The Smiths: How Soon Is Now? Meaning

How Soon Is Now? Lyrics

I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way ?
I am human and i need to be loved
Just like everybody...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Apr 21st 2006 !⃝

   This song is lonely shy people's anthem, "You could meet somebody who really loves you, So you go, and you stand on your own, And you leave on your own, And you go home, and you cry, And you want to die." Pure gold.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Nov 19th 2012 !⃝

   I mean is it about gay rights?, perhaps, After all Morrisey is gay and the song seems to hint towards being condemned or misunderstood about being homosexual. Being gay can be concidered "criminally vulgar" in some peoples eyes. And if you are forced to stay hidden in the closet out of shame you may be lonely not having the opportunity to be yourself and find your true love. Perhaps the club in the song is a gay night club.
3. anonymous

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   Feb 2nd 2014 !⃝

   Everyone on here has missed the meaning completely.
   This is a song about a depressed guy, who is going to kill himself, because of depression. " when you say it's gonna happen now, what exactly do you mean" is a reply by a friend when he says it's all over. I'm going to do it now. Off himself.
   Wake up people.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
4. anonymous

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   Jan 11th 2013 !⃝

   "I am the son
   and the heir
   of a shyness that is criminally vulgar"
   
   I'm a product of my own shyness. What you see now, my behaviour now, is the consequence of years and years of shyness and being scared to deal with people.
   
   "I am the son and the heir
   of nothing in particular"
   
   But it's nothing important, really. Just like me.
   
   "You shut your mouth
   how can you say
   I go about things the wrong way
   I am human and I need to be loved
   just like everybody else does"
   
   This is towards the people who are always giving me advice about how to get women
   and tell me what I'm doing doesn't work, that I need to do such and such.
   But then, I want people who love me for who I am, not who I appear to be.
   Who are they to tell me my methods are wrong?
   
   "There's a club if you'd like to go
   you could meet somebody who really loves you
   so you go, and you stand on your own
   and you leave on your own
   and you go home, and you cry
   and you want to die"
   
   This is really self explanatory (and highly biographical for me...)
   I go to a club, which is supposedly the dating scene or whatever, but then
   nobody really gives a shit about me and I'm too self-conscious to start dancing
   because I've tried it before and only made a fool out myself.
   So I stand there alone. Then I go home. Cry. Want to die.
   
   "When you say it's gonna happen "now"
   well, when exactly do you mean?
   see I've already waited too long
   and all my hope is gone"
   
   People are always telling me that "oh you'll find someone one of these days"
   Yeah, but when? I'm tired of looking and always come up with empty disappointment.
   Nobody's interested in me and the girls I get interested in don't really care about me.
   So I think I won't get anyone, cause when I really really want it to happen, it never does.
   
   it´s about social anxiety...
5. anonymous

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   Jan 11th 2013 !⃝

   "I am the son
   and the heir
   of a shyness that is criminally vulgar"
   
   I'm a product of my own shyness. What you see now, my behaviour now, is the consequence of years and years of shyness and being scared to deal with people.
   
   "I am the son and the heir
   of nothing in particular"
   
   But it's nothing important, really. Just like me.
   
   "You shut your mouth
   how can you say
   I go about things the wrong way
   I am human and I need to be loved
   just like everybody else does"
   
   This is towards the people who are always giving me advice about how to get women
   and tell me what I'm doing doesn't work, that I need to do such and such.
   But then, I want people who love me for who I am, not who I appear to be.
   Who are they to tell me my methods are wrong?
   
   "There's a club if you'd like to go
   you could meet somebody who really loves you
   so you go, and you stand on your own
   and you leave on your own
   and you go home, and you cry
   and you want to die"
   
   This is really self explanatory (and highly biographical for me...)
   I go to a club, which is supposedly the dating scene or whatever, but then
   nobody really gives a shit about me and I'm too self-conscious to start dancing
   because I've tried it before and only made a fool out myself.
   So I stand there alone. Then I go home. Cry. Want to die.
   
   "When you say it's gonna happen "now"
   well, when exactly do you mean?
   see I've already waited too long
   and all my hope is gone"
   
   People are always telling me that "oh you'll find someone one of these days"
   Yeah, but when? I'm tired of looking and always come up with empty disappointment.
   Nobody's interested in me and the girls I get interested in don't really care about me.
   So I think I won't get anyone, cause when I really really want it to happen, it never does.
6. anonymous

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   Nov 17th 2012 !⃝

   gay right? I am human and I need to be loved just like everyone else does.
7. anonymous

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   Dec 20th 2010 !⃝

   Just to add a twist. I have a friend who is in his 40s and still single and desperate to find a woman but although he is quite open about this he will not take advise! To us it is obvious why he has no success but it angers him when we give him practical advise i.e.. stop going after 18 yr old super models or you need to cut your knee length hair.
   
   Do you see this senorio reflected in the chorus?
8. CHAD

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   Oct 17th 2008 !⃝

   One of the most haunting sounds is that ever present banshee sound in the song. A loner's anthem for sure. The first time I heard it I was driving back from Miami in the middle of the night on a dark highway, and it kinda scared me. They used it in a car commercial a few years back.
9. davidnorrie6

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   Jul 29th 2008 !⃝

   Only two submissions, now three, on a song that has to speak to every person who has ever been single.
   
   Who hasn't got all excited and dressed up to go out to a club or bar thinking, "tonights the night. The night I meet 'the one'."
   
   But you go there, stand on your own, feel like a idiot at times, and you go home. Same place different night, same crappy feeling.
   
   Then the final verse is out of frustration. Geeze, when the hell am I going to meet somebody because this singles scene is tiring me out.
   
   Great song.
10. anony

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    Feb 1st 2008 !⃝

    Morrissey is all about misery and depression. It is brilliant. love him.

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