"Slum Mums" is a brilliant piece of writing. I love how Morrissey writes in a condescending fashion, attempting to show the inhumanity that many people possess towards those less fortunate. His hopeless words are like a dagger -- no understanding, no love for this Slum Mum. And the effect on the listener is perhaps sorrow for the Slum Mums of the world. Morrissey, of course, isn't that simple though. The near-delight he has while intoning this damnation is so vivid it almost makes one question whether this is a "let's play the bad guy to show the pure-heartedness of the good guy, all the while, subliminally degrading the good guy to truly convey my real feelings" -- a la Bengali in Platforms. While you may not agree with this interpretation, you still must aknowledge Morrissey's brilliance, in painting all these subtle colors and suggestions. The final verse of the song is the most deceptivally impressive part of all. The narrator's encouragement and or/ description of the Slum Mum's infanticide leaves more questions than answers -- is this a case of manchausen syndrome by proxy (i.e. is she crazy?) or is she saving her brood from the indignities of a life in the slums? "Which may render you elsewhere..."
"Slum Mums" is a brilliant piece of writing. I love how Morrissey writes in a condescending fashion, attempting to show the inhumanity that many people possess towards those less fortunate. His hopeless words are like a dagger -- no understanding, no love for this Slum Mum. And the effect on the listener is perhaps sorrow for the Slum Mums of the world. Morrissey, of course, isn't that simple though. The near-delight he has while intoning this damnation is so vivid it almost makes one question whether this is a "let's play the bad guy to show the pure-heartedness of the good guy, all the while, subliminally degrading the good guy to truly convey my real feelings" -- a la Bengali in Platforms. While you may not agree with this interpretation, you still must aknowledge Morrissey's brilliance, in painting all these subtle colors and suggestions. The final verse of the song is the most deceptivally impressive part of all. The narrator's encouragement and or/ description of the Slum Mum's infanticide leaves more questions than answers -- is this a case of manchausen syndrome by proxy (i.e. is she crazy?) or is she saving her brood from the indignities of a life in the slums? "Which may render you elsewhere..."