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It's Hard to Walk Tall When You're Small Lyrics
I can kill standing still
It's easy
I can scare with a stare
It's easy
Hey Ringo
It's sad though
Because it's hard to walk tall
When you're small
Whether dressed in
Disciplined style
Never mind
When you're small
You walk as if you're falling
I attack from the back
Because it's easy
And I can assail
While wearing very nice jewelry
Oh hey Ringo
It's sad though
Because it's hard to walk tall
When you're small
Whether dressed in
Disciplined style
Never mind
When you're small
You spend your life crawling
I burst into
Public baths
And I throw my weight around
And no one can even see me
No one can even see me
Nobody can see me
No one can see me
Success is just a mess
Hey Ringo
It's sad though
Because it's hard to walk tall
When you're small
Whether dressed in
Disciplined style
Never mind
When you're small
You're bound to look ???
So compadre
Please do this for me
Compadre please read for me
Compadre
Compadre
Please reach for me
It's easy
I can scare with a stare
It's easy
It's sad though
Because it's hard to walk tall
When you're small
Whether dressed in
Disciplined style
Never mind
When you're small
You walk as if you're falling
Because it's easy
And I can assail
While wearing very nice jewelry
It's sad though
Because it's hard to walk tall
When you're small
Whether dressed in
Disciplined style
Never mind
When you're small
You spend your life crawling
Public baths
And I throw my weight around
And no one can even see me
No one can even see me
Nobody can see me
No one can see me
Hey Ringo
It's sad though
Because it's hard to walk tall
When you're small
Whether dressed in
Disciplined style
Never mind
When you're small
You're bound to look ???
Please do this for me
Compadre please read for me
Compadre
Compadre
Please reach for me
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I've always liked this song. Yes, it's another Morrissey song in the vein of self-depreciation. He peppers the lyrics with interesting hints, though, that leave much to the imagination..."I burst into public baths" -- my friend and I joke that he's referring to the Hollywood Spa -- which is right down the street from where he lived; I could just see Morrissey going in through the back in disguise and setting up shop in a private room ("with a view") ..."and no one can even see me" I'm sure this interp. is a stretch but can someone please draw these lyrics together into a cohesive analysis -- I'd be very interested to solve this song
And no, the last line is 'please - weep for me'.
And he's clearly taking the piss out of meaningless drummers, like Mike Joyce. Especially when they pull a trick like pushing Morrissey into court to get some money. He uses the shitty drummer of the Beatles to cover it up. And Ringo Starr is only 1,68m. So he's dragging old Ringo along just for being literally small. Which I find brilliant :-) (In fact Ringo has a much bigger ego than Paul, so he deserves this aswell. Untalented arrogant prick.)
davidbeauy - You're an idiot. Public baths? Get the lyrics right and then make an interpretation. He's obviously referring to Mike Joyce and the falling out he had with him and the Smiths. He's calling him Ringo, like you would call a speeder, "Hey, slow down, Earnhardt!" There's nothing cryptic about the lyrics.
The song is about his former drummer, Joyce, who sued him (successfully) in court. the album has a freakin lyric sheet, and the it is Ringo - except for the last verse when it is GRINGO...
Just to say. it's "public bars" not "baths".
Public bar is an old-fashioned name for a pub.
I don't think it's in the vein of self-deprecation. As Ringo Starr was the drummer in The Beatles, the "Hey Ringo" bit leads me to believe that Morrissey is probably singing about Mike Joyce, or another ex-drummer.
I always thought he was saying 'Gringo' (pronounced 'ringo') which is mexican slang for a white person. It makes sense considering his locale in L.A. and his recent fascination with Mexico... other then that, I really have no ideas.
also; the last line isn't 'read' it's 'reach'.
Does the word "compadre" exist in english? Or is it probably the misspelling of "compare" which in italian means fellow, endorsing the theory that Moz refers to his former mate?
walking tall.. ridding on the success of the band. being small... not actualy having much talent. its sad though... its sad to be claming hollow talent. its clearly about the drummer... not a very friendly song. clever tho.