In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I was wasting my time
Trying to fall in love
Disappointment came to me and
Booted me and bruised and hurt me
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
I was wasting my time
Looking for love
Someone must look at me
And see their sunlit dream
I was wasting my time
Praying for love
For a love that never comes from
Someone who does not exist and
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
Let me live before I die
Not me, not I!
I was wasting my life
Always thinking about myself
Someone on the deathbed said
"There are other sorrows too"
I was driving my car
I crashed and broke my spine
So yes, there are things worse in life than
Never being someone's sweetie
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
As for me I'm okay
For now anyway
Trying to fall in love
Disappointment came to me and
Booted me and bruised and hurt me
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
I was wasting my time
Looking for love
Someone must look at me
And see their sunlit dream
I was wasting my time
Praying for love
For a love that never comes from
Someone who does not exist and
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
Let me live before I die
Not me, not I!
I was wasting my life
Always thinking about myself
Someone on the deathbed said
"There are other sorrows too"
I was driving my car
I crashed and broke my spine
So yes, there are things worse in life than
Never being someone's sweetie
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
That's how people grow up
As for me I'm okay
For now anyway
Lyrics submitted by gangoffour389
That's How People Grow Up Lyrics as written by Martin James Boorer Steven Morrissey
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I was driving my car, I crashed and broke my spine, So yes, there are things worse in life than never being some-one's sweetie.
Morrissey is self mocking his classic Smiths song There Is A Light, mocking the romanticism in getting killed by the double decker bus and the ten tonne truck by now 23 years on making the car crash practical and mundane rather than escapist and beautiful. This song is him really severing some of the imagery and ideas he had perpetrated in his youth.
I love love love the lines: "I was driving my car, I crashed and broke my spine, So yes, there are things worse in life than never being some-one's sweetie."
Can't wait to hear a studio version of this.
Yes! Love it. I love how Morrissey can sing with such indifference, matter-of-fact-ness, or even humor, about such harsh things. Just one of the many elements in his music that I appreciate.
It's sarcastic the whole way through. Morrissey very literal in many of his songs, and that literal style hides the true meaning hidden in the more ambiguous statements.
The deathbed scene may have you thinking, "Morrissey is saying to man up because there are worse things out there," but I think it's entirely sarcastic. The dying man is not saying, "I'm not worried about dying because there are greater problems out there"; he's saying, "Don't be so conceited. Can't you see that I'm dying?!" It's fortifying the selfishness in the song.
Maybe the speaker is admitting that his selfishness is what's causing his loneliness. "Someone must look at me and see their sunlit dream," is admitting that love is expected, and also wildly sarcastic. He's "trying to fall in love" with someone else, but no where in this song is the speaker stating what he has to offer to another person: a completely selfish song.
In "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell" the speaker admits this one-sided faculty: "A savage beast, I have nothing to sell"; he has nothing to offer.
When you break your spine, the accompanying struggles will undoubtedly preoccupy your mind and distract you from your lack of love. In the end, a broken spine is only temporary, but it can't hold a candle to a whole lifetime of an unfulfilled love life.
I can't belive no one has commented on this song yet.
It's so amazing and beautiful.
In short, it's about focusing on finding the right person and expecting to find it...and then reality hits you in the face, that you shouldn't waste time "looking" for love. And when you don't get it the way you wanted it, yeah, it hurts, but there are worse things in life than being single. It's definately something I've learned recently, because all my life, I was exactly like in this song. Someone disappointed me, and I came to this realization.
Morrissey does a great job on writing beautiful songs that many can relate to.
Same here...i love this song! I think it's about expecting love and all the good things that goes with it, from someone who clearly doesn't feel the same way. But he finally realises this and knows there's no point in wasting life or time crying over it.
like the song says : "I was driving my car, I crashed and broke my spine, So yes, there are things worse in life than never being some-one's sweetie"
"I was wasting my life Always thinking about myself, Someone on their deathbed said: "There are other sorrows too." '
There's been quite a lot of backlash about this song, and I think it's wonderful as well. It's positive, but not too positive.
"I'm ok, for now anyway."
To IAteTheLotus: I think its a great thing that the song is positive, and agree with you on the fact that its positive but not overloaded.
Other than that, this song rocks. Such a great song.
This song is about resigning yourself to the idea that you may never fall in love, may never have a mutual romantic relationship, and that it is not the end of the world. After all "there are things worse in life than never being someone's sweetie". I love his sarcastic way of singing "sweetie", like it is so frivolous. He mocks his youthful, unrealistic fantasy of meeting that non-existent "perfect" person and mutually falling for each other, and living happily ever after. But like every Moz song that seems to write love off as a ridiculous dream of youth, there is always the glimmer of hope. The dream doesn't fully die..."there is a light that never goes out".
"I was wasting my time Praying for love, For the love that never comes from someone who does not exist"
Surely is about growing up and getting past believing in "God" and wanting "God" to love you.
no that much of 'God' per se, but being in love with some kind of an ideal one creates in his mind, and attributes her/him with godlike abilities of redeeming or saving. In the situation here, lyrical eye seems to be settled with the fact that 'perfect love' doesn't exist as a person. pretty sad conclusion, to my mind. I think that throughout the album the person speaking is more or less 'depressed,' as it would be defined by the standards of culture we live in, although as a matter of fact he is (or at least claims to be, we can never be sure) ok living on his own. Yet, the topic still haunts him, it's more of an attempt to reconcile oneself to the notion that whatever you live your life, whether it is with people, which includes attepmts to create a romantic relationship(s), or on your own, you can be happy. Whther or not this is true seems, however, rather difficult to discern...
Much like "I have forgiven Jesus" I think this song is about Morrissey finally accepting he will never find that perfect person or love he has yearned for his whole life. He has given up on the idea that there might be "the one" out there for him who can finally cure him of his crippling insecurities and give him somewhere to vent all of his love and desire.
Now that he is nearing the big 50 he sure as hell seems to be a lot wiser and at peace with himself. The song I'm Okay By Myself on Years of Refusal seems to evoke the same sentiments that he is propagating here.