The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records in 1983 and released their first album, The Smiths, in 1984. They based their songs on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Marr. Their focus on a guitar, bass, and drum sound and a fusion of 1960s rock and post-punk was a rejection of the synth-pop sound that was predominant at the time. Several Smiths singles reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, and all their studio albums reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart, including the number-one album Meat Is Murder (1985). They achieved mainstream success in Europe with The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), both of which entered the top 20 of the European Albums Chart.
Internal tensions led to the Smiths' breakup in 1987, followed by public lawsuits over royalties. Their live album Rank (1988) reached the top 10 in Europe. Since the band's dissolution, the members have refused offers to reunite and have all separately stated that the band is finished and will never reunite.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths
Studio albums
The Smiths (1984)
Meat Is Murder (1985)
The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
I Don't Owe You Anything
The Smiths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A nod was the first step
You knew very well
What was coming next
Bought on stolen wine
A nod was the first step
You knew very well
Did I really walk all this way
Just to hear you say :
"Oh, I don't want to go out tonight" ?
"Oh, I don't want to go out tonight"
Oh, but you will
For you must
I don't owe you anything, no
But you owe me something
Repay me now
You should never go to them
Let them come to you
Just like I do
Just like I do
You should not go to them
Let them come to you
Just like I do
Just like I do
Did I really walk all this way
Just to hear you say :
"Oh, I don't want to go out tonight" ?
"Oh, I don't want to go out tonight"
But you will
For you must
I don't owe you anything, no
But you owe me something
Repay me now
Too freely on your lips
Words prematurely sad
Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight
Life is never kind
Life is never kind
Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight
The lyrics of The Smiths' song "I Don't Owe You Anything" are a perfect example of Morrissey's way of expressing his feelings through his music. The song's theme revolves around the expectations we have from our loved ones and how we feel hurt when they fail to fulfill them. The lines "Did I really walk all this way just to hear you say: 'Oh, I don't want to go out tonight'" is a poignant reflection of feeling let down by someone who was counted on to keep their end of the bargain.
The lyrics of the song seem to be addressing someone who has taken advantage of Morrissey's (or the singer's) dependability in the past, and now they demand something from him. Morrissey sings, "I don't owe you anything, no/but you owe me something/repay me now," which alludes to the fact that he has suffered due to a one-sided relationship and now wants his dues.
The song's title, "I Don't Owe You Anything," is Morrissey's way of asserting that he won't be manipulated or coerced into doing something he doesn't want. The repeating lines of "Let them come to you/Just like I do" also underscore how one-sided relationships can be harmful and how one person's emotional vulnerability can be taken advantage of. The song is a powerful statement of Morrissey's independence, self-awareness, and determination to stand up for what he believes in.
Line by Line Meaning
Bought on stolen wine
I obtained this under questionable means
A nod was the first step
You signaled your intentions with a nod at the beginning
You knew very well
You were aware of what was to happen
What was coming next
The inevitable outcome that we both knew would occur
Did I really walk all this way
I pondered the journey that I made to see you
Just to hear you say : "Oh, I don't want to go out tonight" ?
I made an effort to come see you, and you dismissed me
Oh, but you will
You may not want to, but you will do what must be done
For you must
It is necessary for you to act accordingly
I don't owe you anything, no
I have fulfilled my obligations, and do not owe you anything
But you owe me something
You have a debt to pay
Repay me now
The debt must be settled immediately
You should never go to them
Don't seek out others, let them come to you
Let them come to you
It's better to let others initiate interaction with you
Too freely on your lips
You speak carelessly and without consideration
Words prematurely sad
You express sadness or negativity before it's warranted
Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight
I have something that will cheer you up, despite life's hardships
Life is never kind
Life can be harsh and unforgiving
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@musicismyradar2993
Bought on stolen wine
A nod was the first step
You knew very well, what was coming next
Bought on stolen wine
Oh, a nod was the first step
You knew very well, what was coming next
Did I really walk all this way
Just to hear you say?
Oh, I don't want to go out tonight
Oh, I don't want to go out tonight
Oh, but you will
For you must
I don't owe you anything, no
But you owe me something
Repay me now
You should never go to them
Let them come to you
Just like I do
Just like I do
You should not go to them
Let them come to you
Just like I do
Just like I do
But did I really walk all this way
Just to hear you say?
Oh, I don't want to go out tonight
Oh, I don't want to go out tonight
But you will
For you must
I don't owe you anything, no
But you owe me something
Repay me now
Too freely on your lips
Words prematurely sad
Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight
Life is never kind
Life is never kind
Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight
@stanettiels7367
@Mark Hollandsworth
Yeah I know how you feel. There was this girl, a girl who was born in the UK to German parents. Her father was a German teacher in our school and his daughter was beautiful. They were wealthy too and I was from a working class family. They lived in a mansion compared to me and in a really affluent part of town. She was quite spoiled and would have her parents wrapped around her finger and when we were on school holidays, her parents and younger brother would go to Germany for a week at a time to visit family still in Germany and leave her home to look after the house.
Well as you can imagine, about 15 of us boys and girls would practically live in her mansion for the entire week. We’d eat there, shower there, take our clothes there. We literally lived there. Her parents would leave her all the money she’d need (I’m talking thousands of pounds) for food, etc, and would never question her. So food and alcohol were aplenty. We’d have week long parties and sleepovers there and they are some of my best memories. We’d be BBQing and drinking all summer there.
