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)
Rubber Ring
The Smiths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
And said : "Oh, oh, smother me Mother"
No
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La
The passing of time
And all of 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 clever swine
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you
The passing of time leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled (the passing)
The passing of time
Leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled
I'm here with the cause
I'm holding the 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
No
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La
No
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
Do you
Love me like you used to?
Oh
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La
You're clever
Everybody's clever nowadays
You're clever
Everybody's clever nowadays
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
The song "Rubber Ring" by The Smiths is a poetic reflection on the passing of time and the power of music to connect us with our past selves. The song begins with the melancholic observation that the songs that once spoke to our lonely souls can be easily forgotten as we grow older. However, the lyrics encourage us to cherish the songs that have made us smile and cry, as they are important reminders of our emotional history. The line "smother me, Mother" may suggest a desire for the comforting embrace of nostalgia, or perhaps a Freudian longing for the maternal figure.
The second half of the song acknowledges the pain of growing older and the emptiness that can accompany the passage of time. The lyrics suggest that music is a powerful remedy for this sadness, as the songs that once saved us can continue to sustain us throughout our lives. The image of someone holding a torch in the corner of our room implies a persistent presence that can guide us through difficult times. Ultimately, the song concludes on a somewhat wistful and unresolved note, as the singer questions whether their love for another person has endured over time.
Line by Line Meaning
A sad fact widely known
It's a widely known fact that sad songs resonate with lonely souls
The most impassionate song
Sad songs are the most emotionally powerful
To a lonely soul
They resonate specifically with lonely people
Is so easily outgrown
However, people can quickly move on from these songs
But don't forget the songs
But it's important not to forget the emotional impact these songs had
That made you smile
The ones that made you happy
And the songs that made you cry
And the ones that made you sad
When you lay in awe
When you were so overwhelmed by the song's emotions
On the bedroom floor
That you just lay there on the floor
And said : "Oh, oh, smother me Mother"
You felt like the song was smothering you with its emotions
No
And to contrast these powerful emotions, the chorus is simply 'no' and a repeating of the phrase 'rubber ring'
The passing of time
As time goes on
And all of its crimes
And all the negative things that come with it
Is making me sad again
Makes me sad once more
But don't forget the songs
It's important to remember the songs
That made you cry
Especially the ones that made you sad
And the songs that saved your life
And the ones that helped you through tough times
Yes, you're older now
Even though you might be older now
And you're a clever swine
And you might think you're smart
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you
These songs were the only constant things in your life
The passing of time leaves empty lives
As time passes, people become more jaded and lost
Waiting to be filled (the passing)
Hoping to find meaning in their lives as time goes on
I'm here with the cause
But in this moment, the singer is with you
I'm holding the torch
And is holding the flame of emotions
In the corner of your room
Even though you might not see them
Can you hear me?
Can you hear their message?
And when you're dancing and laughing
And when you're out there enjoying life
And finally living
And finally experiencing life
Hear my voice in your head
Remember their message
And think of me kindly
And think of the song positively
Do you
Addressing the listener
Love me like you used to?
Do you still feel the same way about the song?
You're clever
Switching back to talking about the world in general
Everybody's clever nowadays
Everyone thinks they're smart
You are sleeping
Addressing the listener once more
You do not want to believe
You might not want to believe in the message of the song
You are sleeping
Repeating the message
You do not want to believe
Repeating the idea that the listener might want to ignore the song's message
You are sleeping
One final repetition of the message
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HorseGirl4498
A sad fact widely known
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, oh, smother me Mother"
No
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La
The passing of time
And all of 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 clever swine
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you
The passing of time leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled (the passing)
The passing of time
Leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled
I'm here with the cause
I'm holding the 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
No
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La
No
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
Do you
Love me like you used to?
Oh
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La
You're clever
Everybody's clever nowadays
You're clever
Everybody's clever nowadays
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
@roiybenkel682
A sad fact widely known
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, oh, smother me Mother..."
No...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La...
The passing of time
And all of 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 clever swine
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you
The passing of time leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled (the passing...)
The passing of time
Leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled
I'm here with the cause
I'm holding the 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
No...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La...
No...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
Do you
Love me like you used to?
Oh...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La...
You're clever
Everybody's clever nowadays
You're clever
Everybody's clever nowadays
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
@mysticlawlotus
A sad fact widely known
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, oh, smother me Mother"
No
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La
@thesmiths5395
New! The Smiths Spotify Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7sy3NL9RCKUJknQ8fvkdAv?si=t3pvD2P0TlKw8bu1lF5zUg
@cinemageplt
The drumming game in this one is phenomenal, Rourke bass too and Morrissey voice, and the lyrics and... everything is perfect in Rubber Ring. So underrated
@denisewhitney8174
Absolutely. Johnny Marr.
@mustertherohirrim7315
Its all so much much
@F16CBlock52
the bass line is absolutely epic! it works so magnificent and perfectly
@cinemageplt
@@F16CBlock52 So true, one of my favs of the smiths
@F16CBlock52
@@cinemageplt yeah one of my favourite too...cheers from Italy!
@DJ_DKBGD
This is The Smiths songs for the die hard fans. It was penned by Morrissey directly to his fans. He was telling those of us who were miserable and lonely teens to stay strong. He was our only friend but one day we would all get laid, have a social life and be popular. Because it's true, The Smiths songs were the only ones that ever stood by us.
@oscillatewildly6553
Thank you for pointing this out because some"fans" have forgotten these lyrics and could do with a re-listen! "do you love me like you used to?" "But don't forget the songs that made you laugh and the songs that made you cry, Yes you're older now and you're a clever swine but they were the only ones that ever stood by you" ... "I'm here with a cause I'm here with a torch in the corner of the 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". People are claiming to have previously loved him but have now given up on him! It's the "new Thang" to character assassinate, cancel culture. Attention seeking immature and ill informed brats. At least when Morrissey has a bitch about someone or something he either has a reason, or is just being humourous, flippant. Morrissey is still outspoken and outlandish and holds true to his convictions. All those people on the record covers are people he admired, people he loved, people who intrigued him ... At Morrissey concerts you still see back drops featuring some of these people, he practically devoted an entire chapter in his autobiography ripping Julie Birchmore to shreds over something she wrote in the music press years earlier about Patti Smith, whom he is friends with. Julie Birchmore made cruel remarks about her looks, Patti Smith happened to read the article minutes before having to go onstage, she said she felt the pain in every bone of her body. I love that Morrissey never forgot this and many years later when Julie Birchmore requested an interview, he agreed ... Just to get close to the enemy, so he could humiliate her afterwards! I love it when Moz gets bitchy, he's so brilliant at it, he's usually doing it with humour, which some of this generation's fans just don't get ... His humour is very dry ... He once introduced This charming man by saying, very matter of factly, "This is a song about a bicycle". I saw a thread where two Morrissey fans were discussing Morrissey's birth defect, having a big head when he was born, Morrissey wrote this in his autobiography, it was the opening line ... It was his humourous way at having a dig at himself, before anyone else had the chance. They actually thought he was born with an oversized head which caused his mother great pain, hilarious! Long rant over! Thanks for your words, nice to read. I did go off track quite a lot! I hope it's obvious when I'm responding directly and when I'm going on a rant, not aimed at anyone in particular!!!
@yaniggajohn8487
cope and dilate