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.

I'm doing very well
I can block out the present and the past now
I know by now you think I should have straightened myself out
thank you, drop dead
something is squeezing my skull
something I can barely describe ¹
there is no love in modern life ²
I'm doing very well
it's a miracle I even made it this far ³
the motion of taxis excites me
will when you peel it back and bite me? ⁴
something is squeezing my skull
something I can barely describe ²
there is no hope in modern life
something is squeezing my skull something I can't fight
no true friends in modern life ⁵
diazepam (that's valium)
tamazepam... lithium ⁶
...HRT, ECT
how long must I stay on this stuff? ⁷
don't gimmie anymore, don't gimmie anymore, don't
gimmie anymore, don't gimmie anymore, PLEASE
DON'T gimmie anymore
don't gimmie anymore, don't gimmie anymore
you swore you would not gimmie anymore, don't gimmie anymore...
don't gimmie anymore, don't gimmie anymore
please don't gimmie anymore
don't gimmie anymore, don't gimmie anymore
you swore you would not gimmie anymore, don't gimmie anymore
don't gimmie anymore, don't gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
oh you swore
        you swore!
        you swore!
you swore you would not gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore
gimmie anymore

 

² On the UK/France leg of the Greatest Hits tour in early 2008 Morrissey always sang "There is no hope in modern life".

³ In early live performances of this song Morrissey alternated between the above and "It's a miracle I made it even this far".

⁴ In early live performances of the song Morrissey often dropped the "when you" before "peel it back and bite me". On the 2009 Tour Of Refusal he originally alternated between "would you peel it back and bite me" and "when you peel it back and bite me". Then for most of the tour's first leg he sang "somebody peel it back and bite me". Only near the end of this first leg did he change this again, this time to "for God's sake peel it back and bite me". On the tour's second and third legs, as well as on the Swords Tour later the same year, he alternated between variations such as "would you (please) peel it back and bite me", "somebody peel it back and bite me", "please peel it back and bite me" or "for God's sake peel it back and bite me".

⁵ This song was debuted live on the UK/France leg of the Greatest Hits tour in early 2008 and on most nights at the time Morrissey sang "there are no true friends in modern life". He returned to this variation on the Swords Tour at the end of 2009.

⁶ On the first half of the first leg of the 2009 Tour Of Refusal Morrissey reversed "lithium" and "tamazepan". He then reverted to the original form on later legs/tours.

⁷ In the very first live performances of this song Morrissey sang "How long shall I stay on this stuff".