"The Smiths", 1984

The Smith's self-titled debut album was released in 1984, two years after the band first formed. In 1978, Morrissey and Marr met at a Patti Smith show (which might have been one inspiration for their latter band name) and decided to form a band in 1982. With Mike Joyce, who auditioned for the band while under the influence of "magic mushrooms", and Andy Rourke, a schoolmate of Marr's joining them, they were complete as a band and started recording. After being rejected by other labels, they signed to rough trade in 1983. In 1984, their first album was released, containing the singles "Hand in Glove" and "This Charming Man".

Track 1: Reel Around The Fountain

It′s time the tale were told/ Of how you took a child/ And you made him old/ It's time the tale were told/ Of how you took a child/ And you made him old/ You made him old

In the next verse, two references to "A Taste of Honey" are made - the "I dreamt about you last night"-line is said by a Jimmy, a black young man, who is in a relationship with a white British woman in the 1950s, which was not socially accepted at the time (as homosexuality wasn't in the 80s), the "bee's knees" line is also a reference to the play. The line "you can pin and mount me like a butterfly, but take me to the heaven of your bed is something that you never said" definitely represents yearning: the person this song is directed to could have the narrator immediately, but either the narrator's love for the person talked about is way stronger than the other way around, or the two aren't even in an actual relationship. In that case, the "you took a child and made him old" lyric may mean the narrator being in love with that person for years, and them never acknowledging it. The "two lumps, please" line may actually be the most confusing lyric from the entire song to me, and I've probably read into it way too much, but here are two possibilities:

1. Credits to the user Loves_young_dream who posted the top comment on songmeanings.com, and who had the idea that the line may represent the formality of the relationship between the loved person and the narrator, supporting my theory that the whole song may be the narrator imagining a relationship and sexual activies with a crush, who does not even notice them, as many teenagers do
2. I've looked far and wide, and have come across this quote in the 1964 "Mary Poppins" movie. Mary Poppins asks her uncle, Albert, if he would like "two lumps", to which he answers "yes please". Through this line, the narrator may imagine themselves as uncle Albert - a strange character, living isolated, suffering from an uncommon disease, and being sad when he is left alone, yet often lonely. This might be a bit of a stretch, but if we equate the narrator with Morrissey and look into one particular song from his solo career, we realise why he might have chosen this character to tell his story. In "Picadilly Palare", Morrissey equates his homosexual tendencies with being "off the rails". Uncle Albert definitely is "off the rails" - floating in the air when laughing. Yet, this weird trait of his makes him happy - just like many queer men in the 80s probably felt weird or even crazy for their attraction towards men, yet being in love still has the power to make anyone happy. Finally, another important trait in uncle Albert is his lonelyness - a topic which is explored to some extent on probably 90% of Smiths songs.

The rest of the song is pretty easy to understand - if "reel around the fountain, shove me on the patio" is a sexual innuendo has to be decided by the listener, but I think it is worthy. The only unanswered question is why others think so lowly of the loved person in this song - after all, they are allegedly "virtually dead" as well as "easily lead", leading others to "see no worth" in them. Why this person is so unpopular is unclear, maybe the narrator's friends do not approve of the crush or relationship and therefore trash talk them, maybe the song is about being attracted to a person that stands outside of/is not accepted by society, a role that Morrissey also often takes on.

If I had to sum this song up in one sentence, I would say this song is about a young love which is not accepted by society, possibly due to being homosexual - topically very smiths-like, especially morrissey-like.

Track 2: You've Got Everything Now

This song deals wih something that everyone probably has dealt with at least once in their life: questioning one's life choices. It can be best summed up with the line "what a mess I've made of my life". While asking himself if he has gone the right way in life, the narrator - who can probably be pretty much equated with Morrissey in this song - thinks about his schooldays and compares himself to one person - or maybe his peers in general - from the time. If the song is directed towards one person in particular, it is possible that this person is Anthony Morris, who he writes about in his autobiography. Morris used to be his best friend during childhood, but they parted ways as teenagers because they just grew apart. While I do think there are some references to their specific friendship in this song ("a friendship sadly lost?"), it's not the only topic touched on on this track.

The song starts off with yet another line from "A Taste of Honey". The next three lines are descriptive of Morrissey's feeling towards his classmates - he felt alienated, yet superior to them. I do think he is talking about his primary school, St. Wilfrid's, when he references the "old grey school" - though no coloured pictures of the school before its renovation in 1969 are available online, it's clear that he is not referencing his secondary school, which is a very old, fully white building.

