cold hands conducting the way
It's the Manchester blood in my veins

Probably my favourite change.


Oh, he also throws in:

That's cause I'm a
Brother I'm a
All over this town

[Amy]

"England's a swine and it owes me a living" :( funny but wounding, damn it! :p

[vivabob]

Yes that was from the live version of 'Tomorrow'
something along the lines of 'i;ve got two testicals....

that was it ... so funny

[mozmal]

"I lost my wig in Newport Pagnell" was a nice one. Can't think of any really bad one's at the moment as I'm slightly drunk - and at my age!

[joey]

I forgot to mention one of the best ones I've heard in a long time.

"There's a club if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who can even stand you
So you go and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
Oh what a big surprise!"

[Buzzetta]

Worst has to be a tie between:

She said, "I know you and you cannot sing."
I said, "Of course I can you silly thing!"

and:

England's a swine
And it owes me a living

He messed with two of my favorite lines there, but hey. They both sounded great actually, but the originals were perfect, IMO.

Best for me would be:

Can you tease me into an empty page of your diary
Psychologically shave me,
I have faith in you.

When he said, "I'm gonna screw you,"
I felt quite happy for you.

And lastly:

I've heard that you'll try anyone twice.

:)

"When America is sick to death of Republicans"
Shows more ignorance than the song Ganglord.

[Raquel]

He loves to play with this lyric in Stretch Out and Wait:

Should be:
And is there any point ever having children ?
Oh, I don't know

Instead of saying "oh, I don't know," recently he has said,
"don't be silly."
"let me think, no"
"I would say no."

He has also been asking the audience to give this lyric and usually they just say "no."

I have 2 of the versions my youtube channel if you want to check them out:)

[Corrissey]

From Earl's Court -I love this version of Nov. spawned a monster

"but Jesus made me, so he should save me from pity, sympathy and idiots discussing me...ggrrrYES, I am a freak..."
-and later-
"I am a symbol of where sex, mad lovers must always draw the line"

I think if he sang the first line in concert, he could insert the *typing fingers motion* during 'idiot's discussing me' :p

[Raquel]

He loves to play with this lyric in Stretch Out and Wait:

Should be:
And is there any point ever having children ?
Oh, I don't know

Instead of saying "oh, I don't know," recently he has said,
"don't be silly."
"let me think, no"
"I would say no."

He has also been asking the audience to give this lyric and usually they just say "no."

I have 2 of the versions my youtube channel if you want to check them out:)
As of last night's show in Atlanta, here's yet one more version:
"is there any point in ever having children? oh, I'll NEVER know."

[vicarinatutugal]

another stretch out and wait one from the recent French bootleg

Two icy-cold hands conducting the way
It's the Manchester blood in my veins

I like it.

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

As of last night's show in Atlanta, here's yet one more version:
"is there any point in ever having children? oh, I'll NEVER know."

Once (Merrillville, I think?) he sang, "Is there any point ever having puppies?"

[Girl Unafraid]

There's a club if you'd like to go,
You could meet somebody who'll actually like you :p

I love when he changes the lyrics, it's lovely to be reassured once again that he's not in autopilot :D

[nowherefast944]

HSIN? in NY.. you go and you stand on your own, and you leave on your own, what a big surprise!


i loved ALL the renditions he's done of that song live.

studio...not so much

[Corrissey]

Once (Merrillville, I think?) he sang, "Is there any point ever having puppies?"

You are correct. I'm so glad he said puppies instead of babies (cuz there IS a point :))

[CrystalGeezer]

And the point being that puppies are soft and fuzzy?

[Corrissey]

And the point being that puppies are soft and fuzzy?

I meant there's a point to having babies -also soft and fuzzy :D
Course there's a point to both, I just don't like Moz to poke fun at chitlins ;)!

[Ezy Rider]

Never seen a keener..........midfielder.........

[TrueToYou]

it isn't his song but i really liked "Cursing At The Internet."

[mozzia]

Best for me would be:

Can you tease me into an empty page of your diary
Psychologically shave me,
I have faith in you.

When he said, "I'm gonna screw you,"
I felt quite happy for you.


Have to agree with the Hairdresser On Fire changes being the best. I can't listen to it in its original form, without thinking of the other lyrics and smiling. Though i seem to remember the '' I really felt for you'' line being replaced by ''i felt quite SORRY for you''...must've been a different recording, or maybe I'm wrong...either way, i like it. :cool: