Is It Really So Strange? Lyrics
I travelled South
I found a tiny house
And I can't help the way I feel
And you can punch me
And you can break my face
But you won't change the way I feel
'Cause I love you
Oh ...
Oh, is it really so strange ?
Oh, is it really so, really so strange ?
I say NO, you say YES
(and you will change your mind)
I travelled North
I got confused - I killed a horse
I can't help the way I feel
And you can butt me
And you can break my spine
But you won't change the way I feel
'Cause I love you
Oh ...
Oh, is it really so strange ?
Oh, is it really so, really so strange ?
I say NO, you say YES
(But you will change your mind)
I travelled South again
And I got confused - I killed a nun
I CAN'T HELP THE WAY I FEEL
I CAN'T HELP THE WAY I FEEL
I CAN'T HELP THE WAY I FEEL
(I lost my bag in Newport Pagnell)
My throat was dry, with the sun in my eyes
And I realised, I realised
I could never
I could never, never
never go back home again

This song has become a kind of anthem for me in connection to a relationship I have just ended. all the time I thought I could convince someone to love me, but it ended up blowing up in my face.The Smiths are my official breakup theraphy. It helps to wollow in your self pity, till you get over it.
I think that's a big part of their appeal. Everyone can feel identified with their misery.
I think that's a big part of their appeal. Everyone can feel identified with their misery.

Just a little side note:
Not ALL of Morrissey's lyrics have to do with "sexuality", I'm sure.
It's getting really annoying how on all the songs, everyone posts that it has to do with "homosexuality"
If you didn't know that he was a homosexual (which he MIGHT be), you wouldn't have a clue.
JEEZ.
Just my opinion
Not all of them are, but some of them are. This one is probably the most obvious one.
Not all of them are, but some of them are. This one is probably the most obvious one.
"Oh yes, you can kick me And you can punch me And you can break my face But you won't change the way I feel 'Cause I love you"
"Oh yes, you can kick me And you can punch me And you can break my face But you won't change the way I feel 'Cause I love you"
'Oh, is it really so, really so strange ? I say NO, you say YES
'Oh, is it really so, really so strange ? I say NO, you say YES
Do people overly say "OH THIS IS ABOUT BEING GAY" too much? Yes. But this song is legitimately on topic with it. Just saying.
Do people overly say "OH THIS IS ABOUT BEING GAY" too much? Yes. But this song is legitimately on topic with it. Just saying.

The gay interpretations seem lazy to me. It always reminds me of this Moz lyrics: "Most people keep their brains between their legs". There's more to life than sex...
I think his lyrics are way less specific than people think too; more about general concepts of feelings/relationship dynamics that anyone can relate to, regardless of sexual preference.
I think this song is about being in love with someone you don't know well, which people find strange (as in "creepy"). The object of his interest is creeped out by his obsessive infatuation.
The traveling around part is a metaphor for trying to escape a feeling instead of facing it, but you can't get away from it. Instead, you just get confused
I love you :)
I love you :)
@voodoodolly I think you're correct. It's the easiest way for people conditioned by a world where most things signify the basest aspect of us. It's sadly the truth and it gets more potent every day. There's little we can do but avert ourselves to the greedy hands of culture and the slimy pit they want us slithering around in (if we aren't already). We're sentient beings that have higher thoughts than such instinctive ones. And that's where or minds should inhabit
@voodoodolly I think you're correct. It's the easiest way for people conditioned by a world where most things signify the basest aspect of us. It's sadly the truth and it gets more potent every day. There's little we can do but avert ourselves to the greedy hands of culture and the slimy pit they want us slithering around in (if we aren't already). We're sentient beings that have higher thoughts than such instinctive ones. And that's where or minds should inhabit

"I could never never go back home again."
-24 Hours From Tulsa by Gene Pitney

why are some of you guys jerks?
Anyway, this is another one about accepting yourself, namely your sexuality.

"I can never go home anymore" - The Shangri-Las 1965.
(24 hours from Tulsa..its actually Hal David's/Burt Bacharach's song that Gene covered.
@CharmingMan I love Morrissey's lyrics, and he uses the metaphor of "home" quite often. Think in: "There is a Light.." when he sings "it's their home..." and "don't drop me home, because I haven't got one". He uses "home" at a metaphor for all that is safety and security. His lyrics often delve into being "far away from", "searching for" or having "lost" his home, and therefore his sense of security and wellbeing, which is just another single note in Morrissey's massive chord of lonliness, self-doubt and persuit of a soulmate that sustains his appeal as not only a musical...
@CharmingMan I love Morrissey's lyrics, and he uses the metaphor of "home" quite often. Think in: "There is a Light.." when he sings "it's their home..." and "don't drop me home, because I haven't got one". He uses "home" at a metaphor for all that is safety and security. His lyrics often delve into being "far away from", "searching for" or having "lost" his home, and therefore his sense of security and wellbeing, which is just another single note in Morrissey's massive chord of lonliness, self-doubt and persuit of a soulmate that sustains his appeal as not only a musical artist, but a modern day poet and the perhaps unwilling, spokesman of his generation. (See Bob Dylan for a similar situation with himself and his overly zealous fans.) Respect to you all from myself, David, a writer and musician from Éire (Ireland).

A funny song about a stalker, me thinks.

does anyone understand the "killed a horse/nun" part? it seems like it's referencing something specific, but i have no idea what...

I agree with Birdy, tbh. It's absolutely obligatory to listen to I Know It's Over while drinking heavily if you've been dumped. Not this song tho...not enough self pity in this one... ;)

I love this song, my favorite part is when morrissey sings
"why is the last mile the hardest mile? my throat was dry, with the sun in my eyes"