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Band: The Smiths
Song: Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours
Album: Strangeways Here We Come
Thom Mills dustbin_man@hotmail.com
Piano Intro (But can be on guitar)
E ---1---1---1---1-----------------||
B ---3---3---3---3---3---3---3---3-||
G ---2---2---2---2---3---3---3---3-||
D -0-------0---3-----3---3---3---3-||
A -----0-----------1-------1---3---||
E ---------------------1-----------||
Eb Dm
ooh, but don~t mention love
Eb Dm
i~d hate the strain of the pain again
a rush and a push and the land that we stand on is ours it has been before so i shall be again
and people who are uglier than you and i they take what they need and leave
Eb Dm
ooh, but don~t mention love
Eb Dm
i~d hate the pain of the strain all over again
a rush and a push and the land that we stand on is ours it has been before so why can~t it be
now? and people who are weaker than you and i they take what they want from life
Eb Dm
ooh, but don~t mention love
Eb Dm
no, no- don~t mention love
a rush and a push and the land that we stand on is ours your youth may be gone but you~re still
a young man so phone me, phone me, phone me phone me, phone me, phone me
Eb Dm
ooh, i think i~m in love...
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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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Taylor Lead Player |
#1 by Taylor Dutton at Oct 8, 1972 at 6:16 AM EST |
| power to the people...well the handsome ones anyway! Vietnam? Ha ha ha! | |
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D-backs, 2006 w Rhythm Player |
#2 by D-backs, 2006 world series champions! !! at Apr 12, 1974 at 11:19 PM EST |
| ha the first time i heard this song, i thought it was saying so...fvck me fvck me fvck me......like whoa morrissey, but i was wrong. | |
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Ashley Rhythm Player |
#3 by Ashley 666 at Apr 4, 1975 at 10:17 AM EST |
| This is the song that hooked me on the Smiths, and quite possibly my all-time favourite. The lyrics are bit hard to decipher. I think it's about a guy in love with another guy, which does not settle too well with his father. I dunno if he's dead or if the first verse is supposed to be metaphorical or something. Hmm. Any input, anyone? | |
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Guitar Man Lead Player |
#4 by Guitar Man at Dec 20, 1977 at 1:03 PM EST |
| vietnam? go to england, go to any crappy seaside town during the off-season - that's what the song's about | |
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matt Average |
#5 by matt spolsky at Nov 18, 1978 at 1:09 AM EST |
| Sorry, but that's the best one I've heard since I started commenting on these pages. | |
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Randy Wanna Be |
#6 by Randy Burden at Mar 5, 1979 at 4:57 PM EST |
| Morrissey, like the rest of The Smiths, was a lad of Irish decent and thats where the "A rush and a push and the land is ours" comes from, definately. He was in favour of Irish independence, not sure what his views are now. | |
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Tyler Average |
#7 by Tyler Hutchison at Dec 28, 1979 at 4:06 AM EST |
| HELLO I am the ghost of Troubled Joe hung by his pretty white neck some eighteen months ago I travelled to a mystical time zone but I missed my bed so I soon came home they said: "there's too much caffeine in your blood stream and a lack of real spice in your life" I said: "leave me alone because I'm alright, dad just surprised to still be on my own...." This is one of my favourite Smith songs, from the opening bars and the intro and start up to the end of the bit I quoted above I think is one of the best starts to a song ever. | |
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Hudson Lead Player |
#8 by Hudson Ryan at Apr 8, 1983 at 1:14 AM EST |
| I love.....LOVE.....this song. I dont know why.... its just really really really really good. Whos troubled Joe? | |
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Mat Average |
#9 by Mat Hancock at Feb 7, 1984 at 11:13 PM EST |
| i think this song again is deeper than anything ive heard before , it seems to me to have an almost existentialist feel to it , especially as the Videotape could be a metaphor for deeds , and experience of past love or grievances , i think Thom as always tries to be optimistic at the end , but it always leaves you feeling as helpless as ever about everything happening around you , yet radiohead always give you that sense of escape | |
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Alex Wanna Be |
#10 by Alex Jurek at Dec 10, 1984 at 10:28 PM EST |
| I think this is about someone coming out of a relationship and the 'rehabilitation' period where they try to fall back out of love. The hung by his neck thing could be the end of the relationship, the mystical time zone being the irrationality one feels after such an event, the returning home could be his return to sanity. The person could then be forced to return to live with his parents while he gets back on his feet, hence his talking with his father. The 'rush and a push and the land that we stand on is ours' could refer to his attempting to fall back in love again, and he feels that if he keeps trying, he can force it, even if he's denying that he wants to feel it. He feels jealous of those he considers to be beneath him, and who are in love themselves. Eventually, someone recognises that, although his innocence (or youth) is gone, he is, at heart, a good man (I think that bit about 'your youth may be gone...' etc is told from someone else's point of view, talking to him), and he starts to fall in love again. Even if that's wrong, it's more plausible than Viet-bloody-nam. Come on, he's BRITISH, for fuck's sake. He's not going to sing about Vietnam. At least Everyday Is Like Sunday is a song which makes more sense if you're British, this is a far more universal song... Vietnam? Jeez... | |
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yomomma!! Wanna Be |
