The Headmaster Ritual

Another great Smiths song. When Morrissey sings:

"I wanna go home I don't wanna stay "

I am forever reminded of that one poor kid who didn't quite "fit in" at school and was picked on for it. There's one [or more] at every school, and sometimes it's us. So next time, rather than picking on him or her, or sitting by idly watching it happen, extend a hand of friendship.

Isn't amazing how this song just paints the picture for you. I can almost see Morrissey in school with the other boys, in their uniforms being humiliated by the mean old headmaster.

i think it's more about general abuse rather than caning. i was in school in england in the seventies and i've seen teachers do things to pupils that would put them in jail nowadays...believe me, the cane was the least of your worries! Morrissey's got his angry head on here and there's no trace of humour when he refers to the belligerant ghouls as spineless bastards.

In elementary school (aka "grade school") in the States in the early '70s, corporal punishment was common. Even in "liberal" states like California, particularly if you lived in a small town. Today it's almost unheard of, although it still happens (with impunity) in rural areas in a few states. It's never been made illegal, not at the federal level.

The teachers generally passed off the dirty work to a principal or (if they existed at that level) vice-principal. Though some teachers were sufficiently sadistic, they wanted to make sure themselves the child was to "be taken in hand," and relished the task.

I had a teacher grab me, pull me out to the hallway and shove me against a wall. His stated intent was to get me to stop crying. Not an effective technique. (I was eleven years old; this happened in 1976, in Oregon)

One particularly bad incident: and an awful teacher, who (I later learned) admitted to my parents he felt threatened as a (rather poor) teacher by my relatively-quick mind. He had the upper hand physically, I hardly need to add.

I was typically a "teacher's pet" and--in most instances--didn't have to worry about that sort of brutality. Not from a teacher anyway. My peers, now that's another story...

Wicked yodelling at the end from the Mozmeister. Plus awesome jangling from Johnny Marr and a classic Rourkey bassline.

I will say I'm American and was born in 1990 so I never had to endure any kind of physical abuse from teachers, but I share the same beliefs as Morrissey on the subject. He is definitely one of my favorite lyricists and songwritters.

teachers beating on the students. Thi is the first sogn on Meat Is Murder, almost every song on that album mentions violence of some kind. This song always reminds me of the Morrissey song "The Teachers are Afraid of The Pupils"

"...who grabs and devours ..."

-By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept, by Elizabeth Smart

Is it just me or does somebody else thinks that the lyrics isn't just about teachers but also about bulling? The "spineless swines2 and "belligerent ghouls" that "run Manchester schools" are nor only teachers, but also kids that live in impunity. It is just my thoughts, when i was in school teachers and kids alike were pretty mean.

my brother attended a birmingham school in the seventies; abuse was rife. he'd come home with tales i can tell you. the one that sticks in my mind is of the 1st form (grade 7) history teacher with a man's size 13 shoe that he called 'the persuader.'