Meat Is Murder by The Smiths Lyrics Meaning – A Haunting Ballad of Animal Rights
Lyrics
Closer comes the screaming knife
This beautiful creature must die
This beautiful creature must die
A death for no reason
And death for no reason is MURDER
And the flesh you so fancifully fry
Is not succulent, tasty or kind
It’s death for no reason
And death for no reason is MURDER
And the calf that you carve with a smile
Is MURDER
And the turkey you festively slice
Is MURDER
Do you know how animals die ?
Kitchen aromas aren’t very homely
It’s not “comforting”, cheery or kind
It’s sizzling blood and the unholy stench
Of MURDER
It’s not “natural”, “normal” or kind
The flesh you so fancifully fry
The meat in your mouth
As you savour the flavour
Of MURDER
NO, NO, NO, IT’S MURDER
NO, NO, NO, IT’S MURDER
Oh…and who hears when animals cry ?
In the pantheon of protest songs, The Smiths’ ‘Meat Is Murder’ retains its raw edge and haunting cadence. Released in 1985 as the title track of the band’s second album, the song melds melancholic melodies with a biting critique of carnivorous lifestyles. ‘Meat Is Murder’ is more than a song; it’s a battle cry for the voiceless, punctuated by Morrissey’s mournful crooning and Johnny Marr’s piercing guitar.
The Smiths, known for their evocative storytelling and deftly layered instrumentals, leverage their considerable talents to paint a picture of the brutality inherent in meat consumption, wrestling listeners into a confrontation with the ethics of their dietary choices. ‘Meat Is Murder’ walks us through the horrors of slaughter with almost unbearable intimacy. We’re peering behind the curtain of hungry societies, questioning the cost of our appetites on a deeper, almost existential level.
A Symphony of Sorrow: The Cry Behind Heifer Whines
Misery often lurks beneath the surface of beauty, and The Smiths’ opening line ‘Heifer whines could be human cries’ immediately casts a somber light on our perceptions of food and entertainment. Through the personification of the heifer, the band equates the pain experienced by animals with human suffering, obliterating the moral divide society places between us and them. This powerful analogy serves to bridge the gap of empathy, compelling us to feel the gravitas of the creatures’ plight.
The Screaming Knife: Confronting the Carnage
‘Closer comes the screaming knife’ – this visceral imagery unflinchingly compels listeners to face the violence executed in the name of sustenance. The Smiths were never ones to shy away from uncomfortable truths, and here they masterfully employ harrowing language to illustrate the gory reality behind neatly packaged supermarket meats – an unseen crime disguised by the veneer of civilization.
The repetition of ‘This beautiful creature must die’ underscores a tragic inevitability steeped in pathos. There’s an unnerving beauty to the music that belies its gruesome subject matter, much like our own complex relationship with eating meat – a dance between aesthetic appreciation and moral conflict.
Behind the Holiday Feast: Exposing the Festive Farce
Morrissey’s plaintive verse slices through the pageantry of traditional feasts, whether it’s ‘the calf that you carve with a smile’ or ‘the turkey you festively slice.’ By bringing into focus the individual animals subject to the cleaver, The Smiths shatter the celebratory narrative, replacing it with an accusation of complicity in MURDER – spelled out in capital letters to stress its gravity.
In questioning ‘Do you know how animals die?’, they confront listeners with their potential ignorance or willful blindness. The song doesn’t just point fingers; it challenges us to reassess our values and the ways in which we may anesthetize ourselves to suffering for the sake of tradition.
The Haunting Echoes of the Unheard: The Animals’ Silent Plea
In the desolate closing query, ‘Oh…and who hears when animals cry?’, the song distills its central thesis into a moment of reflection. Rarely is the listener left with such rhetorical resonance, an invitation to consider the cacophony of despair that is habitually muted by human preference and convenience.
It’s a stark reminder of the song’s hidden meaning: a societal call to action to acknowledge the cries for mercy that go unheard amidst our meals and merriment. Here, The Smiths ask not for mere awareness but for an active listening, a radical empathy that could reframe the everyday act of eating as an ethical statement.
The Lingering Taste of Ethical Contemplation
Perhaps the most enduring aspect of ‘Meat Is Murder’ is its ability to remain indelibly etched in the conscience of its audience. Memorable lines like ‘The flesh you so fancifully fry’ wield a poetic, yet accusatory power, compelling us to contemplate the suffering that our palate preferences inflict.
After the final strains of Marr’s guitar have faded, what lingers is the essence of the lyric’s meaning – a catalyst for self-examination and, for some, a pivotal moment of transformation. The song’s grim subject matter is matched only by its capacity to enlighten, and that dual nature ensures its place in the lexicon of musical milestones that continue to push the boundaries of social consciousness.
