Primary members: Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce
Band Biography
Albums of focus: The Smiths (1984), Hatful of Hollow (1984), Louder Than Bombs (1987); Morrissey's Viva Hate* (1987) and Your Arsenal** (1992)

Songs for study:

"Still Ill "	"Suffer Little Children"	"Heavens Knows I'm Miserable Now"
"Panic"	"Stretch Out and Wait"	"Accept Yourself "
"Sheila Take a Bow"	"Ask"	"Back to the Old House"
"Work Is a Four-Letter Word"	"The National Front Disco"**	"Margaret on the Guillotine"*

"Still Ill" - from The Smiths (1984)

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 Does the body rule the mind Or does the mind rule the body ? I dunno... Under the iron bridge we kissed And although I ended up with sore lips It just wasn't like the old days anymore No, it wasn't like those days Am I still ill ? Oh ... Am I still ill ? Oh ...

Does the body rule the mind Or does the mind rule the body ? I dunno... Ask me why, and I'll die Oh, ask me why, and I'll die And if you must go to work tomorrow Well, if I were you I really wouldn't bother For there are brighter sides to life And I should know, because I've seen them But not very often ... Under the iron bridge we kissed And although I ended up with sore lips It just wasn't like the old days anymore No, it wasn't like those days Am I still ill ? Oh ... Oh, am I still ill ? Oh ...

"Heavens Knows I'm Miserable Now" - from Hatful of Hollow (1984)

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour But heaven knows I'm miserable now I was looking for a job, and then I found a job And heaven knows I'm miserable now In my life Why do I give valuable time To people who don't care if I live or die? Two lovers entwined pass me by And heaven knows I'm miserable now I was looking for a job, and then I found a job And heaven knows I'm miserable now In my life Oh, why do I give valuable time To people who don't care if I live or die?

What she asked of me at the end of the day Caligula would have blushed "You've been in the house too long," she said And I naturally fled In my life Why do I smile At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye? I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour But heaven knows I'm miserable now "You've been in the house too long," she said And I naturally fled In my life Why do I give valuable time To people who don't care if I live or die?

"Accept Yourself" - from Hatful of Hollow (1984)

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? I am sick and I am dull And I am plain How dearly I'd love to get carried away Oh, but dreams have a knack of just not coming true And time is against me now...oh Oh, who and what to blame? Oh, anything is hard to find When you will not open your eyes When will you accept yourself, for heaven's sake? Anything is hard to find When you will not open your eyes Every day you must say Oh, how do I feel about the past? Others conquered love - but I ran I sat in my room and I drew up a plan Oh, but plans can fall through (as so often they do) And time is against me now...

And there's no one left to blame Oh, tell me when will you ... When will you accept your life? (The one that you hate) For anything is hard to find When you will not open your eyes Every day you must say Oh, how do I feel about my shoes? They make me awkward and plain How dearly I would love to kick with the fray ... But I once had a dream (and it never came true) And time is against me now... Time is against me now... And there's no one but yourself to blame Oh, anything is hard to find When you will not open your eyes Anything is hard to find; for heaven's sake! Anything is hard to find When you will not open your eyes When will you accept yourself? When? When? When? When?

"Panic" - from Louder Than Bombs (1987)

Note: Morrissey wrote this song as a response to DJ Steve Wright's insensitive placing of Wham's vacuous "I'm Your Man" directly after a news report of the horrible Chernobyl disaster. Done live, Morrissey often twirled a noose around, wearing a T-shirt with the "zany" Steve Wright's face stamped, like a passport, with "HANG THE DJ." This song often prompted Morrissey to discourse on his hatred of "puerile" dance music, which he refers to in this song. (source: It May All End Tomorrow web)

Panic on the streets of London Panic on the streets of Birmingham I wonder to myself Could life ever be sane again ? The Leeds side-streets that you slip down I wonder to myself Hopes may rise on the Grasmere But Honey Pie, you're not safe here So you run down To the safety of the town But there's Panic on the streets of Carlisle Dublin, Dundee, Humberside I wonder to myself Burn down the disco Hang the blessed DJ Because the music that they constantly play It says nothing to me about my life Hang the blessed DJ Because the music they constantly play

On the Leeds side-streets that you slip down Provincial towns you jog 'round Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ HANG THE DJ

"Back to the Old House" - from Louder Than Bombs (1987)

I would rather not go Back to the old house I would rather not go Back to the old house There's too many Bad memories Too many memories There ... There ... There ... When you cycled by Here began all my dreams The saddest thing I've ever seen And you never knew How much I really liked you Because I never even told you Oh, and I meant to

Are you still there ? Or ... have you moved away ? Or have you moved away ? Oh ... I would love to go Back to the old house But I never will I never will ... I never will ... I never will ...

"Work Is a Four-Letter Word" - from Louder Than Bombs (1987)

Note: This song is a cover of a Cilla Black song, and it is one of many songs that shows the strong influence that 1960s women singers had on Morrissey.

Loving you is driving me crazy People say that you were born lazy 'Cause you say that Work Is A Four-Letter Word So change your life There is so much I know That you can do Come and see ... Wide-awake And take all of this love That is waiting for you If you stay I'll stay right beside you And my love May help to remind you To forget that Work Is A Four-Letter Word I don't need A house that's a showplace I just feel That we're going no place While you say that Work Is A Four-Letter Word

So change your life There is so much I know You can do Come and see ... Wide-awake And take all of this love That is waiting for you If you stay I'll stay right beside you And my love Might help to remind you To forget that Work Is A Four-Letter Word Oh ... I don't need A house that's a showplace I just feel That we're going no place While you say that Work Is A Four-Letter Word So change your life There is so much I know That you can do Please come and see ... Wide-awake And take all of this love That is waiting for you

"Margaret on the Guillotine" - from Viva Hate (1987)

Note: This song is an obvious pointed attack on then British PM Margaret Thatcher. As a result of the song, Morrissey's flat was searched by the police. He documented this moment in a later song, "He Knows I'd Love to See Him": Oh, my name still conjures up deadly deeds And a bad taste in the mouth And the police - they actually know me They said : "You're just another person in the world You're just another fool with radical views You're just another who has maddening views ...

The kind people Have a wonderful dream Margaret On The Guillotine Cause people like you Make me feel so tired When will you die ? When will you die ? When will you die ? When will you die ? When will you die ?

And people like you Make me feel so old inside Please die And kind people Do not shelter this dream Make it real Make the dream real Make the dream real Make it real Make the dream real Make it real

"The National Front Disco" - from Your Arsenal (1992)

David, the wind blows The wind blows ... Bits of your life away Your friends all say ... "Where is our boy ? Oh, we've lost our boy" But they should know Where you've gone Because again and again you've explained that You're going to ... Oh, you're going to ... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah England for the English ! England for the English ! David, the winds blow The winds blow ... All of my dreams away And I still say : "Where is our boy ? Ah, we've lost our boy" But I should know Why you've gone Because again and again you've explained You've gone to the ... National, ah ... To the National .. There's a country; you don't live there But one day you would like to And if you show them what you're made of Oh, then you might do ...

But David, we wonder We wonder if the thunder Is ever really gonna begin Begin, begin Your mom says : "I've lost my boy" But she should know Why you've gone Because again and again you've explained You've gone to the : National To the National To the National Front Disco Because you want the day to come sooner You want the day to come sooner You want the day to come sooner When you've settled the score Oh, the National Oh, the National Oh, the National Oh, the National Oh, the National