Death at One's Elbow

This is what i thought: Morrissey loves this girl who really loves Glenn. Morrissey is sad, and the frustration renders him hateful, so he's the one who wants to take a hatchet to poor glenn's ear.

But then again, i can more than relate.

Warning Glenn to not come back home because it will be weird..either tremendous love or violence.

Death at One's Elbow is sung from the perspective of a gay man calling his lover (or leaving a stream of conscious suicide letter) with homocidal threats. The singer has been wronged by his lover -- hence "There's somebody hear who really, really loves you" as opposed to whomever the lover is cheating on him with (shades of TONY THE PONY, anyone?). The singer's murderous rage gives into self-pity as he sings "The frustration it renders me Hateful..." and then proceeds to kill himself in the final verse. This is not one of my favorite Smiths songs as the music is the slightest of the majestic Marr canon. I think Moz's lyrics make up for it though and in a way the maniacal Rock A Billy underscoring provides a certain giddy macabre to the already death-drenched mood of STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME. I'm sure conspiracy theorists who believe "I Won't Share You" is Morrissey's parting words to Marr could also look at this, the previous track as also reflective of a relationship gone awry by unrealistic expectations and a "wandering eye" -- but that's getting pretty out there. I mean, despite their not knowing that STRANGEWAYS was the last album, doesn't each track ring with a certain sad inevitability?

The title of this song is from the Joe Orton Diaries.

He has been wronged by this Glenn fellow and the frustration has rendered him hateful in a way he can't deal with, so he'd rather off himself.

I think it is about a gay man. Though I believe that he is in love with Glenn who is straight and does not know he is gay. THe frustration of this has made him suicidal as well as homicidal.

It's just another example of Morrisseys homoeroto/fetishism in the guise of the obvious Orton reference. Orton was murdered in the same fashion as these lyrics. Only the names are changed to protect the guilty.

suicide?

Barbara Glenn?

"Bill Bast was now living in New York, and he and Jimmy began seeing a lot of each other. With Bill, Dizzy Sheridan, and another 'insolvent outsider' Barbara Glenn (whom Dean nicknamed 'my neurotic little shit') it seemed that Jimmy had finally found his companions" -the book James Dean Is Not Dead by Morrissey

PLOSION got it dead on.

I like how he's kind of beating around the bush the whole song, saying something but not really saying anything, hiding something. Then the last few lines kind of hint that it has to do with him, and he comes out with it. THAT'S WHY. THAT'S WHY. Then wants to run away from it, goodbye my love, GOODBYE MY LOVE. That's what I think anyway. :0