Morrissey, I know you won’t see this, but I feel the need to address you directly. A sort of “Are you there, Morrissey? It’s me, Sarah” scenario.
So anyhow, Moz. Can I call you that? Only I don’t really like the moniker. It’s affectionate but not poetic. Can I call you Steven or Steve? No, that’s not right either
Morrissey, back to “Irish Blood, English Heart.” This song is thrillingly timely, when so many people seem to be trying to find their English heart. They want to stand beside their flag “not feeling shameful/racist or partial.” It has some of the most direct, fearless lyrics I’ve heard of. Simple. Active language. In short, an anthem.
What do you think of AI, Morrissey? I know. You don’t need it if you have An Intellect. An Imagination. We must fight to write, not to “plagiarize or take on loan,” to quote your “Cemetry Gates.” It’s time to assert our humanity.
Still, I can’t resist sharing Google AI’s take on the song. I didn’t mean to find its overview. I was just searching for the song lyrics, not an interpretation and it was the first thing to pop up. Google AI, i.e. our current zeitgeist, our ghost in the machine, a programmed and fed and tinkered-with collective reality, has analyzed your lyrics.
“I’ve been dreaming of a time when / To be English is not to be baneful / To be standing by the flag not feeling shameful / Racist or partial”
This section expresses a longing for a future where English identity and patriotism are not seen as inherently negative or associated with racism.
It’s not a bad take, even if its author may someday be the author of my own doom. It reiterates my own opinion. Your song was released in 2004 but seems ripped from today’s headlines. his tour, this song at this time is a moment for the history books.
I have one other thing to say, since I don’t converse with you often. I feel almost shy to compliment you so openly. But you see that photograph of Oscar Wilde, that Irish icon of literature and unconventionality?
What Oscar Wild is to you, you are to me.
Listen to the full studio version of “Irish Blood, English Heart” by Morrissey:
Listen to more songs of the day HERE
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