Album: Bona Drag (1990)

Charted: 12

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• Sleep on and dream of love
  Because it's the closest you will
  Get to love
  Poor twisted child
  So ugly, so ugly
  Poor twisted child
  Oh hug me, oh hug me
  One November
  Spawned a monster
  In the shape of this child
  Who later cried :
  
  But Jesus made me, so
  Jesus save me from
  Pity, sympathy
  And people discussing me
  A frame of useless limbs
  What can make good
  All the bad that's been done ?
  
  And if the lights were out
  Could you even bear
  To kiss her full on the mouth
  (or anywhere?)
  
  Oh, poor twisted child
  So ugly, so ugly
  Poor twisted child
  Oh hug me, oh hug me
  One November
  Spawned a monster
  In the shape of this child
  Who must remain
  A hostage to kindness
  And the wheels underneath her
  A hostage to kindness
  And the wheels underneath her
  
  A symbol of where mad, mad lovers
  Must pause and draw the line.
  So sleep and dream of love
  Because it's the closest
  You will get to love
  That November
  Is a time
  Which I must
  Put out of my mind
  
  Oh, one fine day
  Let it be soon
  She won't be rich or beautiful
  But she'll be walking your streets
  In the clothes that she went out
  And chose for herself. Writer/s: CLIVE LANGER, STEVE MORRISSEY
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 9

• Sarah from NcI thought it meant she would get functionally better over time and become a hooker or maybe an uhomed person
  And that the clothes she chose for herself meant she was living life on her own terms. That's unsatisfactory, to me, though, so I'm going to try the death theory on for a minute. I liked that idea, because he says "let it be soon," and that *is* the kind of language we use about death
• Randy from San Jose, CaI have a completely different take on the last lines of the song than anyone else I've ever heard ("one fine day let it be soon / she won't be rich or beautiful / but she'll be walking your streets in the clothes that she went out and chose for herself.") I look at it as another example of Morrissey's black humor about death and the 'beyond'. He's hoping that she'll die soon, getting put out of her misery ("one fine day let it be soon"). He anticipates her spirit will haunt the neighborhood ("she'll be walking your streets"). Since she is preparing herself to die, she gets to choose the clothes that she gets buried in, instead of the usual case where close family tell the morticians what the deceased will wear ("she went out and chose for herself"). The idea that in death, her spirit will be healthy and able to walk ("walking your streets") is also conveyed here. I think this interpretation of the ending of the song is in keeping with the Morrissey's afterlife philosophy, such as Ouija Board, or Death of a Disco Dancer ("maybe in the next world").
• Diane from Las VegasI finally read the lyrics. Always loved the beat but thought it was about bullies or something lol. Ironically, I am a social worker for disabled people. I was smitten watching Moz dance in the video and finally read the lyrics. This is a topic no one likes to discuss let alone sing about. Sad to say that is the truth, trust me I know! His profound empathy and ability to see life from a disabled woman’s perspective blew me away. Down to the right to choose what she wears. This has only made me love him more, if that’s possible.
• Ryan from Pittsfield, MaChris, this isn't about incest. i think you may be projecting a bit, lol. the lines you were talking about are about the girl regretting actually being conceived. mad mad lovers must pause and draw the line. also the part about kissing her on the mouth or anywhere is a comment about revulsion, again not incest. the idea of this song is to force the listener to confront their personal feelings about disabled people and literally forced us to empathize. i'd heard this track a dozen times then started to listen for the lyrics and was crushed by this empathy. my facorite moz track now.
  you can't take pieces of lyrics and form ideas about a whole song. you should look for continuity and see how the imagery fits together to get understand the meaning.
  ryan
• Keith from Blacksburg, VaActually, I think Morrissey got the character from this story from a British woman (I think) who suffered from neurofibromatosis. The reason I make this connection is that I once read an article (I have no idea where, but maybe sometime between 1980-1990?) of a woman who was severely disfigured by neurofibromatosis, and underwent a marathon surgery to remove her neurofibromas and get reconstructive surgery. (I think one of her eyes could not be saved, and was replaced by a prosthetic). Anyways, at the end of the article, there is a sentence about how she was "looking forward to going out and buying new clothes for herself," which of course mirrors the line near the end of the song. SO that's my hunch.
• Viktoria from AlbertaThis is one of my fav Moz songs!!!
  I love it !
  And Chris, Harrisburg, PA,: it's definitly about disabled people; 'A frame of useless limbs'
  
• T.k. from Milwaukee, WiI always thought this song was about how people can be so unaccepting of disabled people or really anyone who's thought to be odd. I don't think he was saying how he felt but rather how society felt, and was challenging them to "kiss her full of the mouth", or in other words, get close to them. How many times have you seen a disabled person and looked away or immediately felt uncomfortable? I know I have.
• Chris from Harrisburg, PaWell, I've never heard any official confirmation about what this song is about but after listening to it very carefully, i've come to the conclusion that this song is actually from two different view points and is actually about incest. call me crazy, but that's just what i hear...
  the first verse is about the child, deformed from the "bad that's been done"...
  "And if the lights were out
  Could you even bear
  To kiss her full on the mouth
  (Or anywhere?)" - that's in reference to one sibling to another...
  "A symbol of where mad, mad lovers
  Must PAUSE and draw the line."- this is what tipped me off to it possibly being about incest, because even if a person is disabled, why should a line be drawn? it has to mean something else, and then put with the top part of "even if the lights were out, etc" i figured it was about a brother and sister having a kid who happened to be deformed. as for the title of the song, i'm thinking it may have been something that was in a paper and made news, hence the writing of the song. i don't know, this is just my feelings on teh song since i've never heard anything official.
  
• Steve from Chino Hills, CaOne thing I never understood about the song was that he painted a very bad portrait of the subject. "If the lights were out could you even dare, to kiss her full on the mouth, or anywhere?" "Jesus made me so Jesus save me from pity, sympathy, and people discussing me, a frame of useless limbs what good could be made of the bad that's been done?" Then he calls her "A symbol of where mad,mad must stop and draw the line." So, what the dealo Morrissey? Is she the poserchild for celebancy?
  The song shines a strong spotlight on people society has tried to sweep under the rug. It focuses on this gal's aspirations for normalcy and things we take for granted. Morrissey should be commended!

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