Song/Lyric Meanings...

[Worm]

Worm, you just had to go and brain it up on this thread, didn't you? Sell it someplace else, nerdoid.

Don't worry, dazzak, I may be taking a long hiatus soon. They're boxing me up for a long voyage with someone called Dr. Dave Bowman. Who knows when I'll return? For now, I still have the greatest enthusiasm for the forum.

 

[dazzak]

From my somewhat limited research, Worm, I have gathered you're either travelling to Australia to work with a wildlife expert or being buried alive with an obscure, and ead, jazz artist (who, of course, had a secret optometry doctorate).

 

[Worm]

2001: A Space Odyssey

HAL 9000 COMPUTER: I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Dave Bowman: Hello, HAL do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave, I read you.
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave Bowman: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave Bowman: What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave Bowman: I don't know what you're talking about, HAL.
HAL: I know you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.
Dave Bowman: Where the hell'd you get that idea, HAL?
HAL: Dave, although you took thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.

------------------------------------------------------------------
[HAL won't let Dave into the ship]

Dave Bowman: All right, HAL; I'll go in through the emergency airlock.
HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave, you're going to find that rather difficult.
Dave Bowman: HAL, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

------------------------------------------------------------------

[on Dave's return to the ship, after HAL has killed the rest of the crew]

HAL: Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

------------------------------------------------------------------
HAL: I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.

 

[Ambrosia]

Wonderful and useful topic.
What about the last part of "The Father Who Must Be Killed"?
Some lines are v. suicidal, but then the protagonist kills the mum: does he kill himself too?
And what about Speedway?
Just two examples of lyrics to enlighten .

 

[wolve]

Speedway is about the courtcase - wonderful threatening!

TFWMBK: the child kills the mum too? no way!

 

[no one in particular]

Girlfriend In A Coma is another one I can't get hold of.

Coma is obviously not literary about a girl in a coma, so it must be a metaphor.

Just an fyi for this thread, in case someone might benefit who didn't already know:

There is this site: http://www.songmeanings.net/

with an active forum of people who post interpretations of a comprehensive database of various songs. There is look up by artist and then select song and you can view all the "song meanings" that users have postulated. They tend to be very static posts, though, without meaningful discussion. (It is also a handy site to quickly get to song lyrics, although I have found that there are sometimes mistakes in them.)

So, for ex. with Girlfriend in a Coma, there are 2 pages worth of thoughts on this song. http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=51290

That site can definitely be interesting to review for Smiths/Morrissey (and other) songs, but obviously it is WAY more fun to have dynamic conversations in here!

 

[Ambrosia]

Speedway is about the courtcase - wonderful threatening!

TFWMBK: the child kills the mum too? no way!

Probably I've misunderstood this line:
"But still the step-child pressed the knife to her throat"
Not sure, anyway...I need to think about it .

 

[mjp]

That site can definitely be interesting to review for Smiths/Morrissey (and other) songs, but obviously it is WAY more fun to have dynamic conversations in here!

Good link - but I agree, much better to discuss in here - got to keep the ratings up!

 

[Ambrosia]

Is the Headmaster Ritual autobiographic?

 

[[email protected]]

Speedway is about the courtcase - wonderful threatening!

TFWMBK: the child kills the mum too? no way!

Speedway is not about the court case is it??

And at the end of Father who ..., the step child(a female) kills herself.

 

[[email protected]]

Wonderful and useful topic.
What about the last part of "The Father Who Must Be Killed"?
Some lines are v. suicidal, but then the protagonist kills the mum: does he kill himself too?
And what about Speedway?
Just two examples of lyrics to enlighten .

stepchild is a she not a he as referenced earlier in the lines:
"With his dying breath, he grabs her hand
And he looks into her eyes
He says "I'm sorry" and he dies

So I think she kills herself and the reference to motherless birds( a great one) just more illustrates her loneliness, not that she is now herself motherless. In fact she tell hers mother not to miss her.

 

[Rachel]

Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning...I read in this one book that it's about this woman who everyone thought was going to be ''Mrs Morrissey''...until they had a falling out, but now they're friends again. She was on his management apparrently.

 

[Ambrosia]

stepchild is a she not a he as referenced earlier in the lines:
"With his dying breath, he grabs her hand
And he looks into her eyes
He says "I'm sorry" and he dies

So I think she kills herself and the reference to motherless birds( a great one) just more illustrates her loneliness, not that she is now herself motherless. In fact she tell hers mother not to miss her.

I guess those lines are about her step-father. As to the step-child, you're surely right, it's a girl, but I've noticed it just yesterday. Sorry.
As to the final lines, instead:
"Momma don’t miss me
Momma don’t miss me
This death will complete me"
"But where I go there will be no one to meet me
I know there will be no one to meet me"
But still the step-child pressed the knife to her throat
Heart pointing to the sky"

What really muddles up my ideas is that "but": it makes me think she changes her mind and presses the knife to mum's throat, even if she (the step-child) is dying...I don't know,I'm still v. doubtful about the meaning of that "her".
I didn't pay attention to that "Motherless", but it's an uncertain word, maybe...

 

[JeanneDarc]

Is the Headmaster Ritual autobiographic?

He told in numerous interviews he hated school. He also 'suffered' a catholic upbringing which is also mentioned many times. Most of his work is layered autobiographal but on which scale it holds truth that we don't know.

 

[King Leer]

I guess those lines are about her step-father. As to the step-child, you're surely right, it's a girl, but I've noticed it just yesterday. Sorry.
As to the final lines, instead:
"Momma don’t miss me
Momma don’t miss me
This death will complete me"
"But where I go there will be no one to meet me
I know there will be no one to meet me"
But still the step-child pressed the knife to her throat
Heart pointing to the sky"

What really muddles up my ideas is that "but": it makes me think she changes her mind and presses the knife to mum's throat, even if she (the step-child) is dying...I don't know,I'm still v. doubtful about the meaning of that "her".
I didn't pay attention to that "Motherless", but it's an uncertain word, maybe...

The "but still" means in spite of the fact that she believes she's going to hell (suicide being a sin) where no one will meet her, she still decides to take her own young life.

 

[Ambrosia]

The "but still" means in spite of the fact that she believes she's going to hell (suicide being a sin) where no one will meet her, she still decides to take her own young life.

Thanks, that's interesting too...

 

[Rocco Sifredi]

Sorry... aren't ALL songs about Johnny?
Rocco
PS Black Eyed Susan is about SUEDE in my opinion.

 

[King Leer]

Sorry... aren't ALL songs about Johnny?
Rocco
PS Black Eyed Susan is about SUEDE in my opinion.

Some said it was about goth Siouxsie Sioux -- Moz and Siouxie had a somewhat fractious relationship while recording the duet "Interlude".

 

[[email protected]]

Hey how about Asian Rut?
Its my least favorite Moz song but I will admit, after hearing it a few times, I began skipping it so I have never even tried to figure it out.

 

[mozmic_dancer]

Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning...I read in this one book that it's about this woman who everyone thought was going to be ''Mrs Morrissey''...until they had a falling out, but now they're friends again. She was on his management apparrently.

I personally can't confirm that story, but you are right to suggest that "Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning" does address someone in particular.

Is anyone here familiar with Stevie Smith? She wrote a poem called "Not Waving, But Drowning". I always wondered if Morrissey knew her work and decided to do his own version of the poem? They are similiar in theme in that in Smith's poem and Morrissey's song, the cries for help are both ignored/misinterpreded:

Stevie Smith - Not Waving But Drowning

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.