The instrumentation was written by Johnny Marr in summer 1985. Morrissey's vocal performance on this track is considered by many to be one of the finest of his career. The song was originally meant to have trumpet on it during the refrain at the end, but it was scrapped. In the book "Songs That Saved Your Life", Simon Goddard explains that Morrissey did not show his bandmates the lyric until the instrumental track was entirely finished. Marr once described witnessing Morrissey's vocal performance as "one of the highlights of my life".
I Know It's Over
The Smiths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And as I climb into an empty bed
Oh well. Enough said.
I know it's over - still I cling
I don't know where else I can go
Oh...
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
The knife wants to slit me
Do you think you can help me?
Sad veiled bride, please be happy
Handsome groom, give her room
Loud, loutish lover, treat her kindly
(Though she needs you
More than she loves you)
And I know it's over - still I cling
I don't know where else I can go
Over and over and over and over
Over and over, la...
I know it's over
And it never really began
But in my heart it was so real
And you even spoke to me, and said :
"If you're so funny
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
And if you're so clever
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so very entertaining
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so very good-looking
Why do you sleep alone tonight ?
I know...
'Cause tonight is just like any other night
That's why you're on your own tonight
With your triumphs and your charms
While they're in each other's arms..."
It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind
Over, over, over, over
It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes guts to be gentle and kind
Over, over
Love is natural and real
But not for you, my love
Not tonight, my love
Love is natural and real
But not for such as you and I, my love
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my ...
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can even feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my...
The Smiths' song "I Know It's Over" is a melancholic and powerful ballad that portrays the angst of a young man who feels alone, neglected and overwhelmed by life's challenges. The song begins with a slow and haunting melody accompanied by Morrissey's powerful voice, singing: "Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head. And as I climb into an empty bed, oh well, enough said. I know it's over - still I cling. I don't know where else I can go". These lines can be interpreted as the singer's recognition of his mortality and the inevitability of death. The line "I don't know where else I can go" suggests that he feels trapped and helpless, unable to escape his fate.
In the second verse, the singer talks about his desire to end his suffering and questions his ability to endure it. He sings "See, the sea wants to take me. The knife wants to slit me. Do you think you can help me?" These lines suggest that the singer is suicidal and desperate for help from anyone who can offer it. However, the third verse sees Morrissey addressing a "sad veiled bride," a "handsome groom," and a "loud, loutish lover" as if offering them advice on how to treat their partner. He seeks kindness and understanding, noting that love is natural and real, but not for him tonight.
In conclusion, "I Know It's Over" is an intense and poetic song that explores themes of loss, loneliness, and despair. It reflects on the harsh realities of life and the fragility of human existence. The song's powerful and emotional lyrics are accompanied by a haunting melody that creates a somber and introspective mood, making it one of The Smiths' most memorable compositions.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
I am metaphorically being buried alive, with neither the sea nor the knife for mercy.
And as I climb into an empty bed
I am overcome with loneliness and heartbreak.
Oh well. Enough said.
I have resigned myself to my fate and have nothing further to say.
I know it's over - still I cling
Despite knowing that our relationship is finished, I am unable to let go.
I don't know where else I can go
I am lost and don't know how to move on.
Sad veiled bride, please be happy
I implore my former lover to find happiness despite the end of our relationship.
Handsome groom, give her room
I ask the new partner of my former lover to give them space.
Loud, loutish lover, treat her kindly
I ask my former lover's new partner, even if they don’t love her as much as I did, to treat her with kindness.
(Though she needs you
More than she loves you)
I acknowledge that my former lover needs her new partner more than she loves him.
And it never really began
But in my heart it was so real
And you even spoke to me, and said :
Our relationship never really got off the ground, but I believed in it so deeply. You even gave me some measure of hope.
"If you're so funny
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so clever
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so very entertaining
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so very good-looking
Why do you sleep alone tonight ?
You once challenged me, questioning if I'm so great, then why am I alone tonight.
