He certainly did earn that reputation.
Take me back to dear old Blighty
Put me on the train for London Town
Take me anywhere, drop me anywhere
Liverpool, Leeds or Birmingham
But I don't care
I should like to see my-
(I don't bless them)
Farewell to this land's cheerless marshes
Hemmed in like a boar between arches
Her very lowness with her head in a sling
I'm truly sorry, but it sounds like a wonderful thing
I say, Charles, don't you ever crave
To appear on the front of the Daily Mail
Dressed in your mother's bridal veil?
And so I checked all the registered historical facts
And I was shocked into shame to discover
How I'm the eighteenth pale descendent
Of some old queen or other
Oh, has the world changed or have I changed?
Oh, has the world changed or have I changed?
Some nine year old tough who peddles drugs
I swear to God, I swear I never even knew what drugs were
So I broke into the palace
With a sponge and a rusty spanner
She said, "'Ey, I know you and you cannot sing"
I said, "That's nothing, you should hear me play piano"
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
And talk about precious things
But when you are tied to your mother's apron
No one talks about castration
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
And talk about precious things
Like love and law and poverty, oh, oh
(These are the things that kill me)
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
And talk about precious things
But the rain that flattens my hair, oh
(These are the things that kill me)
All their lies about makeup and long hair are still there
Past the pub who saps your body
And the church who'll snatch your money
The Queen is dead, boys
And it's so lonely on a limb
Pass the pub that wrecks your body
And the church, all they want is your money
The Queen is dead, boys
And it's so lonely on a limb
Life is very long when you're lonely
Life is very long when you're lonely
Life is very long when you're lonely
Life is very long when you're lonely
Put me on the train for London Town
Take me anywhere, drop me anywhere
Liverpool, Leeds or Birmingham
But I don't care
I should like to see my-
(I don't bless them)
Farewell to this land's cheerless marshes
Hemmed in like a boar between arches
Her very lowness with her head in a sling
I'm truly sorry, but it sounds like a wonderful thing
I say, Charles, don't you ever crave
To appear on the front of the Daily Mail
Dressed in your mother's bridal veil?
And so I checked all the registered historical facts
And I was shocked into shame to discover
How I'm the eighteenth pale descendent
Of some old queen or other
Oh, has the world changed or have I changed?
Oh, has the world changed or have I changed?
Some nine year old tough who peddles drugs
I swear to God, I swear I never even knew what drugs were
So I broke into the palace
With a sponge and a rusty spanner
She said, "'Ey, I know you and you cannot sing"
I said, "That's nothing, you should hear me play piano"
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
And talk about precious things
But when you are tied to your mother's apron
No one talks about castration
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
And talk about precious things
Like love and law and poverty, oh, oh
(These are the things that kill me)
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
And talk about precious things
But the rain that flattens my hair, oh
(These are the things that kill me)
All their lies about makeup and long hair are still there
Past the pub who saps your body
And the church who'll snatch your money
The Queen is dead, boys
And it's so lonely on a limb
Pass the pub that wrecks your body
And the church, all they want is your money
The Queen is dead, boys
And it's so lonely on a limb
Life is very long when you're lonely
Life is very long when you're lonely
Life is very long when you're lonely
Life is very long when you're lonely
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery
The Queen Is Dead Lyrics as written by Johnny Marr Steven Morrissey
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Well I've always thought the spanner and the sponge referred to the castration of Charles etc. As in, making sure the royal line ends. He refers to the castration literally. I think the queen is murdered during the walk. He forces her outside "to have a chat". "Let's go for walk where it's quiet and dry", but it rains... (Also mocks his own vanity indeed.)