Ok, well here is my story. I was sitting alone on a Friday evening and on the top 40 radio station I had on they would always debut a new song each Friday - usually these were the indie/alternative songs that would only get played once because no one called in saying they liked it. So this was my only chance, since I was young and didn't realize the college had a radio station, to hear some artist on the radio. Well the DJ said - 'here is the new one from Morrissey', now I had heard of Mozz and seen his album covers and figured he looked like a flamer - I was more into Danzig and Iron Maiden at the time, not the heaviest of metal but stuff with good music, good lyrics, and what is most important to me, good vocals. Well the DJ played Tomorrow and that was it, I've been following Mozz ever since. I had never heard a voice so beautiful or lyrics so sincere.
Breaking down the song and why I like it so much - I've always wanted to do this so forgive me if I ramble.
Starts out 'Tomorrow / will it really come / and if it does come / will I still be human' - Intrigueing(sp?) really, what is going on tonight that means so much to the narrator? Losing his virginity? Committing a crime? A break up? Something is happening that will make him wonder just what type of a person he is. I think we've all felt this.
It continues - 'All I ask of you is one thing that you'd never do / will you put your arms around me / I won't tell anyone (and later, anybody)' - It is also something I go through, hell I've been through it recently, maybe with someone on this board, but I digress. The narrator has low self esteem, so he'll settle for a private embrace, a secret relationship so as not to ruin the partners reputation. I use this line all the time with girls that are a little out of my reach, give me a chance - no one has to know about it.
The center is awesome 'You don't think I'll make it / I never said I wanted to / well did I?' - You get to that point where you realize you want to live your life, that you never set a goal of being a superstar or brain surgeon or president, and the family and friends around you push you down but you don't really owe them anything - they may critique you for your lifestyle but you never told them you were gonna be great, and yet - maybe you did (well did I). Maybe for a second there as a child you had the lofty expectations but you lost them. I love the self confusion in this part of the song, I totally related then and even still now.
'The pain in my arms / the pain in my legs / oh yeah, oh yeah / through my shiftless body'. This is just more of a mental pain, locking up one's self - I feel this way when I'm depressed or confused.
'All I ask of you / oh oh / is would you tell me that you love me' - Now the narrator wants more, he wants to be loved (how soon is now reference) - that is the one last thing he craves, and I think we all crave it - one person to truthfully tell you that they love you.
'Oh, I know you don't mean it...... tell me tell me that you love me' - this is another great paradigm shift - he knows that the partner is lieing but he still wants to hear it. In our deepest, loneliest despairity sometimes we just want love, attention, and affection - even if it is false.
This sadly reminds me of the Sheryl Crow line 'Lie to me, I promise, I'll believe, Lie to me, but please, don't leave'.
Anyways, I felt like I was living the song 'Tomorrow' when I was 16 and I still feel like I'm living it today even as I write this.
//why I think Tomorrow is the best song ever written.
