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Artist: The Smiths
Suggested Track: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - 2011 Remaster

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The Smiths
On August 31, 1978, while attending a Patti Smith concert, a fourteen-year-old Johnny Marr was introduced to nineteen-year-old Morrissey. Almost four years later, in May 1982, Marr
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey, known professionally as simply Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist most well known as the lead vocalist and songwriter for eighties jangle pop
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The Smiths Lyrics
The Smiths lyrics - 100 song lyrics sorted by album, including "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", "This Charming Man", "How Soon Is Now?".
Genius Lyrics
The Smiths – There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
“There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” is a sacred Smiths classic by now, one that makes fans across the globe join hands and mope together. To some it is a depressive anthem, to
The Smiths – Asleep
“Asleep” tells of the narrator’s desire to die. In his pain and sorrow, he wishes to be comforted as he drifts peacefully into death. The song was originally released as the b-
The Smiths – Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
Perhaps the Smiths at their most delicate, “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” is a minimal, yet lush two minutes of almost otherworldly beauty.
The Smiths – Suffer Little Children
“Suffer Little Children” is the final track on The Smiths’s self-titled debut album. It is about the Moors murders, but only mentions one of the two murderers involved, namely Myra
The Smiths – Ask
“Ask” is a singalong about how you should seize your opportunities in life – especially relating to your love life, before humanity destroys the world.
The Smiths – I Don't Owe You Anything
“I Don’t Owe You Anything” tells the story of a person trying to charm someone over Johnny Marr’s smooth groove. As stated in the book Mozipedia – The Encyclopedia of Morrissey
The Smiths – Meat Is Murder
“Meat Is Murder”, with its simulated bovine cries and buzz-saw guitars, took vegetarianism to a new height in popular media. At the time when this song was recorded, animal welfare
The Smiths – Hand in Glove
“Hand in Glove” was released in May 1983 as The Smiths' first single. The song was later featured on the band’s first album, The Smiths, and also on their two compilation albums
The Smiths – What She Said
“What She Said” is told from a female perspective – it’s rare for male songwriters to write about women with empathy rather than desire – and how it taps into a certain kind of
The Smiths – Jeane
[Verse 1] / Jeane / The low-life has lost its appeal / And I'm tired of walking these streets / To a room with its cupboard bare / Jeane / I'm not sure what happiness means / But I
The Smiths – Never Had No One Ever
“Never Had No One Ever” is the Smiths at their bleakest – like listening to the birth of a depression. Morrissey writes about having the nagging feeling of being an outsider his
The Smiths – The Headmaster Ritual
It’s safe to say that nobody else, before or since, has opened a significant rock album by hammering the bejesus out of the capoed, open-tuned chord that begins “The Headmaster
The Smiths – Unloveable
[Intro] / (Unlove—, unlove—, unloveable) / (Unlove—, unlove—, unloveable) / (Unlove—, unlove—, unloveable) / [Verse 1] / I know I'm unloveable / You don't have to tell me / I don't
The Smiths – I Won’t Share You
On “I Won’t Share You” Morrissey let’s his inner egoist show, shamelessly breaking up with his lover whom he sees as burden. The “lover” can be interpreted as Smiths' guitarist
The Smiths – Girlfriend in a Coma
An instance when Johnny Marr’s music and Morrissey’s lyrics' trademark incongruity (see “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”) works, with Marr adding a strangely cheery backing to a
The Smiths – You've Got Everything Now
Morrissey expresses his bitterness towards a person whom he implies is only faking his happiness, because Morrissey believes that having a casual life isn’t enough. Morrissey
The Smiths – Rubber Ring
Well respected by Smiths fans and critics alike, “Rubber Ring” is a song about coming of age, and leaving the awkward, difficult period in life that is being a teenager. Morrissey
The Smiths – The Boy with the Thorn in His Side
[Chorus] / The boy with the thorn in his side / Behind the hatred there lies / A murderous desire / For love / [Verse 1] / How can they look into my eyes / And still they don't
The Smiths – Miserable Lie
“Miserable Lie” tells the story of a naive country boy corrupted by the lustful ways of a prostitute. A quintessential Smiths track. It is especially notable for its odd song
The Smiths – Nowhere Fast
“Nowhere Fast” shows Meat Is Murder from its funny side as Morrissey croons: I’d like to drop my trousers to the Queen It’s hard to hear the song without wondering if Morrissey
The Smiths – 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
The Smiths – Accept Yourself
[Verse 1] / Every day you must say / So how do I feel about my life / Anything is hard to find / When you will not open your eyes / When will you accept yourself? / [Verse 2] / I
The Smiths – Girl Afraid
On “Girl Afraid” Morrisey plays with the word girlfriend as “girl afraid” and boyfriend as “boy afraid”. The song deals with mistaken assumptions in the relationship of said girl
The Smiths – This Charming Man
“This Charming Man” is The Smiths' second single of 1983, depicting the story of a poor boy coming in contact with an upper class man and feeling unwelcome due to his lack of
The Smiths – Frankly, Mr. Shankly
“Frankly, Mr. Shankly” is a lark, an ambitious gofer’s resignation set to a light melody reminiscent of the Kinks. While referencing a real-life disagreement, this also calls back
The Smiths – Well I Wonder
“Well I Wonder”’s narrator is gone, with no hope of return. The song isn’t so much a cry for help as a futile, bleak, almost pathetic fading into a darkness with no light at the
The Smiths – Shoplifters Of The World Unite
The title alludes to the communist slogan “workers of the world, unite!”
