The Moz/Smiths Top 100, Part 168: SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN

How do you rate Suffer Little Children?


  • Total voters
    130

Houdini

Junior Member
Let's compile our own Morrissey/Smiths Top 100 by rating all 232 Moz/Smiths-songs.

Song for Today: SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN

Voting should be something along these lines:
10: Perfection
9: Near perfect, brilliant
8: Really good Moz/Smiths song
7: Good Moz/Smiths song
6: OK, Nothing special
5: Uninspired
4: Poor
3: Bad
2: Should never have been released
1: He/They should be ashamed

The songs so far (voting is still open, click to vote):

Part 167: Suedehead
Part 166: Such A Little Thing Makes Such A Big Difference
Part 165: Stretch Out And Wait
Part 164: Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
Part 163: Still Ill
Part 162: Spring-Heeled Jim
Part 161: Speedway
Part 160: Southpaw
Part 159: Sorrow Will Come In The End
Part 158: Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Part 157: Slum Mums
Part 156: Skin Storm
Part 155: Sister, I'm A Poet
Part 154: Sing Your Life
Part 153: Shoplifters Of The World Unite
Part 152: Sheila Take A Bow
Part 151: Shakespeare's Sister
Part 150: Seasick Yet Still Docked
Part 149: Satan Rejected My Soul
Part 148: Rusholme Ruffians
Part 147: Rubber Ring
Part 146: Roy's Keen
Part 145: Reel Around The Fountain
Part 144: Redondo Beach
Part 143: Reader Meet Author
Part 142: Pretty Girls Make Graves
Part 141: Pregnant For The Last Time
Part 140: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
Part 139: Piccadilly Palare
Part 138: Pashernate Love
Part 137: Papa Jack
Part 136: Panic
Part 135: Paint A Vulgar Picture
Part 134: Our Frank
Part 133: Ouija Board, Ouija Board
Part 132: Oscillate Wildly
Part 131: On The Streets I Ran
Part 130: Oh Well, I'll Never Learn
Part 129: Nowhere Fast
Part 128: Now My Heart Is Full
Part 127: Now I Am A Was
Part 126: November Spawned A Monster
Part 125: Noise Is The Best Revenge
Part 124: Nobody Loves Us
Part 123: No One Can Hold A Candle To You
Part 122: Never Had No One Ever
Part 121: My Love Life
Part 120: My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye
Part 119: Mute Witness
Part 118: Munich Air Disaster 1958
Part 117: Moonriver
Part 116: Money Changes Everything
Part 115: Miserable Lie
Part 114: Michael's Bones
Part 113: Mexico
Part 112: Meat Is Murder
Part 111: Margaret On The Guillotine
Part 110: Maladjusted
Part 109: Lucky Lisp
Part 108: Lost
Part 107: London
Part 106: Little Man, What Now?
Part 105: Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning
Part 104: Life Is A Pigsty
Part 103: Let the Right One Slip In
Part 102: Let Me Kiss You
Part 101: Late Night, Maudlin Street
Part 100: Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Part 99: King Leer
Part 98: Journalists Who Lie
Part 97: Jeane
Part 96: Jack The Ripper
Part 95: It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small
Part 94: Is It Really So Strange?
Part 93: Irish Blood, English Heart
Part 92: Interlude
Part 91: Interesting Drug
Part 90: In The Future When All's Well
Part 89: If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me
Part 88: I've Changed My Plea To Guilty
Part 87: (I'm) The End Of The Family Line
Part 86: I'm Not Sorry
Part 85: I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now
Part 84: I'd Love To
Part 83: I Won't Share You
Part 82: I Will See You In Far Off Places
Part 81: I Want The One I Can't Have
Part 80: I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
Part 79: I Like You
Part 78: I Know Very Well How I Got My Name
Part 77: I Know It's Over
Part 76: I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday
Part 75: I Knew I Was Next
Part 74: I Keep Mine Hidden
Part 73: I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
Part 72: I Have Forgiven Jesus
Part 71: I Don't Owe You Anything
Part 70: I Don't Mind If You Forget Me
Part 69: I Can Have Both
Part 68: I Am Two People
Part 67: I Am Hated For Loving
Part 66: Human Being
Part 65: How Soon Is Now?
Part 64: How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?
Part 63: Hold On To Your Friends
Part 62: Heir Apparent
Part 61: Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Part 60: He Knows I'd Love To See Him
Part 59: He Cried
Part 58: Have-A-Go Merchant
Part 57: Handsome Devil
Part 56: Hand In Glove
Part 55: Half A Person
Part 54: Hairdresser On Fire
Part 53: Good Looking Man About Town
Part 52: Golden Lights
Part 51: Glamorous Glue
Part 50: Girlfriend In A Coma
Part 49: Girl Least Likely To
Part 48: Girl Afraid
Part 47: Get Off The Stage
Part 46: Ganglord
Part 45: Friday Mourning
Part 44: Frankly Mr Shankly
Part 43: Found Found Found
Part 42: First Of The Gang To Die
Part 41: Everyday Is Like Sunday (follow this link for first 40 songs).
 
