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Q&A
Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed Lyrics
Mama, why did you do it?
Mama, who drove you to it?
Was it the pigs in gray suits persecuting you?
Uncivil servants unconcerned at how they frighten you
Life is nothing much to lose
It's just so lonely here without you
Mama, why did you do it?
Mama, who drove you to it?
Spare, priggish money men who scared the life out of you
Bailiffs with bad breath, I will slit their throats for you
Life is nothing much to lose
It's just so lonely here without you
Life is nothing much to lose
It's just so lonely here without you
So we're gonna run to you
We're gonna come to you
We're gonna lie down beside you, mama
We're gonna be with you
We're gonna join you
We're gonna lie down beside you, mama
And we'll be safe and sheltered in our graves
We'll come before you
and we will touch you
We'll go for one final hug, mama
Mama, who drove you to it?
Uncivil servants unconcerned at how they frighten you
It's just so lonely here without you
Mama, who drove you to it?
Bailiffs with bad breath, I will slit their throats for you
It's just so lonely here without you
It's just so lonely here without you
We're gonna come to you
We're gonna lie down beside you, mama
We're gonna join you
We're gonna lie down beside you, mama
We'll come before you
and we will touch you
We'll go for one final hug, mama
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la, la, la Roy's Keen
This is one of my favourites from the new album. It's passion, anger and revenge with a meandering and thundering musical backdrop.
It's also interesting to note the title- the writer Virginia Woolf commited suidide by jumping into a river with stones in her pockets, and suffered from mental illness throughout her life. This could have been Morrissey's inspiration for the title and for placing it after 'Something Is Squeezing My Skull'. I wouldn't read too much into this, though- it's just an observation which I noticed had also been made by Simon Goddard in 'Mozipedia'.