Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others by The Smiths Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Metaphoric Tapestry of an 80s Classic

Lyrics

From the ice-age to the dole-age
There is but one concern
I have just discovered

Some girls are bigger than others
Some girls are bigger than others
Some girl’s mothers are bigger than other girl’s mothers

Some girls are bigger than others
Some girls are bigger than others
Some girl’s mothers are bigger than other girl’s mothers

As Anthony said to Cleopatra
As he opened a crate of ale

Oh, I say
Some girls are bigger than others
Some girls are bigger than others
Some girl’s mothers are bigger than other girl’s mothers

Some girls are bigger than others
Some girls are bigger than others
Some girl’s mothers are bigger than other girl’s mothers

Send me the pillow
The one that you dream on
Send me the pillow
The one that you dream on
And I’ll send you mine

At first glance, The Smiths’ ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ might strike the uninitiated ear as a straightforward, perhaps even a frivolous statement on human anatomy. But those versed in the poetic subtlety of Morrissey and the deft musicality of Johnny Marr know that within The Smiths’ discography lies a trove of lyrical complexity and social commentary. Released as part of the legendary album ‘The Queen is Dead,’ this track stands as a testament to the band’s ability to blend wry observation with melodic grace.

Diving into the deeper narrative currents swirling beneath its jangling surface, fans and critics alike have contended with the song’s true meaning for decades. Unlike the more opaque or manifestly melancholic entries in The Smiths’ catalogue, ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ emerges as a Rorschach test for the listener—its meaning often found in personal interpretation rather than universal declaration. This exploration unpacks the layers beneath the seemingly irreverent refrain.

A Vision in Verse: The Humor and Heartache of Morrissey’s Lyrics

Morrissey has long been lauded for his ability to conflate the sardonic with the sincere. In ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others,’ his deadpan delivery of ostensibly trivial truths suggests a commentary on the arbitrary nature of value judgments. It’s classic Morrissey: taking a seemingly mundane observation—variances in female body types—and thrusting it into the limelight as a lens through which to examine society’s often capricious measures of worth.

It’s in this ironic interplay that the song’s true heart beats. Through the music, Morrissey invites us to laugh at the absurdity, yet in the same breath, he positions these ‘frivolous’ concerns alongside life’s more persistent questions, such as those posed by history, represented by the ‘ice-age to the dole-age’ lyric. The song subtly questions why we prioritize the physical, often ignoring the vast landscape of uncharted emotional and existential territories.

The Jangly Juxtaposition: Marr’s Music Meets Morrissey’s Musings

Johnny Marr’s compositions have always provided the perfect foil to Morrissey’s musings. While Morrissey’s lyrics in ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ dip into witticisms, Marr’s guitar work elevates the track into an ethereal plane. The light, airy chords clash with the weighty subject of body image and societal norms, creating a dissonance that forces the listener to consider the disconnect between our physical realities and inner worth.

This jangly soundscape is no mere coincidence but a crafted contrast. It underscores the dichotomy of meaning—where words can be weighed down by significant subtext, yet set free by transformative melodies. Marr’s bright, lush arrangements seem to mock the triviality of measuring women’s bodies, instead celebrating the depth and resonance of their lives and experiences.

A Crate of Ale and Cleopatra: Unpacking Historical Allusions

The peculiar mention of historical figures such as Anthony and Cleopatra may at first seem a non-sequitur within ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.’ But it acts as a masterstroke, a way of showing both the timelessness and the pettiness of human preoccupations. Cleopatra, a figure simultaneously renowned for her beauty, intelligence, and power, finds herself in the company of a banal realization about physical size, opened up by Anthony alongside ‘a crate of ale.’

The Smiths artfully deconstruct the pomp of historical grandeur by reducing these figures to participants in the same mundane judgments that the song both illuminates and ridicules. Within these lines, a juxtaposition emerges between life’s great dramas and the prosaic realities that push and pull at the fabric of human existence.

The Subtle Rebellion: Reading Between the Lines for Hidden Meanings

On a less superficial level, the statement ‘Some girls are bigger than others’ can be read as a subtle rebellion against the constraints of conventional beauty standards. The repetition of the line serves to normalize it, challenging the discomfort around body diversity and emphasizing an acceptance of variation that circumvents societal pressure.

Moreover, the line ‘Some girl’s mothers are bigger than other girl’s mothers’ expands the scope from the individual to the generational, hinting at a hereditary and societal cycle of imposed values and inherited insecurities. It’s a wry poke at the inescapability of comparison and the pressures that women, in particular, face when subject to the analyses of a patriarchal society.

Send Me the Pillow: The Dreamy Conclusion to an Enigmatic Track

The closing lines of the song invoke a tender exchange—’Send me the pillow / The one that you dream on / And I’ll send you mine.’ This speaks to the need for intimacy, understanding, and the sharing of inner worlds that starkly contrasts the previously detached commentary. Like the whimsy of dreams themselves, the pillow symbolizes comfort, rest, and perhaps a subconscious yearning to connect beyond the physical.

These lines poetically suggest that beyond our fixations and judgments, there’s a desire for a deeper connection that transcends the material. That Morrissey’s final lyrics offer a hint of vulnerability, a kind of plea, points to the human condition: our innate longing for a shared experience even amidst our differences. ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ concludes as a complex blend of satirical critique, empathetic acknowledgment, and yearning for something more meaningful beneath the surface of our encounters.