The woe of The Smiths, and Morrisseys love of the word 'die'

K

kitten

Guest
How many smiths songs mention or reference death? With the help of http://www.compsoc.man.ac.uk/~moz/

A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours '..ghost of troubled joe, hung by his pretty white neck..'=death

Accept Yourself (says 'life')

Ask (says 'life') although 'the bomb' bringing them together is ominous. Hmm maybe =death

Asleep ..the whole song('don't try to wake me in the morning 'cos I will be gone' 'there is a better world, well there must be').=death

Back To The Old House no death! woot!

Barbarism Begins At Home no death! But is about violence, which could lead to death. Tenuous link, I know.

Bigmouth Strikes Again 'bludgeoned in your bed'? 'flames rose to roman nose'? sureley could only be about death

Boy With The Thorn In His Side, The 'murderous' desire for love.=death

Cemetry Gates cemetary! =death

Death At One's Elbow title and stuff about slipping on trails of sad remains...=death

Death Of A Disco Dancer ..title and lyrics. =death

Draize Train, The instrumental! I'm sure marr was playing some death-like chords, however,

Frankly Mr. Shankly no death!

Girl Afraid ah, no death again.

Girlfriend In A Coma coma! hello! =death (also includes'murdered' and 'last goodbyes')

Golden Lights a cover, so the lack of death totally doesn't count!

Half A Person (says 'life')

Hand In Glove no death.

Handsome Devil well, this is about sex, so it couldn't possibly mention death, that would be morbid. (says 'life')

Hand That Rocks The Cradle, The . 'blood on the cleaver' 'rattle my bones all over the stones' =death

Headmaster Ritual, The 'give up life as a bad mistake' =death

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now no death.

How Soon Is Now ? 'go home and you cry and you want to die' ( I didn't even have to check the website for this one!) =death

I Don't Owe You Anything a distinct lack of death.

I Keep Mine Hidden 'war'? Hm, no death really.

I Know It's Over 'mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head', anyone? =death

I Started Something I Couldn't Finish no death. I'm disappointed in you, Smiths!

I Want The One I Can't Have 'killed a policeman when he was thirteen' =death

I Won't Share You 'life tends to come and go'? no death.

Is It Really So Strange ? stuff about getting confused and killing horses and nuns.=death

Jeane 'when you know it's a grave' =death

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me no death.

London 'grieving' ( but because someone went away, not died)

Meat Is Murder whole song! ('death for no reason is murder') =death

Miserable Lie (says ' life')

Money Changes Everything instrumental.

Never Had No One Ever no death.

Nowhere Fast 'I think about life, and I think about death', 'I'd lie down and die' =death

Oscillate Wildly instrumental.

Paint A Vulgar Picture 'at their hands a dead star'=death

Panic 'hang the DJ' =death

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (says 'life')

Pretty Girls Make Graves graves!=death

Queen Is Dead, The title! 'these are the things that kill me' 'her very lowness with her head in a sling'=death

Reel Around The Fountain no death.(see 'handsome devil' comment)

Rubber Ring 'smother me mother'=death

Rusholme Ruffians 'stabbed' 'how quickly would I die' =death

Shakespeare's Sister 'and the rocks below say, throw your skinny body down son!' =death

Sheila Take A Bow no death ( this is their happiest song next to this charming man, incidentally)

Shoplifters Of The World Unite no death.(except 'plans for a future war'
and 'alabaster crashes down'). Wait, ' a heartless hand on my shoulder, a push- and it's over' ..this about death too!= death

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others no death.

Still Ill 'ask me why, and I'll die' =death

Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before 'last ten seconds of life' 'mass murder' =death

Stretch Out And Wait 'will the world end in the night/daytime?' =death

Suffer Little Children whole song ('we may be dead and we may be gone') =death

Sweet And Tender Hooligan 'old and would have died' 'midst of life we are in death' =death

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore 'their only desire is to die' 'die with a smile on my face' =death

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out '...double decker bus, crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die' =death

These Things Take Time no death.

This Charming Man (says 'life')

This Night Has Opened My Eyes none(unless immersing the babys head is drowning it, which I don't think it is)

Unhappy Birthday 'kill my dog' 'should die' =death

Unloveable says 'life', and ' I don't have much in my life, but take it it's yours' . But doesn't mean take his life!

Vicar In A Tutu (says 'life')

Well I Wonder 'gasping, dying, but somehow still alive' =death

What Difference Does It Make ? 'leap in front of a flying bullet for you' =death

What She Said 'how come someone hasn't noticed that I'm dead, and decided to bury me' 'hoping for an early death' =death

William, It Was Really Nothing no death, but 'everybodys got to live their life and god knows I've got to live mine'

Wonderful Woman no death,( and not in the earlier 'what do you see in him' version either)

Work Is A Four Letter Word cover, and no death( it was a cilla black song, of course there wouldn't be any!)

You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby no death.

You've Got Everything Now (says 'life')

so out of 72 songs, 36 mention death in some way. Interesting.
Comments? Did I miss any songs/death references?

I have an idea. Someone with even more free time than I do, should cut all the death-related parts out of the songs and mash them together in a super-deathly smiths spectacular. It would sureley be the most suicidal song ever created!

ps: I do actually like them+morrissey.
 
You actually spent time doing this!! Sad!! (gravely so) = death
 
heh, I cant believe I spent time doing it either!

