Cemetry Gates
| THE SMITHS song | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cemetry Gates |
| Album/single | The Queen Is Dead |
| Length | 2:39 |
| Writer/composer | Morrissey / Johnny Marr |
| Producer | Morrissey / Johnny Marr Stephen Street (Recording Engineer) |
| Release | June 1986 |
| Recorded | Winter 1985 |
Information
You say: “ere thrice the sun done salutation to the dawn”
Appears to be a variation on Act V of Shakespeare’s "Richard III":
"My lord, ’tis I. The early village cock Hath twice done salutation to the morn."
Similarly, the Bette Davis' film "The Man Who Came To Dinner" features the lines:
"All those people, all those lives, where are they now ? Here was a woman who once lived and loved, full of the same passions, fears, jealousies, hates. And what remains of it now ... I want to cry."
A brief clip of the quote from the film is available on [YouTube]
Lyrics
A dreaded sunny day
So, I meet you at the cemetry gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
A dreaded sunny day
So, I meet you at the cemetry gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
While Wilde is on mine
So we go inside
And we gravely read the stones
All those people
All those lives
Where are they now?
With loves,and hates
And passions just like mine
They were born
And then they lived
And then they died
Seems so unfair
I want to cry
You say:
"Ere thrice the sun hath done salutation to the dawn"
And you claim these words as your own
But I've read well and I've heard them said
A hundred times
(Maybe less, maybe more)
If you must write prose and poems
The words you use should be your own
Dont plagiarize or take "on loan"
There's always someone, somewhere
With a big nose, who knows
And trips you up and laughs when you fall
Who'll trip you up and laugh when you fall
You say:
"Long done do does did"
Words which could only be your own
And then produce the text from whence was ripped
(Some dizzy whore, 1804)
A dreaded sunny day
So let's go where we're happy
And I meet you at the cemetry gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
A dreaded sunny day
So let's go where we're wanted
And I meet you at the cemetry gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
But you lose...
Because weird lover Wilde is on mine
Shut up.
Live History
Play count (The Smiths concert): 41
The Smiths live history:
- Liverpool, England 1986-02-08 (The Smiths concert)
- Dublin, Ireland 1986-02-10 (The Smiths concert)
- Dundalk, Ireland 1986-02-11 (The Smiths concert)
- Belfast, Northern Ireland 1986-02-12 (The Smiths concert)
- Glasgow, Scotland 1986-07-16 (The Smiths concert)
- Newcastle upon Tyne, England 1986-07-17 (The Smiths concert)
- Manchester, England 1986-07-19 (The Smiths concert)
- Salford, England 1986-07-20 (The Smiths concert)
- London, Ontario, Canada 1986-07-30 (The Smiths concert)
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada 1986-07-31 (The Smiths concert)
Play count (Morrissey concert): 24
Morrissey live history:
- Birmingham, England 2009-10-23 (Morrissey concert)
- London, England 2009-10-27 (Morrissey concert)
- Leeds, England 2009-10-29 (Morrissey concert)
- Sheffield, England 2009-10-30 (Morrissey concert)
- Salisbury, England 2009-11-02 (Morrissey concert)
- Brentwood, England 2009-11-03 (Morrissey concert)
- London, England 2009-11-05 (Morrissey concert)
- Nijmegen, Netherlands 2009-11-09 (Morrissey concert)
- Lille, France 2009-11-10 (Morrissey concert)
- Paris, France 2009-11-12 (Morrissey concert)
Appears On
Appears On Covers Compilation
Cover Versions
Related Forum Threads
- The Smiths A-Z: "Cemetry Gates" - Morrissey-solo (Jan 18, 2022)