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Morrissey returns - who's he got it in for this time? Let us analyse the songs from his upcoming album You Are The Quarry for grievance and controversy

AMERICA IS NOT THE WORLD
- Morrissey belabours his adopted home - not entirely originally - for being warlike, overweight and fond of hamburgers.
- Sample Lyric: "America....where the President is never black, female or gay...."
- Potential flashpoint: Morrissey's large American fan-base of skinny wallflowers is unlikely to take the lines "You fat pig, you fat pig" personally. However, his *other* US fanbase of well-fed Mexican Teds might feel otherwise.
- Controversy points: 2/5

IRISH BLOOD, ENGLISH HEART
Revisiting the messy old flag issue.
- Sample lyric: "I've been dreaming of the time when the English are sick to death of Labour and Tory/ And spit upon the name Oliver Cromwell/ And denounce this royal line that still salutes him".
- Potential flashpoint: Muddled politics alert. For a perspective on how fond the Royals are of Oliver Cromwell, ask the severed head of Charles I. Guardian op-ed thinkpieces assured.
- Controversy points: 4/5.

I HAVE FORGIVEN YOU, JESUS (sic)
The urges of the flesh - where do they come from? And anyway, is Morrissey singng about Jesus or somebody called Jesus [Sorry - I don't have the necessary accent on my keyboard to make that Hay-zeus - VB]
- Sample lyric: "I have forgiven Jesus for all the desire he put in me."
- Potential flashpoint: Ask Mel Gibson.
- Controversy points: 0/5 in heathen UK, 3/5 in God-fearing America.

COME BACK TO CAMDEN
Misty-eyed reminiscences of North London from someone who clearly hasn't seen it lately. [Blimey, I'll say! - VB] An interesting about-face from the infamous "London is dead" refrain of pre-Britpop 1992.
- Sample lyric: "....drinking tea with the taste of the Thames..."
- Potential flashpoint: Carrulous London cabbies might take umbrage, but that's about it.
- Controversy points: 1/5 for "lyrics tourism".

I'M NOT SORRY
Another addition to his "I'm different" canon but rather more explicit than usual.
- Sample lyric: "The woman of my dreams, she never came along...there never was one".
- Potential flashpoint: Finally, an annnouncement from the bedroom department?
- Controversy points: 2/5

THE WORLD IS FULL OF CRASHING BORES
Very funny tirade against reality TV pop stars; also a moan about the judiciary.
- Sample lyrics: "Policewomen, policemen, sily littel taxmen/ Uniformed whores/ Educated criminals work within the law"
- Potential flashpoint: Morrissey is clearly not yet over the expensive defeat of his appeal in Rourke vs. Morrissey/Marr before the Law Lords in 1999.
- Controversy points: 3/5

HOW COULD ANYBODY POSSIBLY NOW HOW I FEEL?
"I dislike policemen and judges" part Two.
- Sample lyric: "You think you can be rude to me/ Just because you wear a uniform"
- Potential flashpoint: A bit short of contempt of court, but getting there.
- Controversy points: 2/5

THE FIRST OF THE GANG TO DIE
The reocrd's only character song in the style of Last of the Famous International Playboys or Billy Budd. An enthusiastic - some woul say overheated - celebration of "Hector" and his rough-and-ready Hispanic criminal confederates.
- Sample lyric: "We are the pretty, petty thieves/ And you're standing on our streets"
- Potential flashpoint: O dear, he does love the romance of crime.
- Controversy points: 3/5

LET ME KISS YOU
Once again hamming up his own imagined ugliness for the benefit of a coy young friend. Nancy Sinatra (of all people) performs this song on her own upcoming album.
- Sample lyric: "Close your eyes and think of someone you physically admire..."
- Potential flashpoint: Just a little of the Uncle Disgustings about it.
- Controversy points: 1/5

I LIKE YOU
Oh you are awful, etc. Great fun, but makes being liked by Morrissey sound truly terrifying.
- Sample lyric: "I was going through something you had jsut about scraped trough...It's so shameful of me/ But I like you".
- Potential flashpoint: Gets another dig into m'learned friends, but not much else.

ALL THE LAZY DYKES
This album's bombshell, up there with Bengali In Platforms and The National Front Disco - but beneath the disconcerting title he's essentially saying "Ladies, leave your shiftless husbands and run off with the girls".
- Sample lyric: "All the lazy dykes/ Their legs astride their bikes..."
- Potential flashpoint: WORD predicts both protests at Morrissey's summer shots and LAZY DYKE t-shirts as fashion statement for Glastonburg, gay Mardi Gras etc.
- Controversy points: 5/5

YOU KNOW I COULDN'T LAST
"Me versus the music business". Includes broadsides against critics, teenagers, the law again and litigious former Smiths Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce.
- Sample lyric: "With evil legal eagles...accountants rampant....and the Northern leeches...you know I couldn't last."
- Potential flashpoint: Far from bringing the legal system crashing down, it may try the listeners' patience.
- Controversy points: 2/5

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'Twould appear '...Dykes' is set to be the album's major editorial talking point.

BTW towards the back of the mag there is an ad for next month's edition of WORD, on sale May 13, which just has THE SMITHS accompanied by a vintage pic, so they're obviously planning a timely retrospective.