Despite having felt superior as a child, when comparing himself to people from his school, Morrissey feels he has failed and they have succeeded. "I've never had a job, because I've never wanted one" may refer to him trying out some different jobs after graduation, but never keeping them for a long amount of time. It is unsure when exactly this song was written, but the lyrics probably deal with his emotions before the first successes of The Smiths, with Hand in Glove being an underground sensation and This Charming Man charting in the mainstream, or maybe even before the formation of the band at all. He feels he has made a mess of his life, with nothing to show for himself, while others have done what they were supposed to: get a job, and succeed in life. Yet, he accuses them of not really being content with this lifestyle - they seem to not be fully happy, as they cannot laugh. This may express his contradictory relationship to a "mainstream lifestyle", or towards fulfilling expectations that were there for him after school. He knows he would not be happy with the lifestyle most of his schoolmates have chosen, but still somewhat wants to conform, and sees his life as it was then as a "mess".

"You are your mother's only son, and you're a desperate one" may either refer to the fact that only children have an even harder time fulfilling their parent's expectations without a sibling to take weight off their shoulders. Morrissey was not an only child, yet he was the only son of his parents, though his mother did not place many overwhelming expectations on him, therefore that line is likely not about him, but about someone from his school. Sadly, I could not find out if Anthony Morris is an only child.

The next line likely does not refer to his past, but his present: Trying to make a name for himself in the music industry, having to spend time with people he does not like, dealing with contradictory emotions and doing things he himself does not understand - having made a "mess" of his life. "A friendship sadly lost? ... I never did like your face" may be directed at Morris, though. In his autobiography, Morrissey names one specific instance in which Morris offended his "musical obsessions", which marked the end of their friendship for him. This instance happened in 1974, his biography was released in 2013, and he still seemed slightly bitter about it (honestly, I would react the same way if somebody offended my musical obsessions), so it would make sense for him to want to take a stab at Morris "only" ten years after the fact.

The rest of the lyrics I've already interpreted, except the line "I just want to be tied...to the back of your car". All I know is it's probably not about Morrissey being tied to someone's car like cans after a wedding - but like, you never know 100%. A theory I've seen on GeniusLyrics is that it's about a sexual fantasy involving bondage, or a sexual encounter with a famous person. The first one seems a bit more likely to me, but still quite out of place in this song. If I do entertain the most unlikely option, which is the lyric actually being a reference to wedding cans tied to the back of people's cars, Morrissey might feel like he will always just be around people experiencing love and getting married, but never be the one to have a "successful" love life. A romantic relationship may be among the things the person who has "everything" has. The feeling of never being in a mutually loving relationship may pain Morrissey just as much as being dragged down a road by being tied to a car - but, as I said, this interpretation being correct is unlikely. Anyways, here's a picture of Morrissey being tied to the back of someone's car that I drew in MS Paint in five minutes.

Track 3: Miserable Lie

So, goodbye/ Please stay with your own kind/ And I'll stay with mine

Take me when you go, Oh oh, oh.../ Take me when you go, Oh oh, oh .../ I need advice, I need advice

Here we go, my least favourite track by the Smiths. Personally, I think the Troy Tate Version has better production than the one you can find on Spotify, but still - the falsetto vocals just weren't it. I honestly don't understand why it had to be on the A-side, especially with tracks like "What Difference Does it Make?" or "Hand in Glove" on the B-side. Yet, we still have to take a look at the lyrics. It is likely that the song describes the story of a man who falls in love with a woman who is a part of the "depths of the criminal world", maybe a prostitute or a drug dealer, the first of which seems more likely as the song contains many sexual innuendos. The man himself is probably from the countryside ("I*m just a country-mile behind this world), and a failed artist who came to the big city to get some inspiration and become successful, as Morrissey has stated in an interview. The topic of people getting up and leaving to the big city to make something of themselves is also a recurring theme in Smiths songs (London, Half a Person), likely because they sympathise with such stories as they themselves rose to stardrom after an upbringing in Manchester-based working-class families.

The first two verses may either refer to the fact that the protagonist is not supposed to be with this woman because of some factor differentiating them. They may also be references to "A Taste of Honey", where two unusual couples (for the time) were featured: one with a clear class distinction, and one interracial couple. The "goodbye" line can refer to Jo being left by her boyfriend, who has to sail away, in the play, or to the song's protagonist trying to leave the woman that enchanted him.

