"The World Won't Listen", The Smiths


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PANIC

Panic on the streets of London
Panic on the streets of Birmingham
I wonder to myself
Could life ever be sane again
on the Leeds side-streets that you slip down
I wonder to myself
Hopes may rise on the Grasmeres
But Honey Pie, you're not safe here
So you run down
To the safety of the town
But there's Panic on the streets of Carlisle
Dublin, Dundee, Humberside
I wonder to myself
Burn down the Disco
Hang the blessed D.J.
Because the music that they constantly play
IT SAYS NOTHING TO ME ABOUT MY LIFE
Hang the blessed D.J.
Because the music they constantly play
On the Leeds side-streets that you slip down
On the provincial towns that you jog 'round
Hang the D.J.,. Hang the D.J.,.Hang the D.J...

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ASK

Shyness is nice, but
Shyness can stop you
From doing all the things in life
That you'd like to
So, if there's something you'd like to try
ASK ME-I WON'T SAY "NO"-HOW COULD I?
Coyness is nice, but ,
Coyness can stop you
from saying all the things in
life that you want to
If there's something that you'd like to try
ASK ME-I WON'TSAY"NO"-HOW COULD I?
Spending warm, Summer days indoors
Writing fringhtening verse
To a buck-toothed girl in Luxembourg
ASK ME, ASK ME ,ASK ME, ASK ME, ASK ME ,ASK ME
Because if it's not Love
Then it's the Bomb
That will bring us together
Nature is a language-can't you read?
Nature is a language-can't you read?
ASK ME, ASK ME ,ASK ME, ASK ME, ASK ME ,ASK ME
Because if it's not Love
Then it's the Bomb
That will bring us together

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LONDON

Smoke
Lingers 'round your fingers
Train
Heave on - to Euston
Do you think you've made
The right decision this time?
You left
Your tired family grieving
And you think they're sad because you're leaving
But didn't you see the Jealousy in the eyes
Of the ones who had to stay behind?
And do you think you've made
The right decision thins time?
You left
Your girlfriend on the platform
With thei really ragged notion that you'll return
But she knows
That when he goes
He really goes
So do you think you've made
The right decision this time?

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BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN

Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
when I said Id like to smash every tooth
in your head
Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
when I said by right s you should be
bludgeoned in your bed
and now I know how Joan of Arc felt
now I know how Joan of Arc felt
as the flames roseto her roman nose
and her Walkman stared to melt
Bibmouth, bigmouth
bigmouth strikes again
and Ive got no right to take my place
with the Human race
and now I know how Joan of Arc felt
now I know of Joan of Arc felt
as the flames rose to her roman nose
and her hearing aid started to melt
Bigmouth, bigmouth
bigmouth strikes again
and Ive got no right to take my place
with the Human race

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SHAKESPEARE'S SISTER

Young bones groan
And the rocks below, say:
"throw your skinny body down, son "
But I am going to meet the one I love
So, please don't stand in my way
Because I'm going to meet the one I love
No, Mamma, let me go!
Young bones groan
And the rocks below, say:
"Throw you white bidy down"
But I am going to meet the one I love
At last! At last ! At last !
I am going to meet the one I love
La-de-da, la-de-da
No, Mamma, let me go !
I thought that if you had
An acoustic guitar
Then it meant that you were
A Protest Singerr
Oh I can smile about it now
But at the time it was terrible
No, Mamma. let me go

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THERE IA A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT

Take me out tonight
where there's music and there's people
who are young and alive
driving in your car
I never never want to go home
because I havent got one
anymore
take me out tonight
because I want to see people and I
want to see lights
driving in your car
oh please dont drop me home
because it's not my home, it's their
home, and Im welcome no morw
and if a double-decker bus
crashes in to us
to die by your side
such a heavenly way to die
and if a ten ton truck
kills the both of us
to die by your side
the pleasure and the privilege is mine
take me out tonight
oh take me anywhere, I dont care
and in the darken underpass
I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last
(but then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask)
take me out tonight
take me anywhere, I dont care
just driving in your car
I never never want to go home
because I havent got one
I havent got one.

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SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD UNITE

Learn to love me
Assemble the ways
Now, today, tomorrow and always
My only weakness is a list of crimes
My only weakness is...well, never mind
Shoplifters of the world
Unite and take over
Shoplifters of the world
Hand it over, Hand it over, Hand it over
Learn to love me
Assemble th e ways
Now, today, tomorrow and always
My only weakness is a listed crime
But last night the plans of a future war
Was all I saw on Channel Four
Shoplifters of the world
Unite and take over
Shoplifters of the World
Hand it over, Hand it over, Hand it over
A heartless hand on my shoulder
A push-and it's over
Alabaster crashes down
(Six months is a long time )
I tried living in the real world
Instead of a shell
But I was bored before I even began
I was bored before I even began
Shoplifters of the world
Unite and take over...

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THE BOY WITH THE THORN IN HIS SIDE

The boy with the thorn in his side
behind the hatred there lies
a murderous desire for love
how can they look into my eyes
and still they dont believe me
how can they hear me say those words
and still they dont believe me
and if they don't believe me now
will they ever believe me?
and if they don't believe me now
will they ever believe me?
The boy with the thorn in his side
behind the hatred there lies
a plundering desire for love
how can they see the Love in our eyes
and still they don't believe us
and after all this time
they don't want to believe us
and if they dont believe us now
will they ever believe us ?
andd when you want to Live
how do you start ?
where do you go ?
who do you know?

