The Smiths – Pretty Girls Make Graves

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  General Comment:I always thought the song was about a lad who meets a lass on holiday in Blackpool. She is a party girl looking for a good time. He is a virgin but is desperate to get over that hurdle and into the world of the "wild and free".
  Her coarseness wasn't what he was expecting from his first time and this led to flaccidness.
  He had probably built up a preconception that girls were coy and demure.
  He submits to the "other man", making him feel inadequate and disillusioned with womankind as a whole.
  I think he then realises he is just not the kind of sensitive soul that can do a quickie under the north pier.
  

  Flag superliteon February 24, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:This song has nothing to do with him being a homo or anything like that. This song is about a woman who he strongly desires but who only wants him for sex. He is very cautious from past expierences and it has left him emotionally scared. "there is a quick and easy way, you say" -she's basically a slut and is so emotionally detached that the only way she can express herself is through sex. "im not the man you think i am" -he wants true love not just sex (thats the dilemma). "You tug my arm, and say : Give in to lust, Give up to lust"- again she wants sex!, it couldnt be any clearer. I could have been wild and I could have Been free, But Nature played this trick on me" -hes not going to change his ways, he is to sensitive to be so careless. "She wants it Now, And she will not wait, But she's too rough And I'm too delicate" -he is very sensitive emotionally and can just have sex and be satisfied. "Then, on the sand Another man, he takes her hand, A smile lights up her stupid face (and well, it would)" -he basically has to let her go, another man came into the picture who can satiafy her sexual desires with less emotional attachment. This is when its clear that she dosent really care about him. "I lost my faith in Womanhood" -something happened in his past which made him loose his faith when hes around women, he is verry careful. He want a true woman... but lets face it that almost impossible to find now days

  Flag poppion June 06, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:I love the setting of this song, on the beach, it reminds me of Brighton Rock. I can't think of any other Smiths songs with a setting?
  
  Give up to lust oh, heaven knows we'll soon be dust... It's beautiful, it sounds existential or humanist to me, definitely atheist, I think it's about only having one life and the different things people do to make that life worth it...

  Flag TheWorldWontListenon December 15, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:Morrissey regretting that he was not heterosexual, as alas, he didn't want to ravage the gorgeous girl as any straight man would. I think the expression "pretty girls make graves" in this case is not a reference to how awful they can be but how jarring it is that they can make it so obvious that he is not "normal" and thus he becomes depressed. I will remark that it is POSSIBLE that he was just a "sensitive boy" and was not mature enough to enter a sexual relationship with an aggressive female pursuer. Females do mature faster than boys. But in this instance, I think back then we fans weren't bright enough to really "get it".

  Flag Kay1920on December 02, 2010   Link

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    Such a talented, clever artist. I just love his work...

    Flag ILUVUon May 25, 2012  
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  General Comment:LOL @ dethwish! Unique interpretation there but in its own way correct.
  
  igbybigby nailed it. Morrissey, with the influence of Kerouac's "The Dharma Bums", wrote this song about his celibacy and struggles with his own sexuality. You need to first understand Morrissey to understand this song. Moz is an innately loving person, he loves music, poetry, animals etc but he also has the extremely humane desire to be close to another person, to be in a loving relationship with someone.
  
  The problem is that he does not experience lust towards this girl like an average man. Perhaps this is because, as people have said, he is homosexual and therefore not attracted to women in general. For me it goes beyond that, it is more likely he simply sees lust towards man or woman as a primal urge, an unsophisticated emotion which controls people and causes them to think with their loins rather than their heads. I'd even go as far as to say that for him lust, the pleasures of the flesh and his own body are something to feel shameful of. It's a theme in a lot of his songs.
  
  This is why he does not "give in to lust", why "he will not rise for ANYONE". Yet when he sees the girl go off with another man, he feels jealous, resentful but also vindicated. He wants to be with this person, he wishes he was normal but cannot satisfy her lust. His view of lust as an irrational impulse is vindicated because the girl is able to simply move on to the next man who comes along and is willing to satisfy her, hence why he loses his faith in womanhood.

  Flag PrettyPettyThiefon October 22, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:this song is about a guy who is deeper then the typical cat who just wants his dick sucked..
  when he says "im not the man you think i am" he means he not the type of guy just looking for sex aka lust.."she wants it now and she will not wait" refers to she want to get fucked now but this foos looking for an ideal love..give in to lust give up to lust heaven know we'll soon be dust means basically that we only live once and we'll soon be dead or "dust" so lets just give in to lust..idk thats what i think and he gets jealous at the end cuz he wishes he was that shallow guy who takes her hand and calls her stupid for being so shallow..basically he dissapointed in her cuz he thought that girls were deeper then that and thats why he loses faith in womenhood..hes not gay just deep...i feel this nigga..lol..morrisey just sings from the heart..

  Flag dethwishon August 02, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:While I can see comments about a frustrated gay man being valid, I think the song generally speaks to that small population of men whose sexual drive isn't related solely to "beauty."
  
  "And sorrow's native son, he will not rise for anyone."
  
  He's talking about his penis. I wish every blonde bombshell ditz that's hit on me could understand that.

  Flag MikeE1on February 14, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:While I can see comments about a frustrated gay man being valid, I think the song generally speaks to that small population of men whose sexual drive isn't related solely to "beauty."
  
  "And sorrow's native son, he will not rise for anyone."
  
  He's talking about his penis. I wish every blonde bombshell ditz that's hit on me could understand that.

  Flag MikeE1on February 14, 2010   Link

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    +1

    Are you sure women want to "hit on you" when you say such statements as, "that small portion of men whose sexual drive isn't related solely to beauty." Studies indicate that men, as much as women, are looking for love, not just sex. And the majority of mature, adult men know what is important in life, at least I hope so anyway or many of us are in big trouble;)

    Flag ILUVUon May 25, 2012  
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  General Comment:"I could have been wild and I could have been free, But Nature played this trick on me"
  
  I always listen to that line as him saying "Wilde" in obvious reference to his Idol. That line is also very similar to the line in Magazine's song "Philadelphia"
  
  "I'd've been Raskolnikov but Mother Nature ripped me off"
  
  Morrissey was a fan of Magazine or at least took something from their music as he covered "A Song From Under The Floorboards".

  Flag AnnCoateson January 19, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:Done and done. Good job detective igby.

  Flag anonimtyon October 23, 2009   Link

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    AOK

    Flag MissForstaaelseon November 28, 2009  

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