Now the song starts to speed up. The narrator loves the woman's "casual way", probably meaning her connections to the criminal underground and ability to survive in an unsafe environment without lots of money. She is all he is not, dangerous as well as endangered, and that draws him in. "Put your tongue away" is quite ambiguous, maybe a request made by the man towards the woman to stop talking, signalling he may not like her for her personality, but just because the relationship or the idea of her is exciting. It may also be the exact opposite, as sticking one's tongue out can be a symbol of sexual desire, and the man may want to deepen the relationship instead of just having it be a sexual one. Finally, the line can also understand as the woman telling the man to "put his tongue away and close his mouth", as in asking him to not be shocked when she shows him her way of life. "The dark nights" may be a metaphor for poverty and falling on hard times, but the couple - or at least the woman - cope with it through humour. "I look at yours, you laugh at mine" may either refer to an embarassing sexual encounter between the two, or to them comparing their backstories. She, as a city woman who dwells in the underworld, may have some interesting stories to tell, but she definitely also has a lot of baggage to carry. In relation, the stories and the baggage of the man are laughable. "Love is just a miserable lie" may represent the problems in their relationship, of which there are bound to be some with a couple this different - maybe the relationship is even toxic and destructive, as the next line is "You have destroyed my flower-like life". What the two things the woman did to destroy the man's life are specifically is unclear - possibly introduce him to new sexual realms and introduce him to a life of crime. The idea of a "flower-life" is taken from Oscar Wilde, who used that phrase in a letter he wrote to a friend/alleged lover Lord Douglas(let's be real, they were together) while imprisoned for homosexual activity, and who Morrissey was (and still is) a huge fan of. In this letter, Oscar Wilde is often mad at Douglas and accuses him of being egotistical, which maybe explains why a phrase from that letter is used in a song about a toxic- or at least very complicated- relationship. "I know the wind-swept mystical air ... I'd like to seize your underwear" shows the huge sexual element of the relationship. Then, there is a reference to Whalley Range, a place where unsuccessful and poor artists and poets go, according to Morrissey.

Next is the dreadful falsetto. "I need advice" shows the man's helplessness and lack of experience in this relationship, being a country mile behind this world represents his lack of general knowledge about the world and the city. While I really think the vocals at the end were a failed experiment and the production quality of the album version is bad, the story behind the song is very interesting and definitely influenced by some things Smiths members have seen or even experienced growing up in Manchester.

Track 4: Pretty Girls Make Graves

Upon the sand, upon the bay/ "There is a quick and easy way" you say/ Before you illustrate/ I'd rather state/ I'm not the man you think I am/ I'm not the man you think I am

Ooh-ooh-oh-ooh, ooh-ooh-oh-ooh-ooh/ Hand in glove/ The sun shines out of our behinds/ Ooh-oh, ooh-oh

Most men in music make songs about how women do not want to sleep with them. But not the Smiths, they're different - they make songs about too many women wanting to sleep with them. Or at least one woman, which is, apparently, one too many.

What the woman wants from the man in this song is pretty clear: She wants sex. She wants it "quick and easy", and "she wants it now". If this is all she wants from him is unclear. What exactly the narrator wants from the woman is not fully clear, except the fact that he does not want to sleep with her right now. The song starts with the two meeting up at the bay, a typical date location, and she says that she wants to have sex, but he answers he is "not the man [she] think[s]" he is. The meaning of this statement is not clearly defined. Either the narrator is just a man who likes to wait some time before a sexual encounter, and wants to form a romantic bond before sleeping with someone ("she's too rough and I'm too delicate"), or the man has just a completely different approach to sexuality than the woman overall. It may be important to take into account that Morrissey claimed to be celibate during his time with The Smiths, and this may have influenced him writing this song. I know I'm prone to over-interpreting Smiths songs through a LGBTQ+ lense, but the "Hand in Glove" reference of the last verse also makes it likely that the reason the narrator does not want to sleep with this woman, though he perceives her as a "pretty girl", may be because he has feelings for someone else - a man - or is even in a relationship with one. In this case, not being the man she thinks he is could mean him not being a heterosexual man. This does not mean that he cannot be attracted to women, especially if the song represents Morrissey's relationship with sexuality, as he described himself as being bisexual or "humansexual" - there must be something else standing between them, probably a specific (male) person (Comment who you think that person is, and why it is Johnny Marr. (i be making marrissey jokes until they get to real and i realise morrissey was probably actually attracted to him but it was unrequited and then i get sad)). This is confirmed with the line "sorrow's native son, he will not smile for anyone". Sorrow's native son may be the narrator, or Morrissey, himself (source: just look at any smiths song). This means he cannot be as happy with this woman who desires him as he is with someone else. Later in the song, he even says he will not "rise for anyone", meaning he is maybe unable to desire this woman like another person.