I was actually curious of the ratio of death vs non-death songs though.:p
 
> How many smiths songs mention or reference death? With the help of
> http://www.compsoc.man.ac.uk/~moz/ A Rush And A Push And The Land Is
> Ours '..ghost of troubled joe, hung by his pretty white neck..'= death
> Accept Yourself (says 'life')

> Ask (says 'life') although 'the bomb' bringing them together is ominous.
> Hmm maybe = death Asleep ..the whole song('don't try to wake me in the
> morning 'cos I will be gone' 'there is a better world, well there must
> be').= death Back To The Old House no death! woot!

> Barbarism Begins At Home no death! But is about violence, which could
> lead to death. Tenuous link, I know.

> Bigmouth Strikes Again 'bludgeoned in your bed'? 'flames rose to roman
> nose'? sureley could only be about death Boy With The Thorn In His
> Side, The 'murderous' desire for love.= death Cemetry Gates cemetary!
> = death Death At One's Elbow title and stuff about slipping on trails
> of sad remains...= death Death Of A Disco Dancer ..title and lyrics. =
> death Draize Train, The instrumental! I'm sure marr was playing some
> death-like chords, however,

> Frankly Mr. Shankly no death!

> Girl Afraid ah, no death again.

> Girlfriend In A Coma coma! hello! = death (also includes'murdered' and
> 'last goodbyes')

> Golden Lights a cover, so the lack of death totally doesn't count!

> Half A Person (says 'life')

> Hand In Glove no death.

> Handsome Devil well, this is about sex, so it couldn't possibly mention
> death, that would be morbid. (says 'life')

> Hand That Rocks The Cradle, The . 'blood on the cleaver' 'rattle my
> bones all over the stones' = death Headmaster Ritual, The 'give up life
> as a bad mistake' = death Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now no death.

> How Soon Is Now ? 'go home and you cry and you want to die' ( I didn't
> even have to check the website for this one!) = death I Don't Owe You
> Anything a distinct lack of death.

> I Keep Mine Hidden 'war'? Hm, no death really.

> I Know It's Over 'mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head',
> anyone? = death I Started Something I Couldn't Finish no death. I'm
> disappointed in you, Smiths!

> I Want The One I Can't Have 'killed a policeman when he was thirteen' =
> death I Won't Share You 'life tends to come and go'? no death.

> Is It Really So Strange ? stuff about getting confused and killing
> horses and nuns.= death Jeane 'when you know it's a grave' = death
> Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me no death.

> London 'grieving' ( but because someone went away, not died)

> Meat Is Murder whole song! ('death for no reason is murder') = death
> Miserable Lie (says ' life')

> Money Changes Everything instrumental.

> Never Had No One Ever no death.

> Nowhere Fast 'I think about life, and I think about death', 'I'd lie
> down and die' = death Oscillate Wildly instrumental.

> Paint A Vulgar Picture 'at their hands a dead star'= death Panic
> 'hang the DJ' = death Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
> (says 'life')

> Pretty Girls Make Graves graves!= death Queen Is Dead, The title!
> 'these are the things that kill me' 'her very lowness with her head in a
> sling'= death Reel Around The Fountain no death.(see 'handsome devil'
> comment)

> Rubber Ring 'smother me mother'= death Rusholme Ruffians 'stabbed'
> 'how quickly would I die' = death Shakespeare's Sister 'and the rocks
> below say, throw your skinny body down son!' = death Sheila Take A Bow
> no death ( this is their happiest song next to this charming man,
> incidentally)

> Shoplifters Of The World Unite no death.(except 'plans for a future war'
> and 'alabaster crashes down'). Wait, ' a heartless hand on my shoulder, a
> push- and it's over' ..this about death too!= death Some Girls Are
> Bigger Than Others no death.

> Still Ill 'ask me why, and I'll die' = death Stop Me If You Think
> You've Heard This One Before 'last ten seconds of life' 'mass murder' =
> death Stretch Out And Wait 'will the world end in the night/daytime?' =
> death Suffer Little Children whole song ('we may be dead and we may be
> gone') = death Sweet And Tender Hooligan 'old and would have died'
> 'midst of life we are in death' = death That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
> 'their only desire is to die' 'die with a smile on my face' = death
> There Is A Light That Never Goes Out '...double decker bus, crashes into
> us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die' = death These
> Things Take Time no death.

> This Charming Man (says 'life')

> This Night Has Opened My Eyes none(unless immersing the babys head is
> drowning it, which I don't think it is)

> Unhappy Birthday 'kill my dog' 'should die' = death Unloveable says
> 'life', and ' I don't have much in my life, but take it it's yours' . But
> doesn't mean take his life!

> Vicar In A Tutu (says 'life')

> Well I Wonder 'gasping, dying, but somehow still alive' = death What
> Difference Does It Make ? 'leap in front of a flying bullet for you' =
> death What She Said 'how come someone hasn't noticed that I'm dead, and
> decided to bury me' 'hoping for an early death' = death William, It Was
> Really Nothing no death, but 'everybodys got to live their life and god
> knows I've got to live mine'

> Wonderful Woman no death,( and not in the earlier 'what do you see in
> him' version either)

> Work Is A Four Letter Word cover, and no death( it was a cilla black
> song, of course there wouldn't be any!)

> You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby no death.

> You've Got Everything Now (says 'life')

> so out of 72 songs, 36 mention death in some way. Interesting.
> Comments? Did I miss any songs/death references?

> I have an idea. Someone with even more free time than I do, should cut all
> the death-related parts out of the songs and mash them together in a
> super-deathly smiths spectacular. It would sureley be the most suicidal
> song ever created!

> ps: I do actually like them+morrissey.

impressive.
do you know, Kitten off big brother is a smiths fan. are you her?
 
> impressive.
> do you know, Kitten off big brother is a smiths fan. are you her?

Is she? No, I'm not her, I'm sure she has better things to do (like hiding from the media, and being pseudo-rebellious)
 
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