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Band: The Smiths
Song: The Queen is Dead
Album: The Queen is Dead
Thom Mills dustbin_man@hotmail.com
Chords
G:320003
A:x022200
G#m:466544
D:xx0232
E:x22100
B:x24442
INTRO: G A G#m G
B
Farewell to this land's cheerless marches
hemmed in like a boar between arches
her very Lowness with her head in a sling
D E
I'm truly sorry but it sounds like a wonderful thing
B
I say Charles don't you ever crave
to appear on the front of the Daily Mail
D E G A G#m G
dressed in your Mother's bridal veil?
B
And so I checked all the registered historical facts
and I was shocked into shame to discover
how I'm the 18th pale descendent
D E
of some old queen or other
B
Oh has the world changed, or have I changed?
oh has the world changed, or have I changed?
some nine year old tough who peddles drugs
D E G A G#m G
I swear to God, I swear I never even knew what drugs were
B
So I broke into the Palace
with a sponge and a rusty spanner
she said: "Eh, I know you, and you cannot sing"
D E
I said: "that's nothing - you should hear me play piano"
B
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
and talk about precious things
but when you are tied to your mother's apron
D E G A G#m G
no-one talks about castration
B
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
and talk about precious things
like love and law and poverty
D E
these are the things that kill me
(same as above)
We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry
and talk about precious things
but the rain that flattens my hair
these are the things that kill me
B
Passed the pub that saps your body
and the church who'll snatch your money
D
the Queen is dead, boys
E
and it's so lonely on a limb
Pass the pub that wrecks your body
and the church, all they want is your money
the Queen is dead, boys
and it's so lonely on a limb
B D E
Life is very long, when you're lonely
life is very long, when you're lonely
life is very long, when you're lonely
life is very long, when you're lonely
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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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No Picture
Taylor Lead Player |
#1 by Taylor Dutton at Mar 15, 1973 at 7:39 PM EST |
| The beginning of the song sounds like: "Farewell to this land's cheerless marshes" "Hemmed in like a boar between archers" Morrissey was feeling the 'slings and arrows" from his critics and said so. | |
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No Picture
Lenny Judd (Pap Wanna Be |
#2 by Lenny Judd (Papa Smurf) at Jul 8, 1973 at 10:23 PM EST |
| "The Queen Is Dead" -Last Exit To Brooklyn, Hubert Selby Jnr "Shall we go for a walk where it's quiet ... ?" From the film of Billy Liar "Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty..." is from the film The L Shaped Room. | |
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No Picture
Quinn Rhythm Player |
#3 by Quinn I killed my last name at Jul 15, 1978 at 8:18 PM EST |
| "The bit about Charles and the wedding veil could be the singer asking Charles is he really as stiff and correct as he appears or does he have crazy fantasies and ideas like the rest of us" HA! and of course years later it was found that he actually wanted to be a tampon. No joke. Look it up. | |
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marvin Lead Player |
#4 by marvin at Nov 20, 1986 at 3:04 PM EST |
| i just thot this was a lovely punsey but just as gritty anarchy song, a little late in the wake of punk.... and i love the way he takes it so lightly using words like a sponge and a rusty spanner.....and yah the bit about the singing and the piano... hahaha i think its great he managed to get away with publishing these lyrics. especially lines like "her very Lowness with her head in a sling I'm truly sorry but it sounds like a wonderful thing " and "I say Charles don't you ever crave to appear on the front of the Daily Mail dressed in your Mother's bridal veil? " | |
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Kyle Average |
#5 by Kyle at Jul 23, 1987 at 5:45 PM EST |
| morrissey at his best. His whitty comments always bring a smile to my face. I like the lines "We can go for a walk where it's quiet and dry and talk about precious things but the rain that flattens my hair these are the things that kill me" he is willing to have a stab at his own vanity | |
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Chris Average |
#6 by Chris Tucker at Nov 29, 1987 at 8:36 AM EST |
| ACTUALLY I think it quite good that a centre-right politician likes an act that was around twenty years earlier, an act that blatantly disliked Thatcher - and then admits it - highlights that Morrissey's wit crosses all boundaries | |
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No Picture
Tom Average |
#7 by Tom Gregory at Jul 11, 1989 at 7:18 PM EST |
| I didn't like this song when I first heard it - but it has grown on me so much. Some of the lines in this are just plain fantastic. I love the bit about the Queen saying that Morrissey can't sing and him replying about his awful piano playing! ;] | |
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No Picture
Peter Wanna Be |
#8 by Peter Lambden at Aug 16, 1989 at 10:42 PM EST |
| "but when you are tied to your mother's apron no-one talks about castration" hahaha, i guess that's referring to how royals are always sticking their noses up any other royal's ass that may just be their senior. this song makes me smile. solid opening track on the smiths' arguably best album. | |
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No Picture
isaac Average |
#9 by isaac fritsch at Mar 22, 1990 at 7:02 AM EST |
| I JUST LOVE THIS SONG :D My favourite Smiths song of all time. | |
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No Picture
The Random Rock Average |
#10 by The Random Rocker at Jun 12, 1990 at 12:04 PM EST |