Their date is coming to an end, and the woman tries to convince him to sleep with her one last time, even talking about the meaninglessness of life in the process, yet he still refuses. The phrase "pretty girls make graves", along with the line "i could have been wild [...] but nature played this trick on me", can be interpreted in two ways: way #1 would entail the narrator being attracted to the woman, yet having to keep himself from giving in to his desire; way #2 would mean he wishes he was attracted to her, but something, or someone, keeps him from being able to want her. She wants to have him immediately, but he doesn't want to (yet?). However, he is still shocked and mad when the woman finds another man - maybe because he liked her, but maybe just because he is mad that it wasn't something special, and all she seemingly wanted from him was his body, and he is easily replacable. "I've lost my faith in womanhood" is a line that would be compared to something an "incel" would say in 2023 - the narrator was disappointed by one woman and blames this on all who share her gender, or so it seems. The line can be interpreted in three ways: the sexist way - all women are bad because one woman did me wrong, which would have been a horrible, yet socially accepted statement in the 80's; the "I want people to like me for my soul and not just my body" way, which is a valid statement, as rockstars used to (and still do) receive much praise, love and even sexual offers from fans and groupies who only knew them on a surface level; and third of all, the "I've lost my faith in women, so now let's try men" way, which would be an unlikely interpretation if it wasn't for the last verse, a reference to Hand in Glove. The lyrics of Hand in Glove could - technically - be about any relationship socially perceived negatively, yet its single sleeve is definitely among the most homoerotic images I've seen (I have seen some in my time), which ties it all together. With every song I interpret, I realise that the self-titled album is by far the gayest of them all. I promise, when I get around to interpreting the next albums, I'll talk about vegetarianism, the British monarchy, even colonialism, instead of liking men, but right now, that's all Morrissey has given us (understandable, it's the time he got to know Johnny Marr).

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

Please don't cry/ For the ghost and the storm outside/ Will not invade this sacred shrine/ Nor infiltrate your mind/ My life down I shall lie/ If the bogey-man should try/ To play tricks on your sacred mind/ To tease, torment, and tantalize/ Wavering shadows loom/ A piano plays in an empty room/ There'll be blood on the cleaver tonight/ And when darkness lifts and the room is bright/ I'll still be by your side/ For you are all that matters/ And I'll love you to till the day I die/ There never need be longing in your eyes/ As long as the hand that rocks the cradle is mine/ Ceiling shadows shimmy by/ And when the wardrobe towers like a beast of prey/ There's sadness in your beautiful eyes/ Oh, your untouched, unsoiled, wondrous eyes/ My life down I shall lie/ Should restless spirits try/ To play tricks on your sacred mind/ I once had a child, and it saved my life/ And I never even asked his name/ I just looked into his wondrous eyes/ And said : "never never never again"/ And all too soon I did return/ Just like a moth to a flame/ So rattle my bones all over the stones/ I'm only a beggar-man whom nobody owns/ Oh, see how words as old as sin/ Fit me like a glove/ I'm here and here I'll stay/ Together we lie, together we pray/ There never need be longing in your eyes

Content Warning: If you feel reading about paedophilia or violence against children is too much for you right now, please skip this interpretation (and the one of Suffer Little Children, too, probably). Make sure to take care of yourself and your mental health!

We have covered two songs that have been accused of being about paedophilia, yet neither obviously was, but this one could actually be about paedophilia. It's not impossible, as The Smiths wrote songs against violence against children, at home (Barbarism Begins At Home) or at school (The Headmaster Ritual), as well as one about the Moors Murders (Suffer Little Children), so it's not impossible that this is a song specifically against paedophilia, but from the point of view of the predator, which gives the song a much more eerie feeling. If this was a song about romance or consensual sex, I'd go into all the details and make some Marrissey jokes along the way, but this time, I won't do that and just explain what's going on briefly. In the beginning of the song, the narrator seemingly comforts a child and wants to protect them - this could be a song from the point of view of a loving relative, even a parent, but some lines destroy this idea ("there'll be blood on the cleaver tonight", "there never need be longing in your eyes"). The narrator wants to hurt the child sexually or non-sexually, but apparently wants to be the only one to hurt them. Yet, he still thinks to love the child, even going so far as to say that they "saved [his] life", which he does not seem to value that much ("my life down shall I lie"). The mother of the young boy, who is only three years old, has no idea that her son is being abused.

Because I do not want to interpret every line in detail, I will just write down two more things that stood out to me. First of all, the line "together we lie, together we pray" is very interesting to me. If a song with those lyrics came out today, I would be sure that this is meant to be a criticism of the Catholic church (or churches in general, but the Catholic church has the most child abuse scandals, as far as I'm aware, and all Smiths members have Irish ancestry, where the Catholic church is very prevalent). I'm sure child abuse by priests was still a huge issue in the 80's - even bigger than nowadays, probably, because it was just not talked about. Because it was not talked about, though, it is less likely for the band to touch on this problem in a song or even be aware of it. What is possible, however, is that someone known to a member had to go through sexual abuse conducted by a priest, which is a fate I wish upon no one.

The second thing that stood out to me was the phrase "the hand that rocks the cradle", which stems from William Ross Wallace's 1865 poem "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" and is about the power of motherhood, which is very dark considering the mother in this song is not able to protect her child. What I want to point out is that the original poem features the quote "the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world", meaning the mother's hand. In that case, rocking the cradle may mean having power over that child, and having ripped that power from the mother's hand.

One theory about the song I came up with is that it is actually connected to Suffer Little Children, Suffer Little Children is written from the perspective of the victims and their loved ones, while The Hand that Rocks the Cradle may represent Hindley's and Bradley's sick desires.

This Charming Man

Punctured bicycle/ On a hillside desolate/ Will nature make a man of me yet?/ When in this charming car/ This charming man/ Why pamper life's complexity/ When the leather runs smooth/ On the passenger seat?/ I would go out tonight/ But I haven't got a stitch to wear/ This man said, "It's gruesome/ That someone so handsome should care"

Ah, a jumped-up pantry boy/ Who never knew his place/ He said, "Return the ring"/ He knows so much about these things/ He knows so much about these things/ He knows so much about these things

The second single of The Smiths, and the second Smiths song I've ever listened to. The single sleeve features a picture from the 1950 movie "Orpheus", which is about the story of Orpheus and Eurydice set in the 20th century. This song was also the first song of theirs to chart in the mainstream, and Andy Rourke's (genuinely, RIP. The man was a legend) favourite single (which is saying a lot, when you take into account how many singles this band released). Something that I feel isn't talked about enough is the B-side of this single, which features Jeane and Wonderful Woman, which were neither on any album nor compilation (at least not on one that was released while the band was still together), but they are both great and terribly underrated songs.

Shoutout to Mrs. Kostner, my language teacher, because without her I would not have realised that this song is full of antitheses: the first verse compares a young man, who seems not that confident in his masculinity and only owns a punctured bicycle, to a charming man with a charming car, who picks him up. In the car, the young man forgets his worries, enchanted by his senior's material possessions. He himself does not have a lot, cannot even afford a stitch to go out. The older man flirts with him, calling him handsome. Then, the line "a jumped up pantry boy who never knew his place" is used - a line originally stemming from the 1972 movie "Sleuth", which is based off a play which has some homoerotic subtext. "Return the rings" could either also be a reference to the movie, since jewelry is stolen in it, or to Dorian calling off his engagement in the book "The picture of Dorian Gray"- would definitely not be Morrissey's first Wilde referernce.

There are pretty much three theories concerning this song, and I'll list them in order according to which one I think is most likely:

1. It's just a song about a younger man being picked up by one that is older, and has more experience, which impresses the younger one. The two flirt, who really knows where it's gonna lead? It's just a song about meeting an attractive person and fancying them, but in a homosexual way, which is why the lyrics don't make everything 100% clear at first listen to not alienate the 80's audience.
2. The song is about the relationship between Lord Henry and Dorian Gray, but the story is set in the 80's. Would make sense, as their relationship is quite homoerotic and the single sleeve is also from a movie which features an old story being set in modern times.
3. The song is about a young man either meeting his older self - who is giving him advice ("return the ring") and obviously knows a lot about his life ("he knows so much about these things" could also refer to his life, not only to romantic or sexual experiences) - or someone who he looks up to, or the person he wishes to be in the future.

I personally think all three of these theories have some merit.

Track 7: Still Ill

I decree today that life is simply taking and not giving/ England is mine, it owes me a living/ But ask me why and I'll spit in your eye/ Oh, ask me why and I'll spit in your eye/ But we cannot cling to the old dreams anymore/ No, we cannot cling to those dreams

This song seems pretty straightforward - it's about a relationship which hasn't been going that great lately. Still, Morrissey gets into some politics, and maybe even some personal stuff on this track (this is still the 80's version of Morrissey, tho, so you won't get the urge to scream "OH NO" and throw your computer out the window the moment he opens his mouth on the topic of politics).