#11 by yomomma!! at Apr 9, 1986 at 9:07 PM EST |
| I travelled to a mystical time zone but I missed my bed so I soon came home Pure genius! | |
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Jaime Average |
#12 by Jaime at Apr 1, 1991 at 12:19 AM EST |
| It's about anal sex. A 'Rush' describes sniffing amyl nitrate to make entry easier, and the accompanying headrush, a 'push' is, well, i'm sure you can imagine, and 'the land is ours' describes the fact that the couple are now joined anatomically. Also notice Morrissey's glottal growling, probably an indication of the sounds you can expect to hear during the above scenario. (Have i now irreparably altered your listening experience?) The narrator is possibly describing a visit to a male prostitute (a theme again explored in 'You Have Killed Me'), and the fact he doesn't want love, because that would inevitably involve a reciprocated physical act - one that causes too much 'strain' and 'pain'. The ‘mystical time zone’ may refer to that fact that amyl nitrate can also induce an altered perception of time. Despite stretched time, the encounter with the prostitute is brief, and soon the narrator is home in his own bed, fearing capital repercussions. The fear eventually subsides, however, and the narrator is longing to meet the elderly rent boy again. And this time it's love, and you know what that means folks... 'phone me phone me phone me'. Maybe people heard correctly the first time after all. | |
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gabby Professional |
#13 by gabby at Apr 25, 1993 at 10:18 PM EST |
| "And people who are uglier than you and I, they take what they need and just leave." A direct referance to Thatchers Government. They are "uglier" then the common people, but they take what they need and give nothing back. | |
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I fought the la Average |
#14 by I fought the law and the law kicked my ass I never learn do i...?? at Apr 24, 1996 at 5:34 AM EST |
| i was just about to post about how the 'phone me phone me phone me' bit sounds like that. | |
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Phillip Average |
#15 by Phillip Nguyen at Jan 30, 1997 at 5:55 PM EST |
| The idea that this song is about Vietnam is pure rubbish, but I will point out that the cover of "Meat is Murder" is an image from the Vietnam War. It's not impossible that the Smiths would write a song about that war. But this isn't such a song! | |
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Jon Wanna Be |
#16 by Jon Leff at Mar 21, 1997 at 4:36 PM EST |
| "a rush and a charge and the land is ours" is an irish battle motto... Definitely not about vietnam. Maybe about irish/english unpleasantness... | |
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FUCK Rhythm Player |
#17 by FUCK OFF at May 7, 1997 at 12:57 AM EST |
| Although it could be refering to his homosexuality, I'd like to offer a different view. I think this song is about Vietnam. Many of The Smiths, and Morrissey's songs deal with Vietnam. I.E. Everyday is Like Sunday by Morrissey. Download that one. It's awesome. | |
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robert Professional |
#18 by robert cunningham at Apr 11, 1998 at 3:31 AM EST |
| i think this song is about shyness. "people who are weaker/uglier than you and i - they take what they need, and leave" means dumb and not really beautiful guys can get any girl they want - you just need enough self esteem. that's what a smart and maybe better looking shy guy is lacking... | |
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Dan Average |
#19 by Dan Johnson at Jun 18, 1998 at 9:54 PM EST |
| This was the only Smiths song that didn't feature lead or rhythm guitar. | |
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kewl Wanna Be |
#20 by kewl dude at Mar 16, 2000 at 7:52 PM EST |
| "everyday is like sunday" has absolutely NOTHING to do with war! it is about one of those seaside towns (very much like the one i live in) that is now pretty empty. "a rush an a push..." also has nothing to do with Vietnam, and actually comes from something once said by Oscar Wilde's mum. | |
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cody Average |
#21 by cody jay at Oct 3, 2001 at 5:28 AM EST |
| I think the 'phone me, phone me, phone me' part was meant to sound like 'f*ck me, f*ck me, f*ck me'. I think the song is about lonliness. To me, it seems that it's about a guy who is ashamed to admit to his father (and himself) that he is still single. He is too caught up in everday life, perhaps his career, etc. The 'caffeine in your bloodstream' could be a referance to him being stressed out over such things and the 'strain of the pain' expresses how when he is made to think about it, he does feel lonely and is hurt by this. He says he thinks he is in love because this is what he wants, to be in love. I believe the war referances to be a hint at the inner conflicts he is having, whether he should follow his heart and find love or not. I love this song. | |
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jo_silverhawk Average |
#22 by jo_silverhawk at Nov 23, 2001 at 7:16 PM EST |
| "I think it's about a guy in love with another guy," Sorry, but where did you see that? | |
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taris Average |
#23 by taris leoncho at Jul 23, 2002 at 11:38 AM EST |
| I already own "Everyday Is Like Sunday" on CD. I do agree that it's awesome. However, I don't see how "Everday" is about Vietnam. It sounds like it could be about any war, really. | |
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Trey Average |
#24 by Trey Davis at Nov 26, 2003 at 11:42 AM EST |
| yeah, wilde's mother speranza was a big irish independent, the title comes from her. | |
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Jared Wanna Be |
#25 by Jared van Eck at Jun 21, 2006 at 1:48 PM EST |
| "...the ghost of Troubled Joe" Probably a reference to the film Carry On Jack | |
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