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On The Streets I Ran Lyrics
Ooh, a working-class face glares back
At me from the glass and lurches
Oh forgive me, on the street's I ran
Turned sickness into, popular song
Streets of wet black holes
On roads you can never know
You never have them
But, they alway's have you
'Till the day that you croak
(it's no joke)
Ooh, a working-class face glares back
At me from the glass and lurches
Oh forgive me, on the street's I ran
Turned sickness into unpopular song
And all these street's can do
Is claim to know the real you
And warn if you don't leave
You will kill or be killed
Which isn't very nice
Here everybody's friendly
But nobody's friends
Oh, dear God when will I
Be where I should be?
And when the Palmist said:
"One Thursday you will be dead"
I said "No, not me, this cannot be,
Dear God, take him, take them, take anyone
The stillborn,
The newborn
The infirmed,
Take anyone
Take people from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Just spare me!"
At me from the glass and lurches
Oh forgive me, on the street's I ran
Turned sickness into, popular song
Streets of wet black holes
On roads you can never know
You never have them
But, they alway's have you
'Till the day that you croak
(it's no joke)
Ooh, a working-class face glares back
At me from the glass and lurches
Oh forgive me, on the street's I ran
Turned sickness into unpopular song
And all these street's can do
Is claim to know the real you
And warn if you don't leave
You will kill or be killed
Which isn't very nice
Here everybody's friendly
But nobody's friends
Oh, dear God when will I
Be where I should be?
And when the Palmist said:
"One Thursday you will be dead"
I said "No, not me, this cannot be,
Dear God, take him, take them, take anyone
The stillborn,
The newborn
The infirmed,
Take anyone
Take people from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Just spare me!"
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"Turned sickness into, popular song"
perhaps the best line in the entire album, because it is almost telling of Morrissey's entire songwriting career.
I also love how he delves into the subliminal attitudes of people on the streets "here everybody's friendly, but nobody's friends", and then at the end how he tackles death saying "anybody but me! Take someone from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania for god sakes just not me!"
Some good ol' Moz humor there.
Has anyone seen the 80's Keanu Reeves film 'The Prince of Pennsylvania'? It's about a troubled teen outcast who has dropped out of highschool (despite being called a 'genius') and is on his way of dropping out of society. He spends the film on a quest for 'truth'. He lives in a gloomy, working-class PA mining town and is told, by the 2 characters who care about him, that he is too good to stay trapped there. His father forces him into a fate of being an underground miner. His mother in one scene begins to read his palms to tell him of his bright future but stops flattering him and begins to cry when she notices his coal-stained fingernails. In the final 5 mins, he ends up leaving the town behind and the people in it, however, his future doesn't look to optimistic. I could be wrong -projecting, perhaps- but I really felt like this song was inspired by the film. Especially since so many of Morrissey's lyrics have been inspired by long-forgotten kitchen-sink/working-class dramas. Thoughts?
Pope of Mope!
Take People From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
GOD BLESS MORRISSEY
Why Pittsburgh? =[
Why not Pittsburgh? I am sure it is a writing device that grabs your attention.
Why not Pittsburgh? I am sure it is a writing device that grabs your attention.
It is important to know that he also says "UN popular song"
It is important to know that he also says "UN popular song"
Why not Pittsburgh? I am sure it is a writing device that grabs your attention.
It is important to know that he also says "UN popular song"