Vicar In A Tutu
The Smiths Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was minding my business
Lifting some lead off
The roof of the Holy Name church
It was worthwhile living a laughable life
To set my eyes on the blistering sight
Of a Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way

A scanty bit of a thing
With a decorative ring
That wouldn't cover the head of a goose
As Rose collects the money in a canister
Who comes sliding down the bannister ?
The Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way

The monkish monsignor
With a head full of plaster
Said : "My man, get your vile soul dry-cleaned"
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again
My God!
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh...
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh...

The next day in the pulpit
With freedom and ease
Combatting ignorance, dust, and disease
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again and again and again

In the fabric of a tutu
Any man could get used to
And I am the living sign
And I'm a living sign
I am a living sign
I'm a living sign
I am a living sign
I'm a living sign




Sign
I am a living sign

Overall Meaning

The Smiths' song "Vicar in a Tutu" is about a vicar who enjoys wearing a tutu and dancing flamboyantly. The singer of the song was "lifting some lead off the roof of the Holy Name Church" when he saw the vicar in his tutu. The singer finds the vicar's dancing to be a "blistering sight" and notes that the vicar is not strange, but simply wants to live his life in this way. The song highlights the idea of giving oneself permission to be different and celebrating the freedom to express oneself, even if it goes against social norms and expectations.


As Rose counts the money in a canister, the vicar slides down the bannister and dances with abandon, while the monkish monsignor criticizes him for his decision to wear a tutu. However, despite the monsignor's disapproval, the vicar continues to dance, showing that he is not bound by societal expectations.


The next day, when the vicar is in the pulpit, he again dances with ease and freedom, showing that his tutu and flamboyant dancing are an authentic expression of who he is. Ultimately, the song celebrates the idea of self-expression and encourages listeners to embrace their own unique identity, no matter how unconventional others may perceive it to be.


Line by Line Meaning

I was minding my business
I was doing my own thing


Lifting some lead off
Removing some metal from the roof


The roof of the Holy Name church
The top of a religious building


It was worthwhile living a laughable life
Living a life that others might find ridiculous was still worthwhile


To set my eyes on the blistering sight
To see something amazing


Of a Vicar in a tutu
A religious leader wearing a tutu


He's not strange
The Vicar is not weird


He just wants to live his life this way
He wants to live his life how he chooses


A scanty bit of a thing
A small amount


With a decorative ring
With a ring for decoration


That wouldn't cover the head of a goose
Very small


As Rose collects the money in a canister
A woman named Rose is collecting money in a container


Who comes sliding down the bannister ?
Someone is sliding down a handrail


The Vicar in a tutu
The religious leader is still wearing a tutu


The monkish monsignor
Another religious leader


With a head full of plaster
With a mind that is not open to new ideas


Said : "My man, get your vile soul dry-cleaned"
Told the first person to clean up their behavior


As natural as rain
Completely natural


He dances again
The Vicar starts dancing once more


My God!
Expressing shock or surprise


Oh yeah
An expression of agreement


The next day in the pulpit
The following day, while giving a sermon


With freedom and ease
With the ability to speak without worry


Combatting ignorance, dust, and disease
Fighting against ignorance, dirt and disease


In the fabric of a tutu
In a tutu


Any man could get used to
Any man could become comfortable with


And I am the living sign
I am a symbol of this freedom


And I'm a living sign
I am a symbol of this freedom


I am a living sign
I am a symbol of this freedom


I'm a living sign
I am a symbol of this freedom


Sign
Symbol


I am a living sign
I am a symbol of this freedom




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, JOHNNY MARR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@pizzaalraguraguallapizza2376

