04. What She Said by The Smiths Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Depths of Desolation
Lyrics
“How come someone hasn’t noticed
That I’m dead
And decided to bury me?
God knows, I’m ready!”
La-la-la…
What she said was sad
But then, all the rejection she’s had
To pretend to be happy
Could only be idiocy
La-la-la…
What she said was not for the job or
Lover that she never had
Oh…
No no no…
What she read
All heady books
She’d sit and prophesise
(It took a tattooed boy from
Birkenhead
To really really open her eyes)
What she read
All heady books
She’d sit and prophesise
(It took a tattooed boy from
Birkenhead
To really really open her eyes)
What she said :
“I smoke ’cause I’m hoping for an
Early death
And I need to cling to something!”
What she said :
“I smoke ’cause I’m hoping for an
Early death
And I need to cling to something!”
No no no no…
Encased in jangling guitars and the distinct croon of Morrissey, The Smiths’s ‘What She Said’ is a track that’s as enigmatic as it is emotionally charged. It’s an aural canvas painted with the hues of alienation and despair, set against the backdrop of 1980s Britain.
Much more than a simple tune, the lyrics narrate a tale of invisible suffering and a yearning for escape. We delve deep into the catacombs of meaning behind this haunting song, uncovering the layers of its narrative, the sorrow of its character, and the subtleties of its melancholic poetry.
The Anatomy of Desolation in Melody
The Smiths are renowned for their ability to fuse the morose with the melodic, and ‘What She Said’ is no exception. The driving bassline and the jangle of guitar strings are the perfect juxtaposition to the gloomy subject matter—a poetic dissection of one’s desolate interior world.
As listeners, we’re drawn into the inner monologue of a character whose existential suffering is palpable. She feels dead to the world, unnoticed and unburied. The music mirrors this internal crisis, resonating with anyone who has ever felt unrecognized in their deepest struggles.
Rejection and Pretense: A Dual-Edged Sword
The theme of rejection runs like a cold current beneath the song’s surface. It’s a rejection so persistent that feigning happiness seems foolish, if not insane. ‘What She Said’ enunciates the weight of carrying on a facade—a common human defense mechanism when faced with repeated emotional pain.
The Smiths encapsulate the absurdity of pretending, as they highlight the conflict between societal expectations and the reality of personal unhappiness. This push and pull of external pressures versus internal despair is rendered with an acute sense of irony that is pure Morrissey.
A Piercing Look at Influence and Enlightenment
One of the song’s most compelling story arcs is the transformation of its character through an encounter with a ‘tattooed boy from Birkenhead.’ This individual seems to represent an eye-opening moment—the catalyst that shatters her constructed reality.
Literature and ‘heady books’ had been her compass, but lived experience, as brought by this person, becomes her true awakening. This convergence of intellectualism and poignant real-world encounters asks listeners to consider the distinction between theoretical knowledge and the enlightenment born of visceral life experiences.
Cries for Help Among Catchy Refrains
Morrissey’s ability to weave dark themes into singable choruses is most evident here. The line ‘I smoke ’cause I’m hoping for an early death, And I need to cling to something!’ is at once desperate and catchy—a contrast The Smiths masterfully achieve.
Sung with a level of nonchalance that borders on the cavalier, these words signal a deep need for control in the midst of chaos. The action of smoking, perhaps a metaphor for self-destructive behavior, is her only claim to agency, a grim tether to a reality she’s otherwise floating away from.
Decoding the Cry for Existential Validation
The song’s hidden meaning seems to center on an existential cry for validation. The ‘early death’ the character hopes for could symbolically represent a longing for resolution—a way to end her invisibility and the pain of unrecognized existence.
In this light, ‘What She Said’ becomes a bleak anthem for those crying out to be seen, reflecting the universal human desire for acknowledgment and the fear of being forgotten. The Smiths encapsulate this dread with a chilling precision that renders the song timeless, as these emotional landscapes are revisited by generation upon generation.
