Morrissey makes an accidental grammatical error on a song???

[raincoated lover]

On The Streets I Ran:

'Here everybody's friendly, but nobody's friends...'

Should it not be 'nobody are friends?'

Or is it 'Here everybody's friendly, but nobodies(?) friends' in the sense that they are the friends of nobody, as appose to being 'nobody are friends'?

:

 

[Uncleskinny]

I always wondered about "Forgive me any pain I may have BRUNG to you."

Peter

 

[Dawndelver]

i don t think it matters at all

 

[raincoated lover]

I always wondered about "Forgive me any pain I may have BRUNG to you."

Peter

There are quite a few. But, he can always turn around and say they were deliberate - playing the common person, bad grammar but good spirit card?

 

[Not Right in the Head]

On The Streets I Ran:

'Here everybody's friendly, but nobody's friends...'

Should it not be 'nobody are friends?'

Who taught you English? "Nobody" is properly considered singular, as it's literally "no body."

Not to say that there aren't plenty of legitimate grammatical errors in other Morrissey songs...

 

[raincoated lover]

Who taught you English? "Nobody" is properly considered singular, as it's literally "no body."

Not to say that there aren't plenty of legitimate grammatical errors in other Morrissey songs...

No-body is plural in this sense - nobody is friends would be incorrect, nobody are friends is correct.

 

[nugz]

Who taught you English? "Nobody" is properly considered singular, as it's literally "no body."

Not to say that there aren't plenty of legitimate grammatical errors in other Morrissey songs...

you beat me to it!

 

[lightupvirginmary]

there's loads more... and i can't think of any of them!
But I always notice them when they're playing.
I'm sure it's intentional, Mozzy isn't thick.

 

[raincoated lover]

Now I have said it over and over in my head, neither of them sound right.

 

[Worm]

Who taught you English? "Nobody" is properly considered singular, as it's literally "no body."

Not to say that there aren't plenty of legitimate grammatical errors in other Morrissey songs...

No, it's out of whack. Morrissey means "Nobody is friends".

 

[Not Right in the Head]

Now I have said it over and over in my head, neither of them sound right.

"Neither of them SOUNDS right"!!!!! "Sounds" has to be in agreement with "neither," not "them"!

 

[raincoated lover]

"Neither of them SOUNDS right"!!!!! "Sounds" has to be in agreement with "neither," not "them"!

Neither refers to TWO things! If it was a singular item, it would be 'X sounds right'. If it was a plural, it would be 'X & Y sound right'.

 

[Worm]

"Neither of them SOUNDS right"!!!!! "Sounds" has to be in agreement with "neither," not "them"!

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowrrrrrrrr!

 

[Not Right in the Head]

Neither refers to TWO things! If it was a singular item, it would be 'X sounds right'. If it was a plural, it would be 'X & Y sound right'.

Sorry, but you're completely wrong. Take a look at items 1 and 4 on this page for English learners, or item 6 on this one.

 

[Not Right in the Head]

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowrrrrrrrr!

And you thought I didn't like to get involved in intelligent debates.

 

[raincoated lover]

Sorry, but you're completely wrong. Take a look at items 1 and 4 on this page for English learners, or item 6 on this one.

Well blow me down!
I am going to crawl away now..
(Just so you know, I was geniunely enquiring what would be right gramatically, not dictating what was and what wasn't.)

 

[The Cat's Mother]

I always wondered about "Forgive me any pain I may have BRUNG to you."

Peter

The child-like "brung" is a pleasing enough lyrical conceit on the subject matter; "I was a good kid...."

The one that gets me, however, is "...stood at the urinal." * looks stern*

 

[Worm]

And you thought I didn't like to get involved in intelligent debates.

I thought you just liked to pick winnable battles.

WILLARD (V.O.)
Shit. Charging a man with bad grammar
in this place was like handing out
speeding tickets at the Indy 500.
I took the mission. What the hell
else was I gonna do? But I really
didn't know what I'd do when I
found him.

 

[raincoated lover]

The child-like "brung" is a pleasing enough lyrical conceit on the subject matter; "I was a good kid...."

The one that gets me, however, is "...stood at the urinal." * looks stern*

I think stood at the urinal is right.
But going on my previous gramatical disgraces tonight, I wouldn't go by what i say.

 

[Kylie]

I think it's more colloquial

Because how he's written it is how I'd pronounce it and I certaintly don't have perfect english 24/7.