The first verse could either be a criticism of colonialism (oh, how I miss 80's Morrissey), talking about colonising England, the biggest colonial empire ever, as it has only taken from him and never given anything back. Now, it owes him a living, and he is willing to act violently. Another possible interpretation is that this verse is to be taken literally, the narrator has been tortured by life, feels as if England owes him something in return for all the pain he has faced in this country. He is mad at the world, and wants to "spit in" anyone's eye that questions him. He also misses the past, maybe because his relationship was better at this time. It seems he is trying to bring back that lost spark, as he goes on the date with his love later in the song, but we're not quite there yet.

One line that may actually talk about Morrissey's own personal struggles with sexuality is "does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body". He may have questioned his own relationship to sexuality, especially as he was celibate - for reasons definitely not fully beknownst to the public, maybe not even to Morrissey himself - at the time. He may have questioned this decision, or maybe the idea of sexuality overall - can we control what and who we're attracted to, or even control if we feel attraction at all?

The couple meets up under an iron bridge (probably reffering to a specific bridge in Manchester). They kiss until their lips are sore, which seems like a good sign, but the narrator still feels like this meetup doesn't live up to the best times of their relationship. The "old dreams" are lost - maybe something happened between them, or because of a specific problem that the narrator has. He asks himself "Am I still ill?", which prompts the question if he is the only one who feels the relationship hasn't been going great - maybe he has lost feelings for his partner, or he has to deal with other problems - maybe mental health struggles, maybe even poverty, which would make sense if the first verse is a description of his mental and physical state.

It is unclear who the line "Ask me why and I'll die" is directed towards - maybe towards his partner, who he does not want to tell about his struggles or feelings about the relationship, maybe towards people around him generally, who might have been worrying about him. Then, he talks about work - if the person he is talking to, probably his lover, has the possibility to, they should refrain from going to work. Here, you can see Morrissey working through some personal stuff once again, as he has never really enjoyed doing a regular job. He may also criticise having to work, or at least the way that most workplaces are set up, in general. The narrator has seen brighter sides than working in life, though only rarely - maybe referring to the past good times the lovers had together. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, and the narrator questioning his (mental) health.

Track 8: Hand in Glove

Hand in glove/ The sun shines out of our behinds/ No, it's not like any other love/ This one is different, because it's us/ Hand in glove/ We can go wherever we please/ And everything depends upon/ How near you stand to me

So, hand in glove I stake my claim/ I'll fight to the last breath/ If they dare touch a hair on your head/ I'll fight to the last breath/ For the good life is out there somewhere/ So stay on my arm, you little charmer/ But I know my luck too well/ Yes, I know my luck too well/ And I'll probably never see you again/ I'll probably never see you again/ I'll probably never see you again

I've been waiting for this one. I have SO been waiting for this one.

This song was The Smith's first single. The single sleeve features a picture of a naked man, taken from a book by Margaret Walters, which studies the history of the depiction of naked men (in my opinion, this single sleeve would definitely need to be mentioned if someone wrote a followup book!).

Let's just start with the first line of the song, which is also its title. A hand fits perfectly in a glove, as this is what it's made for. If you look at the rest of the song, it is clear that the narrator thinks him and his partner are meant to be together. However, a hand in a glove is also hidden, which maybe symbolises the fact that society wants them to hide their love. "The sun shines out of our behinds" may show how happy they are together. "It's not like any other love, this one is different, because it's us" is a very straightforward statement (though it's probably not straight): the narrator feels so strongly towards the person he is singing about that he is willing to put their special kind of love above all other loves. It may also show that there is one factor differentiating this couple from other couples - possibly the fact that both partners are of the same gender. "We can go wherever we please" means that it does not really matter where the lovers are, as long as they are together. This is proven by the next line: "everything depends upon how near you stand to me". The two wish to be as close as possible - if this song was released in the 2020s, someone would have for sure posted about Morrissey's love language being physical touch in reaction to that line on their tiktok. This line can also be interpreted metaphorically, the narrator lets everything in his life depend on how close the relationship of the two is at that moment.

Here comes the verse that made some people raise their eyebrows. Why would people stare at this couple? If you put this line into the context of ... everything Morrissey was doing at this moment, the reason is clear: this couple is not a heterosexual one. Yet, the narrator makes one thing clear: he does not care, because the lovers have "something they'll never have". He is willing to experience stares, discrimination, attacks, as long as he can be with that man. To be honest, I did NOT understand what the hell "kiss my shades" was supposed to mean, and took it as a possible reference to Marr's sunglasses, but according to GeniusLyrics, this line is to be taken as a message to the staring people, meaning something like "kiss my ass".

