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 / What She Said
The Smiths Lyrics
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What she says :
"how come someone hasn't noticed
That I'm dead
And decided to bury me ?
God knows, I'm ready !"
La-la-la
What she said was sad
But then, all the rejection she's had
To pretend to be happy
Could only be idiocy
La-la-la
What she said was not for the job or
Lover that she never had
No no no
What she read
All heady books
She'd sit and prophesise
(it took a tattooed boy from
Birkenhead
To really really open her eyes)
What she read
All heady books
She'd sit and prophesise
(it took a tattooed boy from
Birkenhead
To really really open her eyes)
What she said :
"I smoke because I'm hoping for an
Early death
And I need to cling to something !"
What she said :
"I smoke because I'm hoping for an
Early death
And I need to cling to something !"
No no no no
The lyrics to The Smiths' song Rubber Ring / What She Said offer a poignant insight into the struggles of a woman who feels unnoticed and rejected. The song's narrator describes the woman's statement that nobody has noticed she's dead and decided to bury her as a reflection of her feelings of invisibility and unimportance. She continues, "What she said was sad, but then, all the rejection she's had to pretend to be happy could only be idiocy." The woman's attempts to mask her pain and appear happy despite her struggles are portrayed as foolish and futile.
The song also touches on the woman's reliance on literature and a tattooed boy from Birkenhead to give her a sense of purpose and meaning. "What she read, all heady books, she'd sit and prophesise. It took a tattooed boy from Birkenhead to really, really open her eyes." The woman's search for understanding and connection through books and the tattooed boy are poignant reminders of the human need for companionship and intellectual stimulation.
Finally, the woman's statement that she smokes because she's hoping for an early death and needs to cling to something highlights the desperation and hopelessness of her situation. The song ends with a repetition of this line, driving home its significance and the all-encompassing nature of the woman's pain.
Overall, The Smiths' Rubber Ring / What She Said is a somber reflection on the struggles of those who feel unnoticed, rejected, and hopeless. It speaks to the human need for connection and understanding, and the devastating consequences of being denied these fundamental needs.
Line by Line Meaning
how come someone hasn't noticed
That I'm dead
And decided to bury me ?
God knows, I'm ready !
She feels so rejected and hopeless that she might as well be dead, and wonders why nobody has realized this yet.
What she said was sad
But then, all the rejection she's had
To pretend to be happy
Could only be idiocy
La-la-la
She's feeling so rejected that pretending to be happy would be stupid, even though what she's said is a little sad.
What she said was not for the job or
Lover that she never had
No no no
She's expressing sadness and rejection about something that isn't related to a job or a lover.
What she read
All heady books
She'd sit and prophesise
(it took a tattooed boy from
Birkenhead
To really really open her eyes)
She would read intellectual books all the time and make grandiose predictions about the future until she met a boy from Birkenhead who helped to bring her back to reality and see things more clearly.
"I smoke because I'm hoping for an
Early death
And I need to cling to something !"
She smokes cigarettes as a way of coping with her despair, even if it means she's clinging onto something that will eventually kill her.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind