@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Punctured bicycle
On a hillside desolate
Will nature make a man of me? NO
When in this charming car
This charming man
Why pamper life's complexity
When the leather runs smooth
On the passenger's seat?
I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said, "It's gruesome
That someone so handsome should care"
Ah, a jumped-up country boy
Who never knew his place
He said, "Return the ring"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said, "It's gruesome
That someone so handsome should care"
La, la-la, la-la, la-la, this charming man
Oh, la-la, la-la, la-la, this charming man
Ah, a jumped-up country boy
Who never knew his place
He said, "ya trick ya"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
On a hillside desolate
Will nature make a man of me? NO
When in this charming car
This charming man
Why pamper life's complexity
When the leather runs smooth
On the passenger's seat?
I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said, "It's gruesome
That someone so handsome should care"
Ah, a jumped-up country boy
Who never knew his place
He said, "Return the ring"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said, "It's gruesome
That someone so handsome should care"
La, la-la, la-la, la-la, this charming man
Oh, la-la, la-la, la-la, this charming man
Ah, a jumped-up country boy
Who never knew his place
He said, "ya trick ya"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
Lyrics submitted by Idan, edited by robbieurquhart
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More Featured Meanings
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Such a well written song, conjuring such wonderful imagery with a minimum of lyrics.Its quite simply "charming" is what it is!
I interpret the song literally. The protagonist has a punctured tyre on a deserted hillside and contemplates whether adversity will force him to grow up and mature into a man. Then a charming man in his nice car offers him a ride. He then decides to stop thinking so deeply and enjoy the free ride in this mans luxury car. The charming man then asks the protagonist out that night. He replies that he cant because he hasnt got appropriate clothing.Denoting the charming man is of a higher class than the protagonist and that the occassion might be a bit fancy. The charming man then complements the protagonist exclaiming that he neednt worry as he is so handsome that he could get away with wearing anything.
Now this is where the song gets a little obscure.
The line "a jumped up pantry boy, who never knew his place" comes from the movie Slueth(its on youtube). Where Michael Caines character is being confronted for having an affair with Laurence Oliviers characters wife. Oliviers character says to Caine "Youre nothing but a jumped up pantry boy , who never knew his place!" He is making a stab at Caines character for being working class - a pantry boy being a servant working in the kitchen of an English manor house.
So for me this could be interpreted as - the protagonist has met someone above his class through his associations with the charming man and intends to propose.The charming man frightens the protagonist "AH!" when he confronts him telling him to get back in his place and not to marry someone above his class.He should return the ring as he wont be able to support her affluent lifestyle. The charming man knows about these things as he has seen it before or is speaking from experience.
-Thats my take
This is the only comment worth reading on this entire page.<br /> <br /> Just because he calls a man charming doesn't mean its about homosexuality. <br /> I wish some people would stop trying to make everything about homosexuality.
It could still be that the charming man is a homosexual. I think that's what makes this song so fantastic. It's a story with an open end. Is the charming man telling him to return the ring because he is jealous that the boy has fallen in love with a girl? Totally agree that waxinglyrical's comment is the best on this page though.
<br /> I don't think at any point the charming man confronts the protagonist. When he describes himself as a 'jumped up pantry boy' I think it expresses his own self doubt and insecurity. <br /> <br /> As for "return the ring" well... I don't think it means 'give the ring I gave you back'.... might be referring to a different sort of ring there.
I think the ring here is a phone call (people from the UK would spot this easier than Americans).<br /> "return the ring" could mean phone him back, implying that the charming man has left a message for the protagonist after their car ride, probably to ask him out! (this also possibly implies that our 'poor' protagonist is living in a group house or boarding house with a shared phone).<br /> <br /> so who advises him to "return the ring"?<br /> "a jumped up pantry boy…" (etc)<br /> what does this refer to in Sleuth? Michael Caine, who plays a hairdresser.<br /> ok either totally wrong or about to blow minds here!<br /> <br /> my hairdresser friend says phone him back<br /> he knows so much about these things<br /> <br /> (the hairdresser friend has experience with sugar daddies and says don't pass up a good thing - especially considering how the charming man made our protagonist feel with his compliments about his handsomeness)<br />
@waxinglyrical and others<br /> <br /> I say this with no judgement at all, emotions are universal regardless of whom you are attracted to, but I do think it is a man+man relationship of some sort or another, and I would say it does matter to the overall theme. The line that makes me wonder the most is "I haven't a stitch to wear". Sure, stitch means clothing but it also is what you close wounds with. So this makes me think of a few possibilities - either he can't go out and can't engage with this person at all because he is still wounded from a past trauma, or that this man or someone else in his life is physically abusive and he can't go out because he is embarassed by the bruise. Obviously the emotional wound is more generally human and it is the one I believe is alluded to here. But there is that line referencing his physical beauty and "why should someone so handsome care?". So this alludes to a literal scar of some kind as well. Doesn't make it so, but its there to be interpreted. <br /> <br /> FWIW I believe that even though songwriters, poets and authors have an overt reason for their words, they also have some meanings hidden or intended to have a double meaning, and sometimes even the author isn't aware of every meaning possible but is releasing it from his mind without even knowing - at least at first.. Of course, once it is out there its up to the reader who has his/her own filter through which it is interpreted. As we see in these comments, some people didn't understand "return the ring" to mean "call me back", its a turn of a phrase. Which brings me to my final point and how you can see greatness at work. The writer has to fit this into a song. Its not free prose or poetry, it generally has to have a symmetry to the music accomopanying it. So some phrases get truncated, or idioms are employed that are regional and not universal ('return the ring' or 'give me a ring' is uniquely British, Americans generally use the word "call" not "ring" but that's also what makes these interpretations so fun. It conjures up meaning to some audiences more than others. Return the ring also, to me anyway, has an almost Tolkien feel to it. Was that intended? Maybe, maybe not. But even it it wasn't intended doesn't mean that it isn't there to be read into).
@waxinglyrical you make a lot of sense , <br />
@waxinglyrical so true bae i wrote the song
@waxinglyrical I find myself coming back to read your analysis from time to time. I can't say I fully agree with it, but I appreciate the reasoning behind it and it was illuminating to find out about the source of the "jumped-up pantry boy" line, because that always threw me off. You sort of lose me with the last paragraph though, but I do think you're onto something with the class commentary.<br /> <br /> @jgb0893 I have to agree that as someone who has also "been there", to me this song is unambiguously about a homosexual encounter of some form or another, although I think it's mixed in with class commentary. You cracked me up with the, "might be referring to a different sort of ring there" bit though! I personally don't think it's referring to anything that perverse, but then again this appears on the same album as "Reel Around The Fountain" so anything is possible I suppose. <br /> <br />
Handsome and sexually confused young cyclist crashes and punctures one of the wheels, leaving him stranded, until he's picked up by a strangely obliging gent who convinces him that getting married would be a mistake and a fiasco, and presumably seduces him on the smooth leather of the passenger seat. Gotta love it.
Wrong Chloe.<br /> He's not confused, he's trapped in a car with a creepy gay man who is dispensing creepy pearls of wisdom based on his sexual preferences, and the song is actually about him wishing he'd stayed on his bike..
lol "trapped"+"creepy"...You must live in a scary world.
@Chloe le Fay. Still the best song meaning interpretation ever. Love it. Still make me smile a little knowing smile.
@Chloe le Fay This is the most succinct and obvious interpretation with much fewer assumptions than some of the wordier alternatives I've seen thrown around. I agree with those among us who are frustrated with every single Smiths song being viewed through the lens of homosexuality, but this is one of the times when I think it's clear as day that there is a male-on-male theme.<br /> <br /> @maxdamagus This is such a stupid take, I'm sorry. The overall tone of the song doesn't fit such a dark situation, and honestly this would be a weirdly homophobic scenario for Morrissey to write about. Also him "staying on his bike" was never an option, as made clear by the opening line of the lyric... odd misreading.
Been a Smiths fan for years. Here's a slightly different take:
This to me is about not only an obviously homosexual older man/younger man affair, but also a young man's proclivity to rely on others to support him. The line "will Nature make a man of me yet?" refers to the fact that he is used to the sheltered world of modern society, and he's quite unable to handle it alone, hence the "leather runs smooth..." line. The juxtaposition of him using his own legs to get through life versus riding shotgun on someone else's ticket is great. And his own method (symbolized by the bike) is useless, since his bicycle is broken (he has no career skills, etc)...the desolate hillside imagery is perfect too, symbolizing his ineptitude if left to make it alone. In a scenario where the young man might be inclined to fend for himself , he is lured by the "free ride" the man has to offer, and takes the easy way out, where he doesn't have to ponder how he's going to survive- he can just hustle/pimp himself out to maintain his comfort level.
However, this lifestyle has a price (and here's the twist that I offer)- "Return the ring" means that he is calling the man, but the man is not taking or answering his calls. In other words, the man possibly used him for sex, but while the "charming man" can offer the young man things like an nice car seat, or other material amenities, it is only temporary, and he will discard the young man and his "services" when he tires of him. But the young man needs the sugar daddy figure to maintain his lifestyle.
The other possibility is that the man picked him up in the car, asked him to go out, and told him that he was handsome, etc. But the boy is struggling with his place in life, sexuality, etc.. and battling his tendencies to go for the easy way out, or just unsire in general. The "jumped-up pantry boy" could be one of his friends, or a flatmate, telling him to take the man's calls (the man who picked him up and asked him out), "he knows so much about these things" means that the friend is a hustler, and knows a good "mark" when he sees one. The other possiblity is that his friend/hustler is telling him to return the jewelry the man gave him, a warning to avoid the path that he took as a houseboy/prostitute.
It's also interesting to think that the young man was staging the whole thing from the beginning, working his first "John."
Oh, and I always kind of imagined the punctured bicycle as a representation of his youth, the point where the innocence of youth is "punctured" by some event or series of events, which goes in line with the obvious sexual references.
But I think that's the beauty of any great piece of art, there can be several valid interpretations of the same thing, and I think this song reflects that. There is an interpretation that identifies with everyone, and that is the gift that Morrissey possesses in spades, theft or no theft, haha. Just a few thoughts, hope it triggers more.
@OneTwo My favorite interpretation. Spot on.
"Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate"
-I'm a failure and my future prospects are grim. I'm broken and no one cares in this 'desolate' landscape.
"will Nature make a man of me yet?"
Morrissey was celibate and stated in an interview that celibacy was not necessarily his choice... he said that he told the world that he was a virgin when most people would be ashamed of it. So I think this line is referring to the fact that he's a virgin.
"When in this charming car this charming man"
-A lot of people are postulating that this line is proof positive that the song is about homosexuality, but I think that's pretty far off the mark. I interpret 'this charming man' as being an adviser to the protagonist. He sees that the protagonist is broken and hopeless and so offers his wisdom and generosity. I think the song is mainly one of gratitude, Morrissey (or the protagonist) thanking the man for being there for him at that point in his life.
"Why ponder life's complexities when the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat?"
-Why be stuck in your head when being in the moment is so pleasurable? Introverts have a tendency to be 'absent' from the present moment and lost in their minds. I think Morrissey is expressing here how, even though it sucks that his 'bicycle is punctured' (he has thus far been a failure), there is hope and pleasure in the present moment, and worrying about what happened to him and what will become of him in the future is rather pointless. Why not just enjoy the moment?
"I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear this man said "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"
The protagonist wants to be social and actually start living, but he finds excuses to always stay at home and always be alone. The man, this muse, perhaps not even a real man (as the 'man' is metaphoric) gives a boost to the protagonist's self esteem. He wants the protagonist to believe in himself, and he sees the charisma and the potential that the protagonist cannot see in himself.
"A jumped-up pantry boy who never knew his place he said "return the rings" he knows so much about these things he knows so much about these things"
The protagonist, being a virgin, was looking to marry the first girl he had sex with. The 'charming man' has been divorced and advises the protagonist to not get married.
I could be wrong, of course, but that's the most likely meaning I can come up with. When you consider who Morrissey is and his depth, you'll have a hard time reconciling that this song is simply about a homosexual romp.
Nobody seems to be noticing that the line "a jumped-up pantry boy who never knew his place" could be referring to a young boy "in the closet," not quite knowing how to live the way he's expected to live.
Good point!
a Jumped up Pantry boy who never knew his place is quote from an old movie. It refers to a servant(Pantry boy). All you closet queens need to make everything about being gay.
a jumped up pantry boy I always thought referred to the charming man, that as the boy sits in the car he is caught between evaluating this mans position and the validity of his experience to give him advice and being so caught up in the magic of the situation that he accepts the charming man does indeed know so much about these things... its like logical critical capabilities being submerged by this mans charms. but I dunno
Its called doing a Morrissey in my house when someone steals something because he was great at doing that - he did it with class
I like what people have thought about it, so now I'll give my input on it as well. It reminds me a heck of a lot about The Picture of Dorian Gray. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it, I assume someone has.
Because there's this one part where Dorian is invited to something by Lord Henry, and he says he doesn't have anything to wear. Henry then says that it shouldn't matter, because of his good looks. And Wilde was homosexual and the book carried on a tinge of homosexuality. And with the rings, Dorian wore a couple of rings, and it's clearly mentioned in book that they are of some significance.
I'm guessing it's kind of fuse between this situation that Morrissey has created and adding Dorian.
and i see it has been mentioned :D
Lots have people seem to have misinterpreted this song, and there is in fact a clear misprint in the lyrics that have been put up on this site but I will get to that in a minute.
This song is actually about a charming naturalist, the signs are everywhere. The "protagonist" travels on a bike, the perfect vehicle for riding around in the countryside. The bike is punctured, that could only be from the thawns and such debris one would find in nature.
The scene occurs on 'a hillside desolate'... and the protagonist tellingly cries "will nature make a man of me?" The evidence is clear enough, but it is confirmed by the repitionion of the final lines of the song as they are actually sung:
"he knows so much about bee stings" "he knows so much about bee stings" "he knows so much about bee stings"
It is the protagonists admiration of the charming man's apiculture, and his maintenance of several honey bee colonies which cements his love for him.
Hahaha =) This interpretation is epic, really :-D
Having misheard 2 crucial lines for more years than I care to admit to, I totally cracked up over your misinterpretation "he knows so much about bee stings". <br /> <br /> An alternate reading could also be that Morrissey was here coyly referencing 'The Wicker Man', with it's pagan nature worship, although I'm pretty sure Edward Woodward was never assaulted with an Orwellian 'bee-helmet' in the original filmed version, causing him to overact like Nicholas Cage did in the unintentionally hilarious remake. Food for thought, n'est-ce pas?
@MyChemicalPoledance HELP IS THIS SATIRE
@MyChemicalPoledance HELP IS THIS SATIRE
I mean "this charming man" is reference to Morrissey himself. You know, he's so charming, but he's got such pointless problems like he "haven't got a stitch to wear", or "punctured bicycle". And "this man said it's gruesome that someone so handsome should care" about these little things. And yeah, it's actually all his life about: He is charming, but he's got such a issues with his shyness, self-confidence and stuff.
And imagine that...someone obviously very talented, handsome, rugged, bright, etc and he just can't see what others see...so he performs. That stairway nervous laugh I first heard him utter years ago is who I always knew he was... with that soft, sensitive, extremely sexy, delicate underbelly. If only he could see what I saw and still continue to see. Hey, but he has fame and money...
I agree with a lot of things said here. But no one talked about the homossexualism. Dont u notice the obvious homossexual mentions? Ive heard even that the BIcycle refers to homossexualism... but you can interpret it more literally and less metaphorically... To me it goes like that: a cyclist gets it wheel punctured. having no way to go home - because he's on a desolated hillside - he accepts a lift from a charming man. why complicate life thinking about a way to go home and carry his bike if the passenger seat of the charming man's car is free and it is smooth? ok, then he tells the man he would go out at that night, but he didnt have any cloth there and needed to go home, but the man says it doesnt matter cause he doesnt care, theyd go out together. He still praises the cyclist saying he's handsome: obviously a homossexual one, who wants to bring the cyclist to the same way. now theres kind of a confusion in who's moz talking about: the jumped up pantry boy is the cyclist who never knew his place, the homossexual one, that the charming man has just shown him. I dont know where u guys found so much about marriage, but maybe this return the rings has sth to do with it. but, in that case, the marriage would be between the charming man and the cyclist, not a real wedding but an affair. and, finally, moz says that he agree with the charming man and goes with him, when he says "he knows so much about this things". So, i think moz is telling about a homossexual experience or initiation. I hope u guys like this interpretation, and let me know what did u think about it answering. I wont mind if you disagree, mainly because my english isnt very good and thats why maybe i dont understand the lyrics well.
oh, by the way, i love it.