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ASLEEP

Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I'm tired and I
I want to go to bed
Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
And then leave me alone
Don't try to wake me in the morning
"Cause I will be gone
Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I will feel so glad to go
Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I don't want to wake up
On my own anymore
Sing to me, Sing to me
I don't want to wake up
On my own anymore
Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I really want to go
There is another world
There is a better world
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Bye bye

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UNLOVEABLE

I know I'm unloveable
You don't have tpo tell me
I don't have much in my life
But take it-it's yours
I know I'm unloveable
You don't have to tell me
Message received
Loud and clear
I don't have much in my life
But take it-it's yours
I wear Black on the outside
Because Black is how I feel on the inside
And if I seem a little strange Well, that's because I am
But I know that you would like me
If only you could see me
If only you would meet me

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HALF A PERSON

Call me morbid, call me pale
I've spent six years on your trail
Six long years on your trail
Call me morbid, call me pale
I've spent six years on your trail
Six full years of my life on your trail
And if you have five seconds to spare
Then I'll tell you the story of my life:
Sixteen, clumsy and shy
I went to London and I
I booked myself in at the Y...W.C.A
I said: "I like it here...can I stay?
I like it here can I stay?
And, do you have a vacancy
For a Back-scrubber?"
She was left behind, and sour
And she wrote to me on the hour
She said: "In the days when you were
hopelessly poor
I just liked you more..."
So if you have five seconds to spare
Then I'll tell you the story of my life:
Sixteen, clumsy and shy
I went to London and I
I booked myself in at the Y...W.C.A
I said: "I like it here...can I stay?
I like it here can I stay?
And, do you have a vacancy
For a Back-scrubber?"Call me morbid call me pale
I've spent too long on your tail
Far too long
Chasing your tail
And if you have five seconds to spare
Then I'll tell you the story of my life:
Sixteen, clumsy and shy
That's the story of my life
Sixteen, clumsy and shy
The story of my life
That's the story of my life
That's the story of my life

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STRETCH OUT AND WAIT

Off the high-rise estate
What's at the back of your mind
Your face I can see
And it's desperately kind
But what's at the back of your mind?
Two icy-cold hands conducting the way
It's the Eskimo blood in my veins
Amid concrete and clay
And general decay
Nature must still find away
So ignore all; the codes of the day
Let your juvenile impulses sway
This way and that way
This way and that way
God, how sex implores you
To let yourself lose yourself
Stretch out and wait
Stretch out and wait
Let you puny body lie down, lie down
As we lie, you say
As we lie, you say
Strectch out and wait
Strectch out and wait
Let you puny body lie down, lie down
As we lie, you say:
Will the world end in the day time?
(I really don't know )
Or will the world end in the night time?
(I really don't know)
And is there any point ever having children ?
I really don't klnow
All I do know is that we're Here and it's Know
So stretch out and wait
Strectch out and wait
There is no debate, no debate, no debate
How can you consciously contempplate
When there's no debate, no debate
Stretch out and wait

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THAT JOKE ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE

Park the car at the side of the road
you should know
time's tide will smother you
and I will too
when you laugh about other people who feel so
very lonely
their only desire is to die
well I'm afraid
it doesn't make me smile
I wish I could laugh
but that joke isn't funny anymore
it's too close to home
and it's too near the bone
it's too close to home
and it's too near the bone
more than you'll ever know
It was dark as I drove the point home
and on cold leather seats
well, it suddenly struck me
I just might die with a smile on my
face after all
I've seen this happen in other people's lives
and now it's happening in mine

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OSCILLATE WILDLY

This is a scintillating instrumental for which Morrissey supplied only the title,
a pun on his enigmatic hero Oscar Wilde. I do feel that this song is much better
as an instrumental in many ways; it has a sort of soundtrack warmth to it that
means it is perfectly able to impress as mere musical backing. It's almost as
if it's more enigmatic left as it is.
 
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YOU JUST HAVEN'T EARNED IT YET, BABY

If you're windering why
All the lovethat you long for eludes you
And people are rude and cruel to you
I'll tell you why, I'll tell you why, I'll tell you why
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
You just haven't earned it yet, son
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
You must suffer and cry for a longer time
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
And I'm telling you now
If you're wondering why
When all I wanted from life is to be Famous
I have tried so long, it's all gone wrong
I'll tell you why, I'll tell you why, I'll tell you why
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
You just haven't earned it yet, son
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
You must suffer and cry for a longer time
You just haven't earned it yet, Baby
And I'm telling you now
Today I am remembering the time
When they pulled me back
And held me down
And looked me in the eyes and said
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
You just haven't earned it yet, son
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
You must suffer and cry for a longer time
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
And I'm telling you now.

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RUBBER RING

A sad fact widely known
How the most impassionate song
To a lonely soul
Is so easily outgrown
But don't forget the songs
That made you smile
And the songs that made you cry
When you lay in awe
On the bedroom floor
And said: "Oh, smother me, Mother..."
The passing of time
And of all its crimes
Is making me sad again
The passing of time
And all of its sickening crimes
Is making me sad again
But don't forget the songs
That made you cry
And the songs that saved your life
Yes, you're older now
And you're a cleaver swine
But they were the only ones that stood by you
The passing of time leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled
The passing of time
Leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled
I'm here with a cause
I'm holding a torch
In the corner of your room
Can you hear me?
And when you're dancing and laughing
And finally living
Hear my voice in your head
And think of me kindly
Do you
Love me like you used to ?

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Other albums with all songs and lyrics:

The Smiths: Morrissey:

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This Page was created by David Rapava
22 May 1998