These words are transcribed without permission the way they appear in the "Years Of Refusal" album. Additions to the printed lyrics are in darker text while omissions are striken out.

Sorries pour out of you
All wide-eyed simple smiles
certain to see you through
like a QC full of fake humility
you say:
          "Oh, please forgive..."
you say:
          "Oh, live and let live..."
but sorry doesn't help us
and sorry will not save us
and sorry will not bring my teen years back to me (any time soon) ¹
Forced back, it springs right out
seasoned, you have no doubts
you lied about the lies that you told ²
which is the full extent of what being you is all about
you say:
          "Oh, please forgive..."
you say:
          "Oh, live and let live..."
but sorry doesn't help us
sorry will not save us
sorry will not bring my love into my arms (as far as I know...) ¹
sorry doesn't help us
sorry will not save us
sorry is just a word you find so easy to say... so you say it anyway
sorry doesn't help us
sorry won't protect us
sorry won't undo all the good gone wrong
my love

 

² On the first leg of the 2009 Tour Of Refusal Morrissey usually changed this line to "you lied about the lies that you lied about", but also sometimes to "you lied and then you lied about your lies". Near the end of the tour's first leg he would sometimes morph those two changes to the more busy "you lied and then you lied about the lies that you lied about". This would remain his favourite change on the tour's second and third legs.