| Hehe, I have a friend who sang that one verse, So I broke into the Palace with a sponge and a rusty spanner she said: "Eh, I know you, and you cannot sing" I said: "that's nothing - you should hear me play piano" over and over and over. (He actualy sang it better than the Smiths did, in my opinion) I really like this song because it is funny and humorou, but has a message, and the music is pretty cool. | |
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No Picture
♥WeEzY Average |
#11 by ♥WeEzY♥ at Aug 15, 1990 at 5:31 PM EST |
| The scene in this song, Morrissey entering the palace, was inspired by the disturbed 'Michael Fagin, who not only broke into Buckingham Palace,butactually entered th Queen's boudoir and chatted with her over a cigarette before being led away. Thereafter, the easy entrances to the palace grounds were reinforced by barbed wire, less scaleable walls and more vigilant surveillances. | |
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Damien Wanna Be |
#12 by Damien Pritchard at Mar 23, 1992 at 2:00 PM EST |
| This song is fucking epic. | |
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Ryan Wanna Be |
#13 by Ryan Carter at Feb 8, 1994 at 4:27 AM EST |
| "I swear to God, I swear I never even knew what drugs were" I don't know if he did it on purpose or not but i love it when his voice breaks when he sings 'were'. Just after the "Take me back to dear old Blighty" bit you can hear Moz sing something well he is saying "By land, by sea". He really doesn't like the Royal family... | |
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No Picture
Julian Average |
#14 by Julian . at Nov 16, 1994 at 5:48 AM EST |
| this song is a total anthem. it combines morrissey's wit, sarcasm, anti-monarchy sentiments, a quick bit of animal rights, freud, sexuality, class warfare and more so i'm just going to ramble about those now. i like the bit about the nine yr old who peddles drugs as it reminds me of my home town {yeah it's kind of rough, the dealers get younger all the time} but also makes a really nice contrast with him finding out he's related to 'some old queen or other'. him finding out he's related to a royal family of some sort is classic moz irony. he's trying to make a case about nationalism and how ridiculous the monarchy is but finds himself ashamedly connected to it. the class stuff is always pretty interesting in moz/smiths songs but here it is paticularly pertinent. he mentions two institutions in working class life - the church and the pub - yet people feel lonely without the queen. a connection could be made that britain sees the queen as like a mother, from whose apron strings we cannot be disentangled. the WW1 song at the beginning is also interesting for two reasons - because of the nationalist sentiment drummed up during such a huge war effort, and because of the important role of the monarchy in symbolising national unity and strength during the time - perhaps why the 'boys' feel so 'lonely on a limb' once the queen is declared dead. on another note, for britishers, can you believe David Cameron {current conservative/opposition/pro-monarchy leader} has this album on his I-pod? what a crapbag. | |
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No Picture
chris the pirat Lead Player |
#15 by chris the pirate. arr at Mar 29, 1997 at 4:55 PM EST |
| He's sneaking in the palace disguised as a workman, but he's cold busted. What is a "boar between arches" though? | |
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No Picture
Gunther Wanna Be |
#16 by Gunther at Nov 20, 1997 at 3:00 PM EST |
| Words to the intro (from the WWI song "Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty"): Take me back to dear old Blighty! Put me on the train for London town! Take me over there, Drop me ANYWHERE, Liverpool, Leeds, or Birmingham, well, I don't care! | |
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No Picture
Colleen Average |
#17 by Colleen Shmeltin at Jun 5, 1998 at 6:06 PM EST |
| The Humour and irony of this song makes this the smiths at the peak of there powers. When Marr wrote the music I cannot imagine he thought even morrissey could come up with something quite as cutting and yet humourous to go with what has to be the most powerful offering the smiths produced.All the musicians play their part especially the drumming of Mike Joyce and together with morrisseys tongue in cheek attack on the royal family. | |
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Christian Wanna Be |
#18 by Christian Chavez at Jul 23, 2000 at 4:51 AM EST |
| Morrissey is the only one that can be so self-dreprecating and humorous and seem totally serious when singing it. Love it. | |
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No Picture
Green Day rocks Average |
#19 by Green Day rocks!!!! at Mar 25, 2004 at 5:34 PM EST |
| Shortly before this album was released, some guy called Fagin broke into Buckingham palace and actually found his way into her very lowness's bedroom and sat on her bed talking to her for about ten minutes before the alarm was raised (wouldn't you love a transcript?) I think the sponge and rusty spanner line is mocking the lack of security at the palace...just another sign of the declining importance of the Monarchy in Britain. The bit about Charles and the wedding veil could be the singer asking Charles is he really as stiff and correct as he appears or does he have crazy fantasies and ideas like the rest of us...is he a human-being! At least Morrissey is polite enough to ask. God save the queen! Eh, John? | |
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dan Average |
#20 by dan evans at Oct 29, 2006 at 12:32 AM EST |
| "So I broke into the Palace with a sponge and a rusty spanner she said: "Eh, I know you, and you cannot sing" I said: "that's nothing - you should hear me play piano" i've never quite understood this line. why does he break into the palace with a sponge and a rusty spanner? and the humor behind the queen's comment and morrissey's reply. is there something i'm missing or is it just supposed to be kinda silly? | |
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