The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Heifer whines could be human cries
Closer comes the screaming knife
This beautiful creature must die
This beautiful creature must die
A death for no reason
And death for no reason is MURDER
And the flesh you so fancifully fry
Is not succulent, tasty or kind
It's death for no reason
And death for no reason is MURDER
And the calf that you carve with a smile
Is MURDER
And the turkey you festively slice
Is MURDER
Do you know how animals die ?
Kitchen aromas aren't very homely
It's not "comforting", cheery or kind
It's sizzling blood and the unholy stench
Of MURDER
It's not "natural", "normal" or kind
The flesh you so fancifully fry
The meat in your mouth
As you savour the flavour
Of MURDER
NO, NO, NO, IT'S MURDER
NO, NO, NO, IT'S MURDER
Oh...and who hears when animals cry ?
Closer comes the screaming knife
This beautiful creature must die
This beautiful creature must die
A death for no reason
And death for no reason is MURDER
And the flesh you so fancifully fry
Is not succulent, tasty or kind
It's death for no reason
And death for no reason is MURDER
And the calf that you carve with a smile
Is MURDER
And the turkey you festively slice
Is MURDER
Do you know how animals die ?
Kitchen aromas aren't very homely
It's not "comforting", cheery or kind
It's sizzling blood and the unholy stench
Of MURDER
It's not "natural", "normal" or kind
The flesh you so fancifully fry
The meat in your mouth
As you savour the flavour
Of MURDER
NO, NO, NO, IT'S MURDER
NO, NO, NO, IT'S MURDER
Oh...and who hears when animals cry ?
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Meat is Murder does preach vegetarianism BUT more importantly and powerfully it actually is Morrissey identifiying with the raising, slaughtering and consumption of defenceless creatures by their superiors...so it can relate to Morrissey himself whilst at school in Manchester, where kids had their brains fried ("heifer whines could be human cries"). It is a metaphor for the violence society wreaks...hence the soldier on the cover of the album with Meat is Murder written on the helmet by Morrissey...The army is another institute of civilised barbarism....another part of the MEAT industry...Morrissey is preoccupied by Institutional Violence
Thanks for your insightful comment; I was beginning to think I would get to the bottom of the page without finding one. Nobody else thought to make the connection with the soldier's helmet on the cover, and I think it's right. "Civilised barbarism" - most of the album is about that subject.<br /> <br /> I wish the connection was made explicitly in this song somehow, though, instead of - I'm sorry - horribly preachy and unintentionally hilarious lines like "sizzling blood and the unholy stench of murder". Throw in comedy chainsaws and cow noises and I have to side with the "worst song the Smiths ever did" brigade. Shame. Missed opportunity.
my god this song is so graphic...i know so many people who turned vegitarian because of this song...
there is a strong possibility that this song is about meat.
although this song was able to make a lot of people go vegetarian, it also proves that some people seem to stay ignorant forever. i live vegan now for 1 1/2 years, before that i was vegetarian and i am so tired about people talking this bullshit seen above. there is nothing, simply nothing that can justify the murder of animals, who definitely have the same abilities like humans to suffer as much in a physical as in a psychical way. this song's lyrics are really great. morrissey perfectly describes the disgust that you have when imagining that this piece of meat was an animal that should have a right to live.
"ignorant"? You're kind of a fucking snob, aren't you?
oh come on, there's nothing bad about killing animals for getting food from them, it's just the natural rule to survive, if human don't kill animals,it would easily effect the food chain which means thousands of years later, turns out these animals would kill human, don''t talk about humanities or animalities, these are just bullshit. Another point, most of the animals we killed, were raised for human to eat!
the line that really upsets me is "this beautiful creature must die". i can't really see how anyone can listen to this song and not consider becoming a vegetarian.
I'm so glad I'm a vegan, I dont hink I could listen to this song if I ate meat without feeling so guilty. Respect to them for singing about killing animals and highlighting the fact that this is not necessary. People can live perfectly well without meat and Morrissey was promoting this idea to a wide audience and well done to him if he made people think about stopping eating meat.
I eat meat, and I listen to this song without feeling guilty at all, and i love this song.
Interesting that many Smith's Fans have dismissed this song for being melodramatic - such is the power of Morrissey that a fan may be a carnivoure, and hetrosexual, and right-wing but they still followed him.. I always felt the animal and abattoir machinery sounds were needless additions to the song. At the time of its release there were few musical artists known to be vegetarians (Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hinds) let alone singing about it. The song highlighted the subject and allowed adult debate.
The song is hypnotic, a plodding sound, similar to a reggae beat with some wonderful hammering piano chords
I can thank this song for the vegetarian conversion, and of course all the opinions that Morrissey has expressed through interviews etc. In just 24 days, I shall be celebrating a year of being vegie!
Morrissey is clearly very passionate about this subject and this song definitely sticks in your mind with all its melancholy and gruesomeness.
Although I understand completely why some people are vegetarians, I don't really see what the great problem is- after all, all carnivorous animals go around killing other animals for food, don't they? It's natural selection, survival of the fittest.
However, I do think the animals we do raise for food should live good, free lives, not cooped up in tiny sheds and treated like science experiments.
With the exception of fish, most of the animals that humans kill and eat for food are actually vegetarian. Cows, chickens, sheep. All of that "food chain" and "survival of the fittest" stuff does not apply.
I was a vegetarian before I heard this song, but I played it for my meat-eating friends to gross them out.