"Your Arsenal": album, 1992, Morrissey
Your Arsenal, released in July 1992, signified a slight change in direction for Morrissey. Packed with distortion-drenched guitar riffs and melodramatic old-style anthems, this excellent album remains curiously unloved by some of the fan fraternity.
Morrissey continues in his talent for humour, with the bathos of "You're The One For Me, Fatty" and the deep irony of "You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side". These tracks are presented along with incongruously introspective songs, such as the sublime "We'll Let You Know", to absolutely brilliant effect. The album as a whole fits together perfectly, creating an album second only in composition to Vauxhall And I.
This album spawned some of Morrissey's strongest singles, like the controversial "The National Front Disco", and the tuneful (and ridiculously-titled) "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful".
The title is an amalgam of puns : the obvious "Your Arse", and a reference to the football team Arsenal, as well as possibly referring to opposing music critics.
This album is unusual in that a lyric sheet is not provided with the packaging. Whether this is at the record company's request (considering the nature of some of the lyrics) or for some personal reason remains unknown.
YOU'RE GONNA NEED SOMEONE ON YOUR SIDE
With the world's fate
Resting on your shoulder
You're gonna need
Someone on your side
You can't do it by yourself
Any longer
You're gonna need
Someone on your side
Someone kindly told me
That you'd wasted
Eight of nine lives
Oh, give yourself a break
Before you break down
You're gonna need someone on your side
And here I am, And here I am
Well, you don't need
To look so pleased !
Day or night,
There is no difference
You're gonna need someone on your side
Day or night,
There is no difference
You're gonna need someone soon
And here I am, And here I am
Well, you don't need
To look so pleased
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First day with the jar
You find
Everyone lies
First day with the jar
You find
Everyone lies, nobody minds
Everyone lies
Where is the man you respect ?
And where is the woman you love ?
Where's the woman you love ?
Third week with the jar
You find
Everything dies
We won't vote Conservative
Because we never have
Everyone lies, everyone lies
Where is the man you respect ?
And where is the woman you love ?
Where's the woman you love ?
Everything of worth
On Earth Is there To share
I used to dream, and I used to vow
I wouldn't dream of it now
We look to Los Angeles
For the language we use
London is dead, London is dead, London is dead...
Now I'm too much in love
I'm too much in love
I know
I'll go
Empty hand
From the land
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How sad are we ?
And how sad have we been ?
We'll let you know
We'll let you know
Oh, but only if - you're really interested
You wonder how
We've stayed alive 'till now
We'll let you know
We'll let you know
But only if - you're really interested
We're all smiles
Then, honest, I swear, it's the turnstiles
That make us hostile
Oh ...
We will descend
On anyone unable to defend
Themselves
Oh ...
And the songs we sing
They're not supposed to mean a thing
La, la, la, la ...
Oh ...You're lonely, Oh ... you're lonely, Oh ...
GET OFF THE ROOF ! Oh ...
Your Arsenal !
We may seem cold, or
We may even be
The most depressing people you've ever known
At heart, what's left, we sadly know
That we are the last truly British people you'll ever know
We are the last truly British people you will ever know
You'll never never want to know
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David, the wind blows
The wind blows ...
Bits of your life away
Your friends all say ...
"Where is our boy ? Oh, we've lost our boy"
But they should know
Where you've gone
Because again and again you've explained that
You're going to ...
Oh, you're going to ...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
England for the English !
England for the English !
David, the winds blow
The winds blow ...
All of my dreams away
And I still say :
"Where is our boy ? Ah, we've lost our boy"
But I should know
Why you've gone
Because again and again you've explained
You've gone to the ...
National, ah ...
To the National ..
There's a country; you don't live there
But one day you would like to
And if you show them what you're made of
Oh, then you might do ...
But David, we wonder
We wonder if the thunder
Is ever really gonna begin
Begin, begin
Your mom says :
"I've lost my boy"
But she should know
Why you've gone
Because again and again you've explained
You've gone to the :
National
To the National
To the National Front Disco
Because you want the day to come sooner
You want the day to come sooner
You want the day to come sooner
When you've settled the score
Oh, the National
Oh, the National
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I take the cue from
Certain people I know
I use the cue
And then I
Hand it on to you
And when I swing it
So, it catches his eye ...