LYRICS
I was minding my business
Lifting some lead off
The roof of the Holy Name church
It was worthwhile living a laughable life
To set my eyes on the blistering sight
Of a Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way
A scanty bit of a thing
With a decorative ring
That wouldn't cover the head of a goose
As Rose collects the money in a canister
Who comes sliding down the bannister?
The Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way
The monkish monsignor
With a head full of plaster
Said: "My man, get your vile soul dry-cleaned"
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again
My God!
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh...
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh...
The next day in the pulpit
With freedom and ease
Combatting ignorance, dust, and disease
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again and again and again
In the fabric of a tutu
Any man could get used to
And I am the living sign
And I'm a living sign
I am a living sign
I'm a living sign
I am a living sign
I'm a living sign
Sign
I am a living sign



@georgemessenger2969

I was minding my business
Lifting some lead off
The roof of the Holy Name church
It was worthwhile living a laughable life
To set my eyes on the blistering sight
Of a Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way
A scanty bit of a thing
With a decorative ring
That wouldn't cover the head of a goose
As Rose collects the money in a canister
Who comes sliding down the bannister ?
The Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way
The monkish monsignor
With a head full of plaster
Said : "My man, get your vile soul dry-cleaned"
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again
My God!
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh...
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh...
The next day in the pulpit
With freedom and ease
Combatting ignorance, dust, and disease
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again and again and again
In the fabric of a tutu
Any man could get used to
And I am the living sign
And I'm a living sign
I am a living sign
I'm a living sign
I am a living sign
I'm a living sign
Sign
I am a living sign



@aldosahagun3350

I was minding my business
Lifting some lead off
The roof of the Holy Name church
It was worthwhile living a laughable life
To set my eyes on the blistering sight
Of a vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way
A scanty bit of a thing
Chewing the decorative ring
Wouldn't cover the head of a goose
As Rose collects the money in the cannister
Who comes sliding down the bannister?
Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way
The monkish monsignor
With a head full of plaster
Said "My man, get your vile soul dry-cleaned"
As Rose counts the money in the cannister
As natural as Rain
And he dances again, my God
Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah, yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh
The next day in the pulpit
With freedom and ease
Combatting ignorance, dust with disease
As Rose counts the money in the cannister
As natural as Rain
He dances again and again and again
With a fabric of a tutu
Any man could get used to
And I am the living sign
I'm the living sign
I'm a living sign
I'm a living sign
I'm a living sign
A living sign, sign
I'm a living sign



All comments from YouTube:

@tickettofreedom5865

To the Smiths fans that can actually appreciate this song, you have incredibly good taste

@AlisonBryen

This song is the perfect example of why I will never accept the detractors who write The Smiths off as miserable.

@sterlingarcher6362

maybe they meant miserable as in how emotionally heavy their songs are?

@sweetnuthin

A lot of their songs definitely are miserable, but some aren't. Either way, they're all full of emotion

@SolarDialectic

lol

@cyberhermit1222

This song is funny...but many songs are depressing.

And 'depressing' is not a reason to dislike them. There's not enough realism in pop.

@HiGlowie

Long love the smiths. Most people who don’t like them listen to nickelback.

5 More Replies...

@pizzaalraguraguallapizza2376

LYRICS
I was minding my business
Lifting some lead off
The roof of the Holy Name church
It was worthwhile living a laughable life
To set my eyes on the blistering sight
Of a Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way
A scanty bit of a thing
With a decorative ring
That wouldn't cover the head of a goose
As Rose collects the money in a canister
Who comes sliding down the bannister?
The Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way
The monkish monsignor
With a head full of plaster
Said: "My man, get your vile soul dry-cleaned"
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again
My God!
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh...
The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah
Oh...
The next day in the pulpit
With freedom and ease
Combatting ignorance, dust, and disease
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again and again and again
In the fabric of a tutu
Any man could get used to
And I am the living sign
And I'm a living sign
I am a living sign
I'm a living sign
I am a living sign
I'm a living sign
Sign
I am a living sign

@EllenCoxBrainiac

Seen Morrissey live 3 times he did this one 2 times, he is amazing live all that's missing is Johnny Marr

@barberoriley5059

… and Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce…

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