Does Morrissey write all of his own lyrics?

Hmmmm

Talent borrows, genius steals.

Unfortunately both sites The Arcane of Old Wordrobe and Cemetry Gates which list the lyrics sources are unable to access for some reasons.

The first Smiths album, Morrissey heavily plagiarised from A Taste of Honey and By Grand Central I Sat Down and Wept.

If you have spare time you should read
http://passionsjustlikemine.com/influence-liter.htm

When some people spotted familiar words normally they post a thread in here. ;)
 
Re: Hmmmm

Talent borrows, genius steals.

Unfortunately both sites The Arcane of Old Wordrobe and Cemetry Gates which list the lyrics sources are unable to access for some reasons.

The first Smiths album, Morrissey heavily plagiarised from A Taste of Honey and By Grand Central I Sat Down and Wept.

If you have spare time you should read
http://passionsjustlikemine.com/influence-liter.htm

When some people spotted familiar words normally they post a thread in here. ;)

I seriously doubt he actively plagiarized them. The brain is funny sometimes, especially when it goes into mockingbird mode which I suspect Morrissey's does. I was recently a juror in a trial and I found that in my everyday conversation I started using words like "reasonable doubt" and "malice." Or after I watch a movie I unknowingly pull quotes from it. I'm just saying maybe his brain is wired like that since he uses it as a tool to solve other problems. Hard to explain.
 
Re: Hmmmm

I seriously doubt he actively plagiarized them. The brain is funny sometimes, especially when it goes into mockingbird mode which I suspect Morrissey's does. I was recently a juror in a trial and I found that in my everyday conversation I started using words like "reasonable doubt" and "malice." Or after I watch a movie I unknowingly pull quotes from it. I'm just saying maybe his brain is wired like that since he uses it as a tool to solve other problems. Hard to explain.


After reading the books (and watching the film) many times, when Morrissey was writitng lyrics these words came out uncontiously.

Discovering some lyrics were taken from A Taste of Honey, still it didn't tarnish Morrissey's originarity.
 
Re: Hmmmm

After reading the books (and watching the film) many times, when Morrissey was writitng lyrics these words came out uncontiously.

Discovering some lyrics were taken from A Taste of Honey, still it didn't tarnish Morrissey's originarity.

Exactly. :)
 
It's hard to explain. I think it means that a genius can steal an idea and make it their own, whereas someone with mere talent eventually has to acknowledge the real owner and give back the credit.

The genius can make something brand new with someone elses idea.

Does that make sense?
 
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I think that there is a way to consciously use other people's work without plagiarizing it. You could look at it as an homage or a tribute or even "based on etc etc", though I think that usually means citing the source.

The way that Morrissey does it is risky because he could be and has been "caught" and, for me initially, it was disappointing seeing lines that I think are brilliant revealed to be someone else's work.

But then as I understand it, postmodern art is all about context and situations. He does make those words his own and I'm not sure that it is the artist's job to do the critic's or the listener's work and add the footnotes and annotations. That's for scholars and researchers.

I don't think that Morrissey accidentally or unconsciously used others work. I'd say it was completely intentional. So then you have to decide for yourself the intentions. I do think it's artistic and not some sort of desperation or thievery. Certainly the things he took he "stole".
 
His new guitarist likes to steal riffs from The Sex Pistols.
 
Re: Hmmmm

Talent borrows, genius steals.

Unfortunately both sites The Arcane of Old Wordrobe and Cemetry Gates which list the lyrics sources are unable to access for some reasons.

The first Smiths album, Morrissey heavily plagiarised from A Taste of Honey and By Grand Central I Sat Down and Wept.

If you have spare time you should read
http://passionsjustlikemine.com/influence-liter.htm

When some people spotted familiar words normally they post a thread in here. ;)

I would like to add there are some lyric sources on ppt.com

http://prettypettythieves.com/moz/sourcessolo.htm

http://prettypettythieves.com/moz/sourcessmiths.htm

good stuff :)
 
Re: Hmmmm

someone explain this quote. i can't seem to understand the meaning. how do you return what you borrowed?

If you credit the person that's borrowing.
If you call it your own it is stealing.

Talent borrows. Genius steals.
 
Re: Hmmmm

Around the time Quarry came out Morrissey mentioned not taking from his influences like he used to.

I do think it is deliberate that he writes the things he does. There are WAY too many instances. However, he often rewrites things and turns the ordinary into something poetic and that is the real beauty of it.

I even see it in things like his cover songs. That's Entertainment just flows much better the way he played it compared to The Jam's version which seems lyrically sloppy.
 
Re: Hmmmm

Talent borrows, genius steals.

Unfortunately both sites The Arcane of Old Wordrobe and Cemetry Gates which list the lyrics sources are unable to access for some reasons.

The first Smiths album, Morrissey heavily plagiarised from A Taste of Honey and By Grand Central I Sat Down and Wept.

If you have spare time you should read
http://passionsjustlikemine.com/influence-liter.htm

When some people spotted familiar words normally they post a thread in here. ;)

the arcane websites
i saved it to my computer:
http://www.morrissey-solo.com/articles/03/06/29/1710243.shtml
IMAET also has lyric sources
 
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It's hard to explain. I think it means that a genius can steal an idea and make it their own, whereas someone with mere talent eventually has to acknowledge the real owner and give back the credit.

The genius can make something brand new with someone elses idea.

Does that make sense?

If you credit the person that's borrowing.
If you call it your own it is stealing.

Talent borrows. Genius steals.

thank you all. good.
 
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