The Smiths – Vicar in a Tutu
[Verse 1] / I was minding my business / Lifting some lead off / The roof of the Holy Name church / It was worthwhile living a laughable life / To set my eyes on the blistering
The Smiths – London
In this song Morrissey speaks out directly to a man who decided to catch a train to London to pursue a better life, continuously speaking to his own feelings and asking him if he
The Smiths – Rusholme Ruffians
“Rusholme Ruffians”, with Johnny Marr’s rockabilly riff, is about Manchester and makes the city (home of much of the history of British feminism, socialism, vegetarianism and the
The Smiths – Death of a Disco Dancer
Morrissey is effective in “Death of a Disco Dancer,” which pinpoints Johnny Marr’s importance to the band, as it builds from his scraping-fingernail fret work to a cacophony of
The Smiths – Half a Person
This song is about adolescence and a crush that Morrissey used to have during his teen years but never said anything to, which he is addressing here. This song shows everything
The Smiths – Wonderful Woman
Here’s what Morrissey said about this song (as quoted in Simon Goddard’s book ‘Songs That Saved Your Life’): “In a monotonous way, it’s quite tongue-and-cheek. The wonderful woman
The Smiths – These Things Take Time
“These Things Take Time” is another upbeat Smiths' song with an homoerotic sexual undertone. It was originally released as a B-side to the maxi single version of “What Difference
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
“The Queen is Dead” parodies media fascination with the royal family over bombastic guitar bursts and an aggressive bass line. Officially listed on physical tracklist as “The Queen
The Smiths – That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
The gorgeous, swirling “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” might be the emotional peak of Meat Is Murder. It was released as the second and last single of the album.
The Smiths – Is It Really So Strange?
“Is It Really So Strange?” describes Morrissey’s friend Linda and her movements in living in both Manchester and London after her art exhibition was moved to the capital. She
The Smiths – Paint a Vulgar Picture
A dense song about Morrissey’s feelings towards the music industry, exemplified by tragedy – the death of a star, failing, or otherwise. The lyrics takes the viewpoint of two
The Smiths – Sheila Take a Bow
[Verse 1] / Is it wrong to want to live on your own? / No, it's not wrong, but I must know / How can someone so young sing words so sad? / [Chorus] / Sheila take a, Sheila take a
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The Queen is Dead by The Smiths
The Smith’s followed their 1985 sophomore album Meat Is Murder one year later with their critically acclaimed third album The Queen is Dead. Several of the songs were created while
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Hatful of Hollow by The Smiths
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Get all the lyrics to songs on Rank and join the Genius community of music scholars to learn the meaning behind the lyrics.
Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
Strangeways, Here We Come is the last album released by The Smiths. The album was recorded at Wood Hall studios in Beckington – allowing for a more relaxed recording process. Marr
Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths
“Louder Than Bombs” is a collection of B-sides that was recorded between 1983-1986. Like a few other bands (such as Oasis), many of the Smiths' best songs were released as B-sides.
The Smiths by The Smiths
After signing a production deal with independent record label Rough Trade, the newly-formed indie rock band launched their self-titled debut album in early 1984. Originally
The World Won’t Listen by The Smiths
The World Won’t Listen is The Smiths' third and last compilation album. It was released in 1987 and it features a collection of the band’s singles and their B-sides, ranging from
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