I was right and you were wrong
Back at the old grey school
I would win and you would lose
But you've got everything now
You've got everything now
And what a terrible mess I've made of my life
Oh, what a mess I've made of my life
No, I've never had a job
Because I've never wanted one
I've seen you smile
But I've never really heard you laugh
So who is rich and who is poor ?
I cannot say ... oh
You are your mother's only son
And you're a desperate one
Oh ...
But I don't want a lover
I just want to be seen ... oh ... in the back of your car
A friendship sadly lost ?
Well this is true ... and yet, it's false
Oh ...
But did I ever tell you, by the way ?
I never did like your face
But you've got everything now
You've got everything now
And what a terrible mess I've made of my life
Oh, what a mess I've made of my life
No, I've never had a job
Because I'm too shy
I've seen you smile
But I've never really heard you laugh
So who is rich and who is poor ?
I cannot say ... oh
Oh ...
You are your mother's only son
And you're a desperate one
Oh ...
But I don't want a lover
I just want to be tied ... oh ... to the back of your car
To the back of your car
To the back of your car
To the back of your car
To the back of your car
To the back of your car
Oh ...
This song is Morrissey rather viciously lashing out at his former schoolmates, who were so successful then, whereas now, he's the one with the hit records and they're languishing in the "terrible mess they've made of their lives". This is made all the more interesting by projecting it from their viewpoint ... this song is a prime example of Morrissey ambiguity : "a friendship sadly lost ... well this is true, and yet it's false".
Of course there's a strong vein of sardonicity here, as Morrissey's "everything" is revealed as nothing but the run-of-the-mill sexual fantasies ("I just want to be seen in the back of your car"). Here Morrissey seems to be highlighting the contrast between success of the self and success as seen by others. By all accounts, he is very successful, and certainly so in their eyes, but Morrissey sees it differently, lamenting "Who is rich and who is poor ?", a motif later returned to in I Want The One I Can't Have, and, obliquely, in We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful.
One of Marr's less accomplished tunes on The Smiths is saved by the addition of Paul Carrack on a roaring organ part.
Dean Wrigley says of this song :
The lines from this song have, I believe, a double meaning. Never having a job and never wanting one may cause you to be poor, and having no sense of humour may also, in a sense, be poor. But the double meaning in these lines hangs on the word 'rich' which has another meaning in English, e.g. "That's rich, coming from him!" Never having a job and never wanting one and rejoicing in the fact is certainly 'rich' used in this context.
Visit Troy Tate Sessions version of this song
Visit Hatful Of Hollow version of this song
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