7 What Do You See In Him? - lyrics

"What Do You See In Him?"
(Morrissey/Marr)

 

This song is an early version of "Wonderful Woman", with different lyrics. It was never released under this form, so the lyrics are transcribed here, without permission, as they were sung on 4 February 1983 at Manchester Hacienda, the only performance of the song available on bootleg.

Oh the nights are too long
When the questions are lost
I try
But i will never understand

What do you see in her?
What do you see in her?
I love her, I love her, I love her
I love her, I love her, I love her

Cheat the Life out of me
As you walk hand in hand
And I try, and I try, and I try
But I will never understand

What do you see in her?
I ask myself
What do you see in him?
I love her, I love her, I love her

That she will plague you
And I will be glad
Yes, he will leave you
And I will be glad

 

Early lyrics included "When will you ever learn" and "Ice water for blood". The latter words were later recycled in "Wonderful Woman".

 

Quotes

Morrissey friend James Maker states in his "Autofellatio" book: "Initially, [Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke¸] were not particularly comfortable with the connotations of Morrissey’s prescient homoeroticism. The title of What Do You See In Her? [sic] was changed to Wonderful Woman for this very reason because of a concern that the group might be construed as gay. However, it was evident from the beginning that the songwriting, the conceptualisation of the group’s identity and the public voice of The Smiths lay exclusively in the hands of Morrissey and Marr. Consultation with Rourke and Joyce in this regard was superfluous.".