Anyway, we (the daughter and myself) grew very close. Her parents looked down on me because I was relatively poor. I’d lost my birth mother to cancer by two years old and my father had remarried. Unfortunately my step mother, who I classed as my real mother because I’d grown up only really knowing her as such, she had an asthma attack and dropped dead in front of me when I was nine years old. My point being, my father was a single, working parent of four children from his first wife (my mother) and two step children from his second marriage. Money was extremely tight but we were well raised to be polite and courteous and our grandparents helped a lot. I bring this up only to paint the picture. Me and this girl were worlds apart but found ourselves together. My family were not dirt poor: we were dressed in our Adidas and Kickers boots, Levi’s, etc. We scrubbed up well, put it that way, but I digress.
We spent a lot of time together and were merely friends, but the German girls cousin actually had a thing for me and I liked her too. But the more time we spent together, me and the German girl, we started to get closer. We’d often go out drinking up some mountain or somewhere out of the way and on our walks home, me and the German girl would split away from the group. Just walk together and chat. It was becoming clear that we fancied each other. But her cousin was a lovely girl and neither of us wanted to hurt her, so we kept putting it off.
Then those times when her parents were home from Germany, we’d spend hours talking on the phone. She had a phone in her bedroom (at 16 years old, back in ‘98ish, which was unheard of) and she’d call me. She’d wait for her parents to go to bed and I’d go to her house and chip her bedroom window (throw little chippings at the window to let her know I was outside) and she’d sneak out to meet me and she’d always leave it to me to steal booze from home so we could have a cheeky drink, and we’d just walk until the early hours. We’d always resist becoming intimate though, because of her cousin. Then one night on one of our walks, she made the move. Only a kiss, but it was amazing. It was a year in the making. I actually have butterflies typing it out. This went on for a few months, just sneaking around and meeting up. It never went any further than the kiss, though.
Anyway, after one particularly long phone call, she asked me to meet her and to bring something nice (a bottle of wine instead of the usual, harsh vodka or some other spirits) and after the really intimate conversation we’d had (nothing sexual, just really intense. Her telling me we had to go further and she’d tell her cousin that she liked me and we’d stop hiding it and being in denial) I thought “yes, this is what I’ve been waiting for.”
So she asked me to chip her window at about 10pm. It was a really nice summer night. So I go, bottle of red wine in hand, and chip her window. No answer. It’s not like today with everyone having mobile phones, so I was outside for half an hour thinking her parents have got her doing something, so I kept chipping away. Finally she comes to her bedroom window and I say;
“You ok? I got the wine, I’ll sit on the wall and wait for you.”
She says;
“I can’t come out tonight.”
I couldn’t believe it. I was like;
“I’ve just walked all this way for you to say you’re not coming out. Why ask me if you’re just going to do that?”
I was hurt. She was being really offish and I couldn’t understand.
She was saying;
“I can’t explain now but I can’t come out.”
So I said;
“So you’ve made me walk all this way to tell me you’re not coming out tonight?”
Then it became clear when her cousin came to the window. I said to her cousin;
“You ok, Sarah?”
What had happened was her cousins parents had decided to stay in so Sarah didn’t have to babysit. So she’d just turned up at Gabi’s house for a sleepover. It became clear to me then that Gabi would not hurt her cousin. I was devastated but respected her. I never bothered with her again. We were still friends and would talk in passing, but that intimacy never returned.
I bumped into her in a pub in our early thirties and we were talking about those times. She said she regretted it and I was the one that she let get away. I felt the same but we’d moved on. I’d been with my girlfriend for about ten years by this point (and I’m still with the same girlfriend). I bought Gabi a drink and I’ve never seen her since that night. The memories I will never forget, though.
You said you liked those stories, so I thought I’d share why this song reminds me so vividly of a specific time in my life. Sorry for the essay. 👍🏻👍🏻.
@AlexAnder-xe1hf
Bought on stolen wine
A nod was the first step
You knew very well
What was coming next
Bought on stolen wine
A nod was the first step
You knew very well
What was coming next
Did I really walk all this way
Just to hear you say :
"Oh, I don't want to go out tonight" ?
"Oh, I don't want to go out tonight"
Oh, but you will
For you must
I don't owe you anything, no
But you owe me something
Repay me now
You should never go to them
Let them come to you
Just like I do
Just like I do
You should not go to them
Let them come to you
Just like I do
Just like I do
Did I really walk all this way
Just to hear you say :
"Oh, I don't want to go out tonight" ?
"Oh, I don't want to go out tonight"
But you will
For you must
I don't owe you anything, no
But you owe me something
Repay me now
Too freely on your lips
Words prematurely sad
Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight
Life is never kind
Life is never kind
Oh, but I know what will make you smile tonight
@rogeriodossantos3074
Minha adolescência ficou marcada neste álbum, hoje 51 anos, mesma emoção.
@donellwilliams1024
It's such a gentle song and I'm convinced it's some of Morrisey's best work vocally. I think we truly underestimate just how literary he is on this record, it's brilliant really.
@christiankjaer9286
He denounced this song too which is just crazy to me bcs it’s such a good song
@donellwilliams1024
@Christian Kjaer Dude, it's a brilliant song. I genuinely think it's my favourite Smith's number. I didn't even know he wasn't on board with this song wtf
@michaelscottspapercompany6373
Almost all of his songs including other albums are literary. He put his thoughts and politics in his songs in other albums as well. Such as meat is murder, last night i dreamt somebody loved me, this night has opened my eyes. Talking about not killing animals, discussing the impact of abortion, and playing the coal miners strike audio before he sings is legendary.
@donellwilliams1024
@Michael Scott ‘s Paper Company There's nothing inherently literary about political views in music, or any art at all for that matter, but I appreciate the sentiment and, further, get your point.
@michaelscottspapercompany6373
@Donell Williams Literary=literature. Very wide spectrum and general topic. Thanks for your response though.
@ElizabethGarcia-mh6ep
The smiths music just makes me wanna dance but at the same time I wanna lay in my bed and think
@sixT4T
you mean fap...
@happymedz5987
Think about what girl?