The Fascinating Turnip

That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore is rather curious because the essence of the lyrics is rather simple, yet they’re remarkably done. The average person might feel like this, but he’ll find it hard to express it in such a verbose way. All in all, it’s as baffling as it’s simple.
A gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar leads you into a monument of a track. Morrissey’s voice arrives, angsty and vulnerable, and somewhere along the line a harsh swooping sound which I can only assume is the work of a synthethizer creates a bit of tension. The recurrent repetition of the chorus is performed with an incredible intensity, full of despair and agony, and is truly moving.
The lyrics, again, deal with something rather simple in a fascinating way:



Many of The Smiths’ lyrics seem to be more visual than they are literal, if I’m making myself understood.
They could be references, as many of them are, but I find that excerpts like “It was dark as I drove the point (...)” and “park the car at the side of the road (...)” don’t have much of a meaning or a connection to the rest of the lyrics, per se. Instead, they set a certain atmosphere, they take you to a certain place which is usually rather appropriate.

The meaning? Well, I believe it’s a rather simple thing. Even if logic shows you that “something” can happen to anyone, lack of experience might suggest otherwise. In a way, this reminds me of What She Said.
Laughing at the hardships of life starts getting a bit more difficult when you’ve been through them.


And here’s the second half, Nowhere Fast. It’s rather tongue-in-cheek, with some of the most witty lyrics in The Smiths’ repertoire. If a day comes when one wishes to hear Morrissey rambling about his desire to drop his trousers to the Queen, this is the song to listen to.
Much like a certain track from the album that followed, it has a bit of criticism directed at the Crown in it, and complaints about his hometown.



Don’t be fooled by the song’s flippant nature. As you could see just then, it has some rather serious moments which I’m quite fond of. The way he speaks of not feeling natural emotions or feeling rather bored with existence in general is again fascinating.
It’s not that it’s something incredibly complex that no one else would manage doing, it was just well done, it’s realistic and it has its charm.

Well I Wonder is a song that took me a while to notice. It’s a melancholy with an acoustic guitar in the background and once again Morrissey providing a great vocal delivery.

The lyrics are a bit of a cliche, perhaps, but I find them absolutely hearbreaking, even if traditionally witty at times:


It’s despair, agony and desire on a rainy day. Superb song.

Barbarism Begins at Home is one of those songs that make people dance involuntarily.
Andy Rourke does an amazing job in this, the funky bassline is incredible.
Need proof? Here you go:


I love that footage.

In any case, Johnny Marr’s guitar work is also amazing, and quite frankly, the whole arrangement seems spot on.

The lyrics aren’t their best, but they remind me of The Headmaster Ritual heavily, are well written and again they have a meaning to them which a lot of people relate to, so couldn't possibly be anywhere near bad:

“Unruly boys
Who will not grow up
Must be taken in hand
Unruly girls
Who will not settle down
They must be taken in hand

A crack on the head
Is what you get for not asking
And a crack on the head
Is what you get for asking

(...)

A crack on the head
Is just what you get
WHY ? Because of who you are !
And a crack on the head
Is just what you get
WHY ? Because of what you are !
A crack on the head
Because of :
Those things you said
Things you said
The things you did

(...)”

Meat Is Murder!

What can I say, the whole album’s characteristic criticism reaches its apotheosis right here.

A rather radical song that while far from being their best has its qualities. The mooing cows and the general melancholy, atmospheric sound are pleasant, but the lyrics are a bit revolting. Purposedly so, infact.
I’m not saying they’re poorly written, they’re just meant to make you feel guilty and disgusted, and they succeed immensely:

Zer0

'Well I Wonder' is my favourite song on the album, the sad melancholic feel of the song gets me every time yet it feels so comforting as well. I love the ending so much where the rain effect comes in and Johnny plays that jangly guitar line over the top, it sounds so perfect and beautiful. Morrissey's vocals are superb thoughout the song, especially before the end where he is singing "Please keep me in mind" with a perfect falsetto. He's really expressing his pain and sadness.

__________________

The Fascinating Turnip

I know, it sounds so genuine, so heartfelt.

I also love that ending, it's fantastic. I would describe it as a "rainy" song regardless of that effect though, do you know what I mean?
On the other hand, it could also be a bit of a joke song.

Seltzer

Meat is Murder is the Smiths album I adore most, and indeed it's been an MB fav for a while. The songwriting is top notch (isn't it always?) and the variation is a definite plus - there's the slow and sombre (That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore), the upbeat yet morbid (Nowhere Fast), the dreamy (How Soon is Now), the funky (Barbarism), and the haunting anguish of the title track.

Nowhere Fast features some of the greatest Smiths lyrics IMO and I totally agree about the verse NND posted... it carries a lot of meaning for me. Some of my other fav lines are:

Scratch my name on your arm with a fountain pen
(This means you really love me)

And if you ever need self-validation
Just meet me in the alley by the railway station

__________________

The Fascinating Turnip

Those two excerpts are rather outstanding. Again, they have that contrast that's all over their lyrics, while being a bit humourous.