Cemetry Gates [Live/Rank]

The Smiths · The Smiths Complete [2011]

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

It seems so unfair

I want to cry



You say : "'Ere thrice the sun 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/poems

The words you use should be your own

Don't plagiarise or take "on loan"

'Cause there's always someone, somewhere

With a big nose, who knows

And who trips you up and laughs

When you fall

Who'll trip you up and laugh

When you fall



You say : "'Ere 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

Oh, 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

'Cause weird lover Wilde is on mine



Sure !

Cemetry Gates [Live/Rank]

The Smiths' "Cemetry Gates" stands as a defining track from their 1983 album *The Queen Is Dead*, showcasing the band's unique blend of jangly guitar riffs and melancholic vocals. Written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the song captures the band's signature indie-pop aesthetic while addressing themes of isolation and urban decay. Originally released on the *The Smiths Complete* compilation, this live and remastered version highlights the enduring power of the recording, which remains a staple of their discography. The track exemplifies the band's ability to fuse poetic lyricism with catchy melodies, cementing their legacy in the post-punk and alternative rock landscape.