In the next line, he specifically says "the good people laugh", meaning the people who are perceived to have a moral lifestyle. He also talks about the lovers to be hidden "by rags". This can either be literal - the couple does not have much money and therefore has to wear rags - or metaphorical - their love is perceived as dirty, therefore the true value of their feelings for each other is hidden by rags.

In the last verse, things get a bit intense. The narrator proclaims he will fight for his love and his lover. This can be taken in a very literal sense, as in the 80's, openly gay couples were often hatecrimed. "The good life is out there somewhere" is particularly sad in that context - he just wants to go somewhere where he and his boyfriend can be together safely, and he will protect him until they are in a safe place. However, the last five lines make it seem like something happened, there are some problems in their relationship, maybe they're even breaking up. Chances are the last verse tells a story about how the two are attacked, the boyfriend realises how dangerous their relationship can be for him, and breaks up. Now, the narrator has to deal with this breakup on top of the homophobia. Another possibility is that this song is about a young gay couple, and the reason why the narrator says "I'll probably never see you again", is because his boyfriend still lives with his parents and has been found out to be with a man. As a reaction to that, he may have been sent away, maybe even to conversion therapy, which sadly was common practice in the 80's. His urge to protect him does not have to be an urge to protect him from physical attacks from strangers, or from homophobia in general, but from his parents.

I actually have a very elaborate theory about this song, but it makes me sad and leans to much into the Marrissey side of things - but because this is my website, I'll write it down anyway, and you'll just be forced to read it (actually, you're free to go at any moment, I just wrote this because I thought it was funny (it wasn't)). The couple in this song is very clearly in the "honeymoon" phase, maybe they have just fallen in love. This song was written in 1983, one year after The Smiths first formed, and at the time Marr and Morrissey were first getting to know each other and forming a very strong bond. With this in mind, I can imagine that Morrissey, if he was actually into Marr (which I do think is highly likely), he was probably starting to fall for him at this point. This song might very well be his fantasy about being with Johnny, and the last verse may act as a "reality check" - he knows he can't be with Marr, as he has a girlfriend and probably doesn't even like men. The "I'll probably never see you again" part could reflect on what might happen if Johnny realised his actual feelings. I kind of hope this theory is completely wrong, as it would be really sad - especially the last line hits differently now.

Track 9: What Difference Does it Make?

All men have secrets and here is mine/ So let it be known/ For we have been through hell and high tide/ I think I can rely on you/ And yet you start to recoil/ Heavy words are so lightly thrown/ But still I'd leap in front of a flying bullet for you

This song can be pretty much read as a story about coming out to someone who is important to you, and them not taking it well. This person may be a friend, a relative, even someone who the narrator is in love with.

In the first verse, the "secret", which is probably the narrator's sexuality, is revealed, as he thinks he can rely on the other person, yet they react with insults. Still, the narrator loves them - if in a platonic, or romantic way, is unclear. The line "what difference does it make" may refer to the fact that the narrator's sexuality should not matter to the other person - hopefully a basic fact to anyone reading this, but a very progressive concept in the 80s. "You must be looking very old tonight" could refer to the other person being conservative and close-minded.

The next verse could refer to the other person having made the narrator do things he does not want to - what specifically, we do not know - even pre-coming out, or generally not being a great person towards them. Maybe the narrator is trying to recount negative moments of them together to make losing them easier - but it does not change that he is still "fond of" them. There are some references to criminality, which may or may not be literal. If they are not, they could refer to things the narrator considers to be against their own moral codex.

A line that is interesting to me is "Your prejudice won't keep you warm tonight". What a nice young man, pointing out in his song how discriminating against a group of people will never help a person with their personal struggles, I hope he keeps living by this statement!

By the last verse, it is clear that all ties between the two of them will be cut. The narrator does not want to apologise for his sexuality anymore, which is only natural, and his past loved ones comments made him feel "very sick and ill". Yet, he will still miss and love them.

Track 10: I Don't Owe You Anything

Bought on stolen wine/ A nod was the first step/ You knew very well, what was coming next

Bought on stolen wine/ Oh, a nod was the first step/ You knew very well, what was coming next

Too freely on your lips/ Words prematurely sad/ Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight/ Life is never kind/ Life is never kind/ Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight

When someone is calling The Smiths "virgin music", they are probably referring to this song. Like it is often the case with Morrissey's songwriting, it is unclear wether he is being serious or ironic. The song definitely describes one person hitting on another one when drunk, feeling like they "owe" them something for the work they put in, and then slutshaming them when rejected. However, we do not know if this song is critical or endorsing of this behaviour.

