Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head.
See, the sea wants to take me…
The narrator of “I Know It’s Over” by The Smiths is heartbroken. The girl he loves is getting married to someone else. Well, “loves” is a strong word. He’s infatuated with her. He seeks out the comfort and advice of his mother, who is the wrong person to go to. His mother seems to be horrible for so many reasons. One, she seems broken herself. Two, she doesn’t seem very supportive of her son.
She says the following to her son: “If you’re so good-looking, why do you sleep with yourself tonight.” Ouch. Is that tough love or shitty parenting? Perhaps if your son is talking about suicide (or feelings of impending doom), you might want to take it a little easier.
His mother does have some good advice for him, but it is couched in horrible advice. She tells him not to be bitter about love: “It is so easy to laugh. It is so easy to hate. It takes guts to be gentle and kind.” Okay good advice! Then: “love is…not for such as you and I my love”. Why say that? She’s telling him he will be fated to the same lack of love that she is because…I am not sure why. It is a devastating story. Naturally, this brings the narrator back to thoughts of suicide.
“I Know It’s Over” highlights Morrisey’s voice in a way that few of his other songs do. There is a distinct melody to the song, but it is similar to the melodies in Dylan’s songs: it is understated, and might not be as accessible as other rock songs.
I Know It’s Over Lyrics
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
And as I climb into an empty bed
Oh well. Enough said.
I know it’s over – still I cling
I don’t know where else I can go
Oh…
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
See, the sea wants to take me
The knife wants to slit me
Do you think you can help me?
Sad veiled bride, please be happy
Handsome groom, give her room
Loud, loutish lover, treat her kindly
(Though she needs you
More than she loves you)
And I know it’s over – still I cling
I don’t know where else I can go
Over and over and over and over
Over and over, la…
I know it’s over
And it never really began
But in my heart it was so real
And you even spoke to me, and said :
“If you’re so funny
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
And if you’re so clever
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you’re so very entertaining
Then why are you on your own tonight ?
If you’re so very good-looking
Why do you sleep alone tonight ?
I know…
‘Cause tonight is just like any other night
That’s why you’re on your own tonight
With your triumphs and your charms
While they’re in each other’s arms…”
It’s so easy to laugh
It’s so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind
Over, over, over, over
It’s so easy to laugh
It’s so easy to hate
It takes guts to be gentle and kind
Over, over
Love is natural and real
But not for you, my love
Not tonight, my love
Love is natural and real
But not for such as you and I, my love
Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
written by The Smiths
That is not at all what this song is about. The lyrics are about him, and what he says to himself. And it’s not about a guy losing his girlfriend. Ugh.
This song is sung from the standpoint of a victim of a narcissist. Narcissists shut their victims down and make them feel ‘buried alive’ with no outlet to express their emotions or feelings of love. The Narcissist also enters their victim unwittingly into a shared fantasy of dual mothership before knocking said victim from their pedestal by cruelly discarding them. Thus the repeated mentions of mother in the lyrics.
The man returns home after the last conversation with the object of his affection. It could have been someone he had been in love with for years, and he had been hopeful that they would be together. However, during the conversation, the subject confesses his feelings, and she tells him then that she definitely do not feel the same way. His hopes were pure fiction, as the feelings were only from his side. From the conversation, it emerged that the girl is soon getting married. Her lover is someone entirely different from what the subject could have imagined – a person who, just in his opinion, does not fit her at all as he knew her. Yet, he still cares about her and wishes her well. Therefore, the subject concludes that she must be attracted to that man somehow and she rather needs someone like her crush much more than she even loves him. She responds him angrily, cautioning him about his words, and that his perplexity shows that he is not as attractive as he probably might think of himself. If that was the case, he wouldn’t be alone that evening, while others can turn their chances into relationships. Deeply saddened, the subject returns home lonely, thinking about what happened and weighing various ways to end it all.