| Morrissey – In Your Lap Lyrics | 4 years ago |
|
I really like this song. It's gotten some criticism (along with others) for its sexual metaphor, but I think that's what's very sophisticated about the lyrics. It reminds me a bit of Caberet, which examines the idea that, as the world falls apart politically, people increasingly turn to overt and raw expressions of sexuality. One of the best bits is the parallelism between "And I just want my face in your lap" and "And I'm dreaming of touching your arm." In typical Moz form, he's communicated that a gentle human touch can be as erotic and all-consuming as an overt sexual act. |
|
| Morrissey – Dear God, Please Help Me Lyrics | 4 years ago |
|
Although this song is easily another one of Morrissey's trademark "Sex with the City" offerings, it provides both haunting beauty and disturbing imagery more than examples like "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris." Yes, this is absolutely about sex, and the fact that Moz writes of a "he" that is propositioning him will be enough for casual fans to label this a "coming out" song, I think it is really a battle between the singer and his body and his God. (Because nothing is ever easy in Moz-land.) "Explosive kegs between my legs" marks one of the times that he has referred to very physical urges as something which could betray him, breaking through at any moment to spark actions he doesn't want. "Dear God, did this kind of thing happen to you?" is the beginning of wrestling with a God that is supposed to understand everything, but did He ever feel betrayed by His own body, responding in a way he doesn't wish to respond? "Dear God, if I could I would help you" is more of the bargaining, with Moz saying that he would help God resist, so God should help him. And finally, he walks out into the bustle of Rome, free in the anonymity of it. Layering on some of what we learn in Autobiography, we know that Moz was approached by a teacher when he was a teen, and these experiences leave a mark. Survivors have guilt about their own responses to an attempted sexual abuse incident, and they may blame themselves for liking the attention or having a physical response. There is more than a hint of that in this song for me; that Moz's self-repression stems partially from his fear that his body will act in a way that his mind or soul doesn't wish it to. So, yes, I see this song as a homosexual encounter, but I don't see the resolution as one of joyful sex as much as an escape into a world that will tolerate both his anonymity and his love without making demands he can't fulfill. |
|
| Morrissey – Something Is Squeezing My Skull Lyrics | 4 years ago |
|
I actually think this song is pretty straight forward, as least as far as Morrissey goes. Autobiographical? Maybe. Maybe in parts. I think the overarching theme of the song is everything other people do and say to people who are depressed and anxious, seeking to get them to be like everyone else in spite of what pressures they feel externally. "I'm doing very well" - Others always say, "you're doing so well," regardless what you feel "I can block out the present and the past now" - Just don't think about all the things that bother you "I know by now you think I should have/Straightened myself out" - Pull it together! You shouldn't still be moping about! Thank you, drop dead! - And here's what the narrator says, and then what he thinks. Cue into the "something is squeezing my skull" - there's something wrong with the way the world is constructed, and it isn't coming from inside me. "I'm doing very well" - So now we're going to parallel the construction of the previous verse, which will be important. "It's a miracle I even made it this far" - You've made so much progress! Don't backslide now! "The motion of taxis excites me" - You just need to learn to take pleasure in the little things in your life. "When you peel it back" - Reference to the psychiatry saying about "peeling back the onion" and trying to figure out what's lying under the surface making you miserable. "and bite me" - And what the narrator wants to respond. Now it gets fun. Again, autobiographical? Some of it, certainly: "Diazepam; that's valium' - Benzo for anxiety. Morrissey says in Autobiography that's one of the first things he was prescribed back in the days of the Smiths. Temazepam - Another benzo, commonly prescribed for trouble sleeping. Anyone with depression and anxiety probably has some trouble sleeping; Morrissey will reference this later in "I Wish You Lonely," when he says "remember how I can't sleep." Lithium - Commonly prescribed for bipolar disorder HRT - Hormone replacement therapy. In men, it is often prescribed if they have low testosterone, which could potentially make a man feel his masculinity was tenuous or unpredictable. ECT - Electroconvulsive therapy or shock treatment. Certainly the most extreme therapy, but one that even Carrie Fischer used. How long must I stay on this stuff? - So, just sod it; nothing really works, so let me get on with my life. Anyway,the song rings true to me. True for who? Well, that's the question. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.