Morrissey – You Have Killed Me

Pasolini is me,
Accattone, you'll be,
I entered nothing and nothing entered me,
'till you came with the key,
and you did your best but…

As I live and breathe,
You have killed me,
You have killed me,
Yes I walk around somehow,
But you have killed me,
You have killed me

Piazza Cavour,
What's my life for?

Visconti is me,
Magnani,
You'll never be.

I entered nothing and nothing entered me,
'till you came with the key,
and you did your best but…

As I live and breathe,
You have killed me,
You have killed me,
Yes I walk around somehow,
But you have killed me,
You have killed me

Who am I, that I, come to be here?

As I live and breathe,
You have killed me,
You have killed me,
Yes I walk around somehow,
But you have killed me,
You have killed me

And there is no point saying this again,
There is no point saying this again,
But I forgive you,
I forgive you,
Always, I do forgive you.


Lyrics submitted by Songmeaningsuser

You Have Killed Me song meanings
Add your thoughts

58 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +12
    General CommentMOZZER ALWAYS MAKES ME LOOK THINGS UP
    rmeekster30on April 07, 2006   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • +6
    General CommentFantastic new single.

    Some background information:
    -"Pasolini" is Italian director, poet, and intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini, who was famous for portraying life the way it was, rather than happy-go-lucky as politicians wished to show.

    -Accatone is "Accatone," one of Pasolini's most famous films, about a street hustler named Vincent whose nickname is "Accatone," which means "rags."

    -Visconti was a ruling family of Milan; however, in this song it more likely refers to Luchino Visconti, another Italian director.

    -Magnani is the last name of Anna Magnani, a famous Italian actress who starred in Visconi's "Mamma Roma."

    Italy's obviously rubbed off on Mozzer. In a good way.
    xdarkentrieson February 17, 2006   Link
  • +4
    General CommentIt's about him meeting this woman in rome and having sex with her(for the first time in his life).

    "I entered nothing and nothing entered me,
    'till you came with the key,"

    "Pasolini is me, Accattone, you'll be," - Acattone was Pasolini's FIRST film. She was Moz's FIRST too.
    Get It?
    dta2k8on March 18, 2006   Link
  • +3
    General Commentthis song is just clever

    'as i live and breathe/ you have killed me' - oxymoron.


    'And there is no point saying this again,
    There is no point saying this again,' - he just repeated himself when he said he wouldnt.

    its a nice song with italian references.
    scrapthaton July 07, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General CommentAnother, less literal, interpretation that I prefer is that he's been hurt really bad emotionally. Like sometimes when it feels like you've been stabbed through your heart, and still somehow you walk around, living. In my opinion the last line "Always, I do forgive you." supports this, as it gives a hint that it (might have) happened before.
    x-Flare-xon November 08, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Commentwow Im pretty sure this song is just about heartbreak, You Have Killed Me just meaning that he feels dead inside because this girl who he was so close to left him...
    King of Some Islandon January 25, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Commentdont tell me that morrisy isnt gay, that my friend would kill me.

    i think its about aids
    kickme8xon February 04, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General CommentThe "you have killed me" refers to the scene in Wuthering Heights where Catherine is dying and Heathcliffe comes to see her. Catherine says "You have killed me - and thriven on it, i think." And also in the same part she goes on to say "for my own sake forgive me". We all know how much Morrissey likes a good book!
    hellz4on April 15, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General CommentHe has sex (male, female, who cares?) and it becomes an irreversible curse. His fate is sealed by this act. It's the thematic opposite of the previous track Dear God Please Help Me, where the narrator frees himself by giving into desire. Ringleader of the Tormentors is completely about inevitability vs. choice.
    Maniac Copon January 10, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General CommentTo me, here is how I interpret the song. On one level, the speaker views himself as an artist (the director Pasolini) and his lover is like his work of art (Pasolini's film - Accattoni). 'I entered nothing and nothing entered me till you came with the key' can mean that he was apathetic and emotionally isolated. Nothing could affect him, until this person came along and opened him up. 'You did your best but...' is to say that this person did everything to get to him, and then just broke his heart. I think "you have killed me" is more metaphorical than literal. It is just a way of saying he is hurt so badly and yet he is still alive. In the second verse, he again compares himself to another director, saying that his lover will never be a heroine in his film, perhaps because this person has already left him, or because the lover is not worth of being praised. In the outtro, the speaker keeps saying that despite it all, he is willing to forgive his lover, implying that he wants this person to come back. It ends with the romantic desperation that Morrissey is known for.

    With that being said, it is hard to overlook many of the homosexual hints in this song, such as the references to (not one but) two openly-gay directors, the obvious pun "entered" and the phallic symbol "the key". Therefore, it is possible that this said lover is indeed a man, although it does not change the meaning of the song or make it only about gay love. I can still see it as a generic love song and it is relatable to anyone.
    lazyheadon August 02, 2012   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top