Lyrics You Don't Understand

Young And Alive

Young And Alive

Senior Member
Hopefully this thread will act as a Q+A session for all board members.

First of all, here's my query:

"Anonymous call, a poison pen, a brick in the small of the back again"

Huh!?
 
"Anonymous call, a poison pen, a brick in the small of the back again"

I also haven't got a clue. :confused:

Hope someone will enlighten us.
 
I always assumed it was three random ways that a stranger who wished to hurt the narrator in the song would go about doing such a thing.
 
Ben Budd said:
I always assumed it was three random ways that a stranger who wished to hurt the narrator in the song would go about doing such a thing.
Click to expand...


Thank you very much Ben, yes it does make sense in that context. :)
 
Ben Budd said:
I always assumed it was three random ways that a stranger who wished to hurt the narrator in the song would go about doing such a thing.
Click to expand...

Agree with you there.Thought it was obvious
 
Young And Alive said:
Hopefully this thread will act as a Q+A session for all board members.

First of all, here's my query:

"Anonymous call, a poison pen, a brick in the small of the back again"

Huh!?
Click to expand...

Journalist who lie? Always thought that it was the point of "poison pen", and "a brick in the small of the back again" a back stab with a blunt object, or a stone thrown from a distance.
 
Chartres, it's lyrics from I Am Hated For Loving, not Journalist Who Lies.
 
Chartres said:
Journalist who lie? Always thought that it was the point of "poison pen", and "a brick in the small of the back again" a back stab with a blunt object, or a stone thrown from a distance.
Click to expand...

the call is obviously a nasty unknown caller

poison pen is a journalist writing something nasty about him

a brick in the small of the back is a so called friend saying something nasty about him behind his back
 
snapyou said:
Agree with you there.Thought it was obvious
Click to expand...

haha! "that's because you're so smart and I'm so dumb!" as this person once told me when... well, it's a long story but a good quote I thought.

anyway...

'Tis I, my Lord; the Village Cock
Has thrice done salutation to the morn:
Your Friends are up, and buckle on their Armour.

any idea why this was referenced? It's from Richard III.


I don't understand this

And the songs we sing
They're not supposed to mean a thing
La, la, la, la ...

Oh ...
You're lonely
Oh ... you're lonely
Oh ...
GET OFF THE ROOF !
Oh ...

Your Arsenal !

We may seem cold, or
We may even be
The most depressing people you've ever known
 
Dave said:
haha! "that's because you're so smart and I'm so dumb!" as this person once told me when... well, it's a long story but a good quote I thought.

anyway...

'Tis I, my Lord; the Village Cock
Has thrice done salutation to the morn:
Your Friends are up, and buckle on their Armour.

any idea why this was referenced? It's from Richard III.


I don't understand this

And the songs we sing
They're not supposed to mean a thing
La, la, la, la ...

Oh ...
You're lonely
Oh ... you're lonely
Oh ...
GET OFF THE ROOF !
Oh ...

Your Arsenal !

We may seem cold, or
We may even be
The most depressing people you've ever known
Click to expand...

I always thought that it was "SET FIRE TO THE ROOF". I've always imagined it as a sort of hybris, it's more then he can handle althought it's not very hard for most people.
 
Dave said:
I don't understand this

And the songs we sing
They're not supposed to mean a thing
La, la, la, la ...

Oh ...
You're lonely
Oh ... you're lonely
Oh ...
GET OFF THE ROOF !
Oh ...

Your Arsenal !

We may seem cold, or
We may even be
The most depressing people you've ever known
Click to expand...

isnt the song about english football hooligans and their nonsensical chants? and it sort of follows the racist corners of society also highlighted in national front disco, saying that football fans have racist sects too, that think their true englishmen, who get drunk and cause riots at games? as for the "youre lonely..." part, i dont know!

Oh, and for our american friends, english footie isn't anywhere near as littered with hooligans the way it was in the 70's-early 1990's, but when you consider this album was written in 1992, it sort of makes sense. fits in with mozzer's fascination with suedeheads and boxers, east end gangsters etc.

Matt
 
Last edited:
Dave said:
'Tis I, my Lord; the Village Cock
Has thrice done salutation to the morn:
Your Friends are up, and buckle on their Armour.

any idea why this was referenced? It's from Richard III.
Click to expand...

I don't think there's any significance to his quoting "Richard III". It's a funny line to use, and in the context of the song it sounds prolix and falsely poetic, making the other person sound sillier. Perhaps the lines are appropriate since the song is about other some people being ahead of others in knowledge, so to speak. You think you're clever but the early birds have already caught the...well you know the rest.

Reminds me of Morrissey's favorite line from "Far From The Madding Crowd", "I shall be breakfasted before you are afield and, in short, I shall astonish you all!"

Dave said:
And the songs we sing
They're not supposed to mean a thing
La, la, la, la ...
Click to expand...

The "La la la" is a taunt, as is the whole song. Outsiders don't understand the hooligans and the character in the song isn't about to inform them about what everything means. "La la la": "They're just like the pop songs your kids like. Nothing to see here". But of course there's plenty to see. Morrissey is lamenting the fact that the hooligans are not understood properly and will probably pass away into history misunderstood, too, despite being the last "truly British people". It's mocking, sarcastic and aloof in the way teenagers are when they sense the hypocrisy and fake sincerity of adults who ask them "So what's going on in your life? I really want to know".
 
Last edited:
you can't hear the semicolon when it's spoken so it sounds like he is saying he's the village cock.

It's about preparing for the battle and the whole thing of Richard being ugly and bitter and uninterested in love, only in his ambition. I don't know. I don't think it means anything either, but if you wanted to, you could draw conclusions.
 
Good idea for a thread. Maybe we can stick to vocabulary and idioms rather than in-depth analysis (some songs beg a million interpretations). I think that I Am Hated For Loving lyrics show a progression from the psychological, to emotional, to physical harm inflicted on someone (Moz) with a good heart. Why a "brick in the small of the back"? Maybe it happened to him.

I have a question I posted in the voting topic on Teenage Dad On His Estate.

I'm pretty up on Britishisms, but "dipper, slider"? Is this some sort of blue-collar reference? "Cart-horse provider" being like a bread winner? Is dipper slang for a painter and slider a carpenter or something?
 
I always took it to refer to the songs sung on the terraces themselves, not pop songs. Part of the song is being sung from their POV. A lot of football chants contain "la, la, la" -- I'm sure some fans here can confirm that.

Raquel said:
I believe Morrissey is lamenting popular music and the notion that those songs are superficial and casual with no real "meaning," unlike his songs...
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

PregnantForTheLastTime
Don't you wish you could email Moz?
2 3
Replies
50
Views
4K
pandora_cocteau
pandora_cocteau
MozzaBedfordSpur
Your Morrissey Lyrics
Replies
5
Views
1K
celibate
celibate
J
all you need is me lyrics?
Replies
3
Views
900
jessicamozfan
J
miryam_moz85
ITMAAP lyrics
Replies
11
Views
2K
Child In Pieces
Child In Pieces
lottie
Wittiest Lyrics...
Replies
3
Views
1K
lilikoi
L
Back
Top Bottom