(Weren't you there ?
- You'd have died !)
I trust the views of
Certain people I know
They look at Danger
And they
LAUGH THEIR HEADS OFF
Their clothes are Imitation
George the 23rd
(Don't you find this absurd ?)
I'd hate to be like
Certain people I know
They break their necks
And can't afford to
Get them fixed
Ah, they'd sacrifice all
Of their principles for
anything cashable
I do believe it's terrible
Oh, wo, wo, Ah, ah, ah, ah, Oh, wo, wo...
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WE HATE IT WHEN OUR FRIENDS BECOME SUCCESSFUL
We hate it when our friends
become successful
We hate it when our friends become successful
Oh, look at those clothes
Now look at that face, it's so old
And such a video !
Well, it's really laughable
Ha, ha, ha ...
We hate it when our friends become successful
And if they're Northern, that makes it even worse
And if we can destroy them
You bet your life we will
Destroy them
If we can hurt them
Well, we may as well ...
It's really laughable
Ha, ha, ha ...
You see, it should've been me
It could've been me
Everybody knows
Everybody says so
They say :
"Ah, you have loads of songs
So many songs
More songs than they'd stand
Verse
Chorus
Middle eight
Break, fade
Just listen ..."
La, la-la, la-la
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You're the One for me, fatty
You're the One I really, really love
And I will stay
Promise you'll say
If I'm in your way
You're the One for me, fatty
You're the One I really, really love
And I will stay
Promise you'll say
If I'm ever in your ...
A-hey
All over Battersea
Some hope; and some despair
All over Battersea
Some hope; and some despair
Oh ... You're the One for me, fatty
You're the One I really, really love
And I will stay
Promise you'll say
If I'm in your way
You're the One for me, fatty
You're the One I really, really love
And I will stay
Promise you'll say
If I'm ever in your ...
A-hey
All over Battersea
Some hope; and some despair
All over Battersea
Some hope; and some despair
Oh, oh ... You're the One for me, fatty
You're the One I really, really love
And I will stay
Promise you'll say
If I'm ever in your way
A-hey
You're the One for me, fatty
You're the One for me, a-hey-hey
A-hey A-hey A-hey A-he-he-he-hey
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I am a poor freezingly cold
soul
So far from where
I intended to go
Scavenging through life's very constant lulls
So far from where I'm determined to go
Wish I knew the way to reach the one I love
There is no way ...
Wish I had the charm to attract the one I love
But you see, I've got no charm
Mmm...
Tonight I've consumed much more than I can hold
Oh, this is very clear to you
And you can tell I have never really loved
You can tell, by the way, I sleep all day
And all of my life no-one gave me anything
No-one has ever given me anything
My love is as sharp as a needle in your eye
You must be such a fool
To pass me by
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I KNOW IT'S GONNA HAPPEN SOMEDAY
My love, wherever you are
Whatever you are
Don't lose faith
I know it's gonna happen someday
To you
Please wait ... Please wait ... Oh ... Wait ...
Don't lose faith
You say that the day just never arrives
And it's never seemed so far away
Still, I know it's gonna happen someday
To you
Please wait ...
Don't lose faith
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Tomorrow
Will it really come ?
And if it does come
Will I still be Human ?
All I ask of you is one thing that you never do
Would you put your arms around me ?
(I won't tell anyone)
Tomorrow
Does it have to come ?
All I ask of you is one thing that you'll never do
Would you put your arms around me ?
(I won't tell anybody)
Tomorrow
And what must come before ...
Oh, the pain in my arms
Oh, the pain in my legs
Ooh, my shiftless body
Tomorrow
It's surely nearer now ?
You don't think I'll make it
I never said I wanted to !
Well did I ?
Oh, the pain in my arms
Oh, the pain in my legs
Oh, yeah; oh, yeah, No, yeah; no, yeah
Through my shiftless body
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
All I ask of you ... oh ...
Is : would you tell me that you love me
Tell me, tell me that you love me, Tell me, tell me that you love
me ...
Ah, I know you don't mean it
Ah, I know you don't mean it
Tell me, tell me that you love me, Tell me, tell me that you love
me ...
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Other albums with all songs and lyrics:
The Smiths:
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Morrissey:
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This Page was created by David Rapava
22 May 1998