Over the moor, take me to the moor
Dig a shallow grave
And I'll lay me down

Over the moor, take me to the moor
Dig a shallow grave
And I'll lay me down

Lesley-Anne, with your pretty white beads
Oh John, you'll never be a man
And you'll never see your home again
Oh Manchester, so much to answer for

Edward, see those alluring lights ?
Tonight will be your very last night

A woman said : "I know my son is dead
I'll never rest my hands on his sacred head"

Hindley wakes and Hindley says :
Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes, and says :
"Oh, wherever he has gone, I have gone"

But fresh lilaced moorland fields
Cannot hide the stolid stench of death
Fresh lilaced moorland fields
Cannot hide the stolid stench of death

Hindley wakes and says :
Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes, and says :
"Oh, whatever he has done, I have done"

But this is no easy ride
For a child cries :

"Oh, find me...find me, nothing more
We are on a sullen misty moor
We may be dead and we may be gone
But we will be, we will be, we will be, right by your side
Until the day you die
This is no easy ride
We will haunt you when you laugh
Yes, you could say we're a team
You might sleep
You might sleep
You might sleep
BUT YOU WILL NEVER DREAM !
Oh, you might sleep
BUT YOU WILL NEVER DREAM !
You might sleep
BUT YOU WILL NEVER DREAM !"

Oh Manchester, so much to answer for
Oh Manchester, so much to answer for

Oh, find me, find me !
Find me !
I'll haunt you when you laugh
Oh, I'll haunt you when you laugh
You might sleep
BUT YOU WILL NEVER DREAM !
Oh...
Over the moors, I'm on the moor
Oh, over the moor
Oh, the child is on the moor



Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery

Track duration: 05:31

"Suffer Little Children" as written by Johnny Marr, Steven Patrick Morrissey

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Suffer Little Children song meanings
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46 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Apparently this was the first song Morrissey and Marr ever wrote together
    Flag bilbob1997on June 04, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Apparently the line "Oh, whatever he has done, I have done" is taken from an actual quote by Hindley but slightly changed. she supposedly said "whatever Ian has done, I have done"
    Flag criztaferon May 16, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:For those who keep wondering where the title comes from, it's from the Bible. It's a well known phrase that has been used in art, music, and literature for quite some time.
    Flag LeeTheAgenton March 13, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Having just learnt the guitar chords for this song, I've just been playing it over and over and really becoming absorbed into it. This song has so much going for it. The structure, the rhythm, the poetry, the plaintive vocals - so poignant and (I imagine) so cathartic for Morrissey.
    Thanks everyone for the above comments, it's really helped me appreciate Mozza's empathy towards the victims and his fascination with Myra Hindley.
    My research tells me that he was born in 59 and the Moors Murders were in 63-65 - so you can imagine the nightmares kids his age and moreso their parents were having at the time.
    In Sydney it was the Wanda Beach murders in 1965 that shocked a nation - but unfortunately we don't have a Morrissey to so eloquently and beautifully elucidate it. Well done Johnny Marr too!!
    Flag chipplejayon August 10, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:A haunting, depressing song. Perhaps the bleakest The Smiths ever recorded. That doesn't mean it's not great, it just means it's not exactly a delight to listen to the same way some of their more upbeat singles are. None of them are exactly upbeat actually, so what does that say about this song? It's a downer even for The Smiths. Nonetheless, it's a very moving, if creepy, song about true events, which makes it all the creepier. Not to mention the crying at the end. I'm shuttering just thinking about it. Certainly one of the more powerful songs this band ever recorded, for better or for worse.
    Flag HyperBullyon March 19, 2011   Link
  • -3
    General Comment:I THINK THIS SONG IS ABOUT THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND ALL THE HOSPITALS CLOSING AND KIDDIE PARKS SHUTTING DOWN, AND MAYBE ABOUT SOME KINDA MURDERERS LOL YA KNOB HEADS
    Flagged Thomas353on June 10, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I had no idea what the song was about when I first heard it. I was just swaying to the guitar.

    Then I looked it up. Holy shit. Easily the creepiest song I've ever heard.
    Flag wobblydenisonon February 19, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Morrissey was a boy when the Moors Murders were in the news. It was very frightening to him.

    Chilling, no matter how you look at it. Deft handling of a very difficult subject.

    Now I read the news and five teenagers surround one of their classmates, pour alcohol on him and set him on fire. He survives but obviously will never truly recover. Idiots on news sites post comments like, "He snitched; well now he's learned his lesson." Shit they stole his father's bicycle and he was supposed to keep his mouth shut to protect these unspeakable thugs? The occasional sociopath I'd expect, but apparently there are now a significant proportion of people out there with no consciences.

    Hysteria about crime is usually misguided but sometimes I can understand it.
    Flag foreverdroneon December 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:This is quite a haunting song.
    My friend told me about it, because I'm 15 and obviously can't remember these murders, and she told me the line 'Oh John, you'll never be a man...' and explained.
    Very scary.
    Flag blindrain1on November 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Is the laughter supposed to be Hindley?
    Flag gweepson October 31, 2008   Link

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