One of the most haunting, chillling and unforgettable songs ever written. I consider it a Smiths classic, which is, yet again from the very first album and one of the earliest Morrissey/Marr collaborations. I has to be a 10 from me.

"A child is on the moor"
 
"we will haunt you when you laugh
yes, you could say we're a team
you might sleep
BUT YOU WILL NEVER DREAM"

A Smiths classic....and the emotion of it gets me everytime...it could only have been written by somebody personally touched by the subject matter as Morrissey was...desperately sad but also defiant....its a 10 for me.
 
yeah, as others are saying, a very poignant lyric but a really dull choon (like Meat is Murder in that respect)...
 
The first Smiths song and for that reason a sentimental favorite, and I also adore the morbid lyrics. This song was unjustly maligned as being "insensitive" to the Moors Murder victims, but one cursory listen tells you that the song honors its victims far more than any memorial plaque ever could. A beautiful piece of poetry, but the rather bland melody and music prevent it from being a classic. I gave it a 9.
 
Reel Around The Fountain - greatest album opener, ever
+
Suffer Little Children - greatest album closer, ever
=
The Smiths - greatest album, ever
:)
 
Reel Around The Fountain - greatest album opener, ever
+
Suffer Little Children - greatest album closer, ever
=
The Smiths - greatest album, ever
:)

Nah, I'd have to argue with you there...

Now My Heart Is Full = Greatest Album Opener Ever
Speedway = Greatest Album Closer Ever

But I do agree that The Smiths is better than Vauxhall and I. Not by much though...
 
Manchester so much to answer for.....like why it`s always raining here
good song bit of a mood killer u will be fetching the gin by the end
 
a 10

only for historical reasons, this was the first song Morrissey and Marr
wrote together, in other way, The legend started with this song, which
is a good one, brilliant lyrics about a difficult subject [the moors murders]
and Johnny wrote a nice mellow tune
 
Reel Around The Fountain - greatest album opener, ever
+
Suffer Little Children - greatest album closer, ever

Seconded.


=
The Smiths - greatest album, ever
:)

Don't agree, I still prefer The Queen Is Dead and Strangeways.

This song is perfection, a clear 10.
I can't believe it is 25 years old...

Now does anyone have the original demo of this song that was posted on this website not so long ago. I seem to have lost it when my computer got upgraded.
 
I give it an 8.

The lyrics are flawless, but I don't think the music represents their power. Which is a shame.
 
This song is a big 10,
because it's beautiful. I listen to it when I'm in bed before sleeping, it's hypnotic. Every time I'm willing to pay attention to the lyrics and I manage to do this at the beginning, but then Johnny's guitar takes me away and I don't hear the lyrics anymore, I only hear the music and Morrissey's voice, as beautiful as the music.

Hypnotic.
"It's a kind of magic"
 
Last edited:
While I like it and appreciate its place in the Smiths canon, it, like "Reel Around the Fountain," has decent lyrics but very, very boring music. Not one of Marr's finest moments.

Reel around the fountain has some of the best guitar work in the smiths canon I'll have you know.

With regards to 'suffer' i dont feel its appropriate to rate it.
 
***10***

One of the most beautiful songs ever written. Many people have complained about the music being "boring" and "dull", but it's purposely understated and hypnotic in order for Morrissey's lyrics to come to the forefront of the listener's consciousness.

This is one of my favourite songs of all time, it raises such strong emotions in me and I have some great memories associated with it. This summer I spent several days hiking in the Black Mountains (Wales) with 2 good friends. On the 3rd night we came to a youth hostel which, having been open for 100 and odd years, was closing down the following month. It was in the most beautiful valley, with not a car or a care in sight. We spent a fantastic night there with some wonderful people, it was truly memorable. As I lay in my bunk bed that night, waiting to be overcome with fatigue, this song came through my headphones. And after the first few bars, I just started to cry. It was confusing - I wasn't sure whether they were tears of happiness or sadness. But this song seeped through my head, and I just lay there crying. It was one of those stunning moments of beauty that just overpowers you completely. That memory will stay with me for the rest of my life, and that's what this song means to me.


Coiff.
 
I don't feel so either. I'm sure we'll get hounded for it.

I don't think you'll get hounded, but why bother making that post then?

Your only purpose must have been to draw attention to yourself, in order to "get hounded".

:rolleyes:
 
Back
Top Bottom