These lyrics are transcribed in light pink as they appear in These words are transcribed without permission the way they appear in the "Bona Drag" album. Additions to the printed lyrics are in darker text while omissions are striken out.

Such a little thing
such a little thing
but the difference it made was grave
there you go
wielding a bicycle chain
oh why won't you change ¹
change and be nicer?
such a little thing ²
a gentle tone of kindness ³
or written words on paper
- can you write?
How I love all of ⁴
the very simple things of life ⁵
(God's good air)
how I love all of ⁴
the very simple things of life ⁵
such a little thing
a fumbling politeness
the difference it saved me ⁶
wielding a bicycle chain
why won't you change ¹
"I WILL NOT CHANGE
AND I WILL NOT BE NICE"
Most people keep their brains
between their legs
(don't you find?) ⁷
Leave me alone - I was only singing ⁸
leave me alone because
I was only singing
leave me alone - I was only singing
leave me alone
you have just proved (again)
MOST PEOPLE KEEP THEIR BRAINS
BETWEEN THEIR LEGS

 

² In early unreleased versions of this song Morrissey sang "just a little thing".

³ In early unreleased versions of this song Morrissey sang "a simple tone of kindness".

⁴ In early unreleased versions of this song Morrissey sang "how I love, oh I love the very simple things of life".

⁵ When performing this song on the 1992 Your Arsenal tour Morrissey always changed this line to "the complicated things of life". This can be heard on live album "Beethoven Was Deaf" for example. When the song was back on Morrissey's setlist on the 2004 You Are The Quarry tour this was done on and off.

⁶ The correction here only applies to the studio version. When performing the song live Morrissey usually followed his original intended lyrics. In early unreleased versions of the song he sang "but the difference it made".

⁷ When he did this song live in 1992 (as heard on live album "Beethoven Was Deaf"), Morrissey would always skip the portion of the song after this point and segue into either his cover of Suede's "My Insatiable One" (early in the tour) or "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" (later in the tour). When the song was played live again on the 2004 tour, Morrissey did sing the latter segment, but this line ("don't you find") was usually changed to something of a different nature, such as "some don't!", "thank God!", "yes!", "look!", "me too!", "so do I!" or the most common "I do!". Morrissey also sometimes simply growled or said nothing at all.

⁸ In early unreleased versions of this song Morrissey sang "Leave me alone I'm only singing / leave me alone I'm only singing / I'm only singing / leave me alone I'm only singing / leave me alone / you have just proved (again), etc." He had a difficult time fitting those words to the music and this is very likely the reason why they were changed to the ones he recorded and released.