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

Unruly boys
who will not grow up
must be taken in hand
Unruly girls
who will not settle down
they must be taken in hand

A crack on the head
is what you get for not asking
and a crack on the head
is what you get for asking

(repeat above 2 verses, then 2nd only)

A crack on the head
is just what you get
why because of who you are
and a crack on the head
is just what you get
why because of what you are

A crack on the head
because of
the things you said, or didn't say
the things you do

Unruly boys
who will not grow up
must be taken in hand
Unruly girls
who will not grow up
they must be taken in hand

Note: This song was introduced live many months before it was released. The earliest version, from 19 December 1983, had many of these lyrics but a very different verse structure. Most interestingly, it had additional lyrics. As the Smiths played the song live throughout 1984, these extra lyrics were dropped and it would gradually become the version that was released in early 1985 on "Meat Is Murder". After the first basic verses given above, Morrissey sang:

A crack on the head is what you get
A crack on the head is what you get
for never asking, never asking
A crack on the head that's what you get
because you never ask
And a crack in the groin is what you get
and more

A crack on the head is what you get
because you never ask me
A crack on the head is what you get
because you ask me anything
A crack on your head
A warp on your mind

I've always been such a decent lad
I've always been such a decent lad
I've always been such a decent lad
I don't know what came over me today
I've always been such a decent lad

A crack on the head is what you get
Why for asking
A crack on the head is what you get
Why for asking

Unruly boys
who will not grow up
must be taken in hand
Unruly girls
who will not settle down
they must be taken in hand
Unruly boys
who will not grow up
they must be taken in hand

I am the man, I am the man
I am the man, I am the man
I am the man to keep you in place
I am the man you need to keep you in place
Unruly boys, unruly girls
I'm your man
I am your man...

Another interesting thing - retrospectively - is that, from late 1984 to the end of the song's live career in June 1985, in his mumblings near the end of the lyrical portion, Morrissey sang "...a crack on the head because of all the silly little things that you said, and you said the queen is dead..." Those last words were mumbled on certain nights, but were clearly sung on others. The song "The Queen Is Dead" was to be written in late 1985, so perhaps Morrissey was already putting together its lyrics. It is also possible that those words were somehow autobiographical and singing them gave him the idea to write a song around them.

Quotes

Morrissey, March 1985: "From the time you get hit when you're a child, as covered in a song called 'Barbarism Begins At Home', violence is the only answer. Conversation is pointless."