'Cause tonight is just like any other night
That's why you're on your own tonight
With your triumphs and your charms
While they're in each other's arms..."
I lament that tonight is not special, the same as any other, and you are not with me, but with someone else.
It takes strength to be gentle and kind
Being gentle and kind in the face of heartbreak and loss requires great inner strength.
Love is natural and real
But not for you, my love
Not tonight, my love
Love is natural and real
But not for such as you and I, my love
I mourn the loss of what could have been natural and real love, but accept that it was never meant to be for us.
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can even feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my...
I repeat my sense of being buried alive, expressing my overwhelming grief and loss.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HardyJap
"If you're so funny
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
And if you're so clever
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so very entertaining
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so very good-looking
Why do you sleep alone tonight ?
I know...
'Cause tonight is just like any other night
That's why you're on your own tonight
With your triumphs and your charms
While they're in each other's arms..."
@mkn.567
what is truly amazing is the dimensions to this song. It isn't just, "I miss her. The world is cruel. I wanna die." It touches on a break-up (that possibly never even existed) as a metaphor for dying and being buried while plaintively calling for your mother. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with literally wanting your mother, but just a regression to an infantile state of vulnerability in need of succor; remember the quote: "Mother is the name for god on the lips and hearts of all children."
It then focuses on the idea of the break-up as a natural phenomenon: the sea, before turning it into a blade, and it all has bad intentions.
Then into an anecdote about a couple on their wedding day and dispelling that their marriage has anything to do with love and more with dependency.
Then the catechism that every single person has to go through in their most private and quiet moments as they return home to an empty apartment: Why are you (still) alone?
And it's most introspective and pessimistic, it comes in with a morale and moral boost, defining what it really means to be strong, being gentle and kind.
But then it just kicks you in the balls with clearly emphasizing that there is no outcome in which the protagonist and the object of their affection can ever be together, before ending the way it starts.
This song almost shouldn't work to be quite honest. There is too much going on!
But it does work and in such brutal way. It exposes so much of you that it almost feels like a violation, like, "How dare you express what I'm feeling before I am even sure what I'm feeling?"
@rebekahortiz471
Lyrics
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
And as I climb into an empty bed
Oh well. Enough said.
I know it's over - still I cling
I don't know where else I can go
Oh...
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
See, the sea wants to take me
The knife wants to slit me
Do you think you can help me?
Sad veiled bride, please be happy
Handsome groom, give her room
Loud, loutish lover, treat her kindly
(Though she needs you
More than she loves you)
And I know it's over - still I cling
I don't know where else I can go
Over and over and over and over
Over and over, la...
I know it's over
And it never really began
But in my heart it was so real
And you even spoke to me, and said :
"If you're so funny
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
And if you're so clever
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so very entertaining
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you're so very good-looking
Why do you sleep alone tonight ?
I know...
'Cause tonight is just like any other night
That's why you're on your own tonight
With your triumphs and your charms
While they're in each other's arms..."
It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind
Over, over, over, over
It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes guts to be gentle and kind
Over, over
Love is natural and real
But not for you, my love
Not tonight, my love
Love is natural and real
But not for such as you and I, my love
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my ...
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can even feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my...
@arisduh
"I know it's over and it never really began, but in my heart it was so real."
@hitamed2610
Lovely
@arisduh
@William Jones Yep. Thank you, William Jones for your very insightful comment!
@amandacunningham1783
@@arisduh Be kind. Always xx
@rattatouilletherat
We live in a society
@moirmurray6799
I saw morrissey sing this 10 years ago,couldn't believe it,box ticked
@duckal69
"It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind" dude, THIS IS JUST BEAUTIFUL
@hastur_
@dani cali why would you care about "most people"
@kiracarver988
@dani cali well I'd like to point out that Moz himself is far from gentle and kind.
And in case you take this personally, remember you can really enjoy someone's art while also thinking critically about what sort of person they are.
@julianaferrone8734
Yes it's just absolutely beautiful