The Headmaster Ritual Lyrics

Lyric discussion by Boss Man 

Cover art for The Headmaster Ritual lyrics by Smiths, The

i think it's more about general abuse rather than caning. i was in school in england in the seventies and i've seen teachers do things to pupils that would put them in jail nowadays...believe me, the cane was the least of your worries! Morrissey's got his angry head on here and there's no trace of humour when he refers to the belligerant ghouls as spineless bastards.

yeah he's pissed off...but still funny as hell. "he does the military two-step down the nape of my neck," or "bruises bigger than dinner plates"? no one can write this shit as well as morrissey. yes, it's driven by his bitterness...which is an integral part of his humor.

much like Charles Schulz, who was lonely, miserable and frightened as a child--and someone who felt his genius wasn't properly acknowledged, if that sounds familiar!--then spent the next 50 years mining his personal traumas for daily gags with a fiercely cynical bite. most people overlooked the...