In the beginning it seems everything is going well: At least one, if not both people in this song, drank some wine, a "nod" was exchanged, and the mood seemed flirty. However, the narrator messes up in the chorus, when the person he fancies tells him they do not want to go out. He then gets offended, saying that they owe him "something" - maybe a date, maybe a kiss, maybe sex, it's unclear - because he "walked all this way". This could either be literal - he walked a long way to meet this person - or metaphorically - he went to great lenghts for this person, yet he is still rejected.

"You should not go to them, let them come to you" may be the narrator asking his love interest to not get involved with others. Why he is asking them to "let them come" to them is explained by the next line "just like I do" - they should treat others trying to pick them up like the song's narrator, by rejecting them.

The narrator tries to ask the person out once again, coming across very pushy at this point, repeating "repay me now", which ends up in them getting rejected by the "words prematurely sad". The word "prematurely" may mean that he was not ready to get rejected in this way. He then reflects on life, which is "never kind", at least not to him, and ends the song by saying "I know what will make you smile tonight". By this, he is accusing the other of rejecting him because they had a date with someone else all along, also insinuating something sexual and being mad about the fact.

Honestly, this song, along with "Girlfriend in a Coma" made me realise where the male manipulator memes come from - but I promise, this side is not going to manipulate you! How could I even manipulate you through the internet? How could you think so lowly of me? What did I ever do to you? You're crazy. I really think you should reevaluate your mental state, honestly.

Track 11: Suffer Little Children

Over the moor, take me to the moor/ Dig a shallow grave/ And I'll lay me down

Oh/ Oh, over the moors, I'm on the moor/ Oh, over the moor/ Oh, the child is on the moor

A horribly sad album closer - not only because of the music itself, but specifically because of the story behind it. The lyrics are based on the real-life "Moors Murders", a murder series ongoing in the early 60s, the perpeptrators being Ian Brady and Mira Hindley, who were a couple at the time (I'll link the wikipedia page here). They took the lives of Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward Evans, all of which were children and teenagers under the age of 18. This song was quite controversial, critics were accussing Morrissey of just wanting to cause a stir for money, and relatives of the victims even met up with him to take issue with the song, though after those meetings, they were on the same page, the victim's loved ones supporting the band's cause of wanting to bring more awareness to the murders. Not only Morrissey, but the whole band, were children during the time of the moors murders, which means these events probably deeply affected them growing up. This song can be understood as a tribute to the victims.

The first verse pretty much paints a picture of the events that took place, also naming two murder victims. The second names one more victim, and also shows the grief their loved ones - especially their parents - felt after their loss. Losing one's child is a horrible experience, which is worsened when their life is taken so violently. Then, the involvement of Mira Hindley, who was probably manipulated into helping Ian Brady murder the children, but still very much a perpetrator, is discussed. She said to have done "whatever Ian has done", and this quote is now part of the song. "This is no easy ride, for a child cries" may refer to the two choosing murder victims by picking them up with their car and then driving to the moor.

"Find me" is a reference to the fact that Brady and Hindley never stated where exactly they hid the corpses, leaving the victims' friends and family without closure. Some of them are still looking for their children's bodies. What I find very interesting about this verse, though, is the POV switch: Now, it seems as if the victims are talking directly to their killers. Their ghosts - or the guilt - will haunt the killers. "You could say that we're a team" reverses the power dynamic: During the killings, two adults were teaming up to murder one innocent child. Now, the five are ganging up on those who took their lives. "You might sleep, but you will never dream" may either be a metaphor for death, or for the murderers being haunted by the ghosts of those they killed, meaning they won't have a moment of peace in their life, asleep and awake.

The city of Manchester is the home of much suffering. The city is no stranger to poverty and crime. Maybe, the murders would have been caught quicker if they operated in a different part of England. The police might have been more eager to act if the killer's victims came from wealthier families. The line "Manchester, so much to answer for" may refer to this fact.

The vocals at the end of the song sound very haunting, like the murder victims begging to be finally found.

Honestly, I think this song features some of Morrissey's best songwriting. Especially the perspective switch, giving the victims a voice, I find brilliant. This song is a really hard listen for me because of its backstory, though it's very beautiful. Still, I think everyone should listen to it.

So, here we are.

If you've read this all the way through, I have three things to say to you: I love you!; Are you okay?; and finally: What is wrong with you?. In all seriousness, though, thank you for reading this all the way through. Though it takes up some time, I'm really glad I embarked on this project, and I'm happy I could share it with you. If you were in any way positively affected by what I wrote in my free time, I'm seriously happy, and I wish you a great day and the best of luck!