Emily, Emily your gift to me
Emily, a modern sense of beauty
Emily, as precious as your memory
A simple word called liberty

The relics, the ghosts, all down so many roads
The relics, the ghosts, all down so many roads

Emily, so pity poor Emily
You've been replaced by charity

It's what you forget, what you forget that kills you
It's what you remember, what you remember that makes you
We used to have answers, now we have only questions
But now have no direction

The relics, the ghosts, all down so many roads
The relics, the ghosts, all down so many roads

Emily, so pity poor Emily
You've been replaced by charity

It's what you forget, what you forget that kills you
It's what you remember, what you remember that makes you
We used to have answers, now we have only questions
But now have no direction


Lyrics submitted by matt675

Emily Lyrics as written by John Tallon Jones

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

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Emily song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +3
    General CommentThis is about Emmeline (Emily) Pankhurst, one of the founders of the suffragette movement in England, apparently.
    Nicky Wire said that the song is about "the idea that an icon of Pankhurst's standing, who really tried to do something good, who got women's sufferage and got women the vote, can be replaced by someone as obviously empty as Princess Diana as a feminist icon" (info courtesy of manics.nl).
    richeyeon January 17, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Commentyeah richeye is right....i think its amazing that the manics dont get better press for writing songs like this, whereas the kooks or whoever just write bland songs about nothing and get all the acclaim.


    'replaced by charity' is the reference to diana there i reckon.
    ramshotelon June 19, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General CommentCOuld also be about Emily Davidson, the suffragette that threw herself under the kings horse at the races.
    Koalablubblubon October 05, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General CommentAgain, this is half about Richey, half about Emily Pankhurst
    Moominpapaon March 16, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General CommentThe Manics just keep getting better and better...

    I was just skimming through to see whether they wrote any love songs, after Nicky said he despised them. Strike this one off.
    manic4manicson August 25, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song MeaningIt's also about the irony of having Diana as a feminist icon rather than Emily Pankhurst or Emily Davidson, who campaigned for women's rights.
    Jinson January 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General CommentAgain, this is half about Richey, half about Emily Pankhurst
    Moominpapaon March 16, 2011   Link

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