It's Hard To Walk Tall When Youre Small

[vaca peluda]

he says both doesn't he?

Ringo the Gringo? Well, Ringo Star was on Loose Women on Monday and he's turned into an American.

Something says for me, personally, that this song isn't addressed to Joyce.

 

[Will_Never_Marry]

Well, Ringo Star was on Loose Women on Monday and he's turned into an American.

Yes I thought that too, I was wondering where the real Ringo was.

Back to the song, I used to think he was saying Ringo then I thought he was saying gringo which means white person. But then Ringo Starr is quite short so....

 

[bored]

Yes I thought that too, I was wondering where the real Ringo was.

Back to the song, I used to think he was saying Ringo then I thought he was saying gringo which means white person. But then Ringo Starr is quite short so....

He says Ringo the first 2 times and gringo the last time.
In the BBC Session he says gringo all three times.

I think Ringo is just a metaphor for Mike Joyce as they are both drummers.

 

[Maurice E]

Ringo, Gringo, Mike Joyce... who cares?
It's a flipping great song!
Sharp, melodic, playful, upbeat - it's head and shoulders above most of his 2st century stuff ...

 

[Maurice E]

Ringo, Gringo, Mike Joyce... who cares?
It's a flipping great song!
Sharp, melodic, playful, upbeat - it's head and shoulders above most of his 2st century stuff ...

it beats a lot of his 21st century stuff too!

 

[mozmic_dancer]

I'm not convinced that Ringo refers to Starr because Ringo has generally been a popular cowboy name.

 

[Raphael Lambach]

I believe the song is about Mike Joyce and it goes back and forth between what MJ is saying and what Moz is saying.

Mike Joyce:
"I can kill standing still - it's easy
I can scare with a stare - it's easy"

Morrissey:
Hey Ringo, it's sad though
Because it's hard to walk tall when you're small
Whether dressed in disciplined style, nevermind
When you're small you walk as if you're falling

Mike Joyce:
"I attack from the back - because it's easy
And I can assail while wearing very nice jewelery"

Morrissey:
Oh, hey Ringo, it's sad though
Because it's hard to walk tall when you're small
Whether dressed in disciplined style, nevermind
When you're small you spend your life crawling

Mike Joyce:
"I burst into public bars
and I throw my weight around
And no one can even see me
No one can even see me
Nobody can see me
No one can see me"

"Success is just a mess!" - (this could be either)

Morrissey:
Oh, hey Gringo, it's sad though
because it's hard to walk tall when you're small
whether dressed in disciplined style, nevermind
when you're small you're bound to look appalling

Mike Joyce:
"So compadre, please do this for me
Compadre, please weep for me
Compadre, compadre
Please, weep for me"

It's a bit strange but makes totally sense.

 

[Girl-with-the-Thorn]

Back to the song, I used to think he was saying Ringo then I thought he was saying gringo which means white person. But then Ringo Starr is quite short so....

Mm. That aspect of it makes me think that as well as having a little dig at MJ in particular, he's also perhaps commenting on 'small man syndrome'- that is, shorter men who attempt to make up for their limited stature through aggression. "I burst into public bars and throw my weight around".

 

[vaca peluda]

Mike Joyce couldn't throw a shuttlecock let alone his weight.

 

[Stuheff]

Ringo is used as a Metaphor as the feeling is that Ringo was not the best drummer in the world and without him the Beatles would have still been the Beatles - if it werent him it would have been Pete best, if not Pete best, then someone else and Lennon and McCartney would have drivent he band through the quality of the partnership. I had assumed this was common knowledge?

Would the Smiths have been the Smiths without Mike Joyce and acheived the same level of quality and success? Thats the question that comes out of this song for me.

I beleive that whether this song is about Mike Joyce or Spencer, Morrissey appears to believe that it wouldnt matter if they had a session drummer drumming for him. He and Marr were the Smiths and he is Morrissey.

And is therefore using the Ringo metaphor to have a bit of a snipe, because hes clever like that, innit.

 

[yesitis]

in my head i change the line "i burst into public bars and i throw my weight around" to "i burst into public bathroom stalls and i throw my weight around". this image amuses me.