"Death At One's Elbow"
(Morrissey/Marr)

 

These words are transcribed without permission the way they appear in the "Strangeways Here We Come" album. Additions to the printed lyrics are in darker text while omissions are striken out.

Ooh Glenn
don't come to the house tonight
Ooh, Glenn
Ooh, Glenn
don't come to the house tonight
Ooh, Glenn
because there's somebody here
who really really loves you
Ooh, Glenn
stay home
be bored
(it's crap, I KNOW)
tonight
Ooh, Glenn
Ooh, Glenn
don't come to the house tonight
Ooh, Glen
Ooh, Glenn
don't come to the house tonight
because there's somebody here
who'll take a hatchet to your ear
how the frustration it renders me 1
hateful, Glenn!
don't come to the house tonight
don't come to the house tonight 2
because you'll slip on the 3
trail of my bespattered remains
and so that's why, that's why 4
GOODBYE MY LOVE, GOODBYE MY LOVE
GOODBYE MY LOVE, GOODBYE MY LOVE
GOODBYE MY LOVE, GOODBYE MY LOVE
Belch

 

1 In early (and unreleased) outtakes of this song, Morrissey sang "how the frustration it renders her hopeless".

2 In live performances of this song on the 2009 Swords Tour, Morrissey actually dropped 'tonight' from the second occurrence of this line.

3 The first time Morrissey did the song live, which was on 22 December 1988 in Wolverhampton, he changed this line to "you'll slip on the trail of all of my entrails". When he resurrected the song on the 2009 Swords Tour, he sang "you'll slip on the trail of my sad remains", with the occasional minor variation.

4 In live performances of this song on the 2009 Swords Tour, Morrissey actually sang "that's why I say goodbye my love".