sleep on and dream of love...
because it's the closest you will get to love
poor twisted child,
so ugly, so ugly...
poor twisted child,
oh hug me, oh hug me...

one November
spawned a monster
in the shape of this child
who later cried,
"But Jesus made me,
so Jesus save me
from pity, sympathy,
and people discussing me..."
a frame of useless limbs,
what can make good
all the bad that's been done?

and if the lights were out
Could you even bear...
To kiss her full on the mouth...
or anywhere?

oh, poor twisted child,
so ugly, so ugly...
poor twisted child,
oh hug me, oh hug me...

one November
spawned a monster
in the shape of this child
who must remain
a hostage to kindness,
and the wheels underneath her
a hostage to kindness,
and the wheels underneath her...

a symbol of where mad, mad lovers
must pause and draw the line
so sleep and dream of love...
because it's the closest you will get to love
that November...
is a time
which I must
put out of my mind

oh, one fine day...
let it be soon
she won't be rich or beautiful,
but she'll be walking your streets,
in the clothes that she went out
and chose for herself...

My impression of the song is that Morrissey has written another universal "why can no one love me?" tune that everyone can relate to. But the song seems even more appropriate for those who have suffered ridicule for physical problems that they themselves are not responsible for. What does that mean? Someone who's been born with muscular dystrophy and can't move about without a wheelchair, for one, will always be pointed out in public, but you know that he/she had no say in the matter; this is in direct contrast to someone who has covered his/her body in tattoos and is almost inviting people to, "hey everyone...look at me!" The reference to Jesus to "save her" - is open to two interpretations. Is the girl a Christian, does she believe she will be "saved" ? Or is she agnostic or atheist, and knows that while she did nothing to deserve this fate, the existentialist view is that she is helpless and there is not an ounce of sympathy in this cold, unfeeling universe?

While I don't consider it "my song" - there are some parts of the song that seem to too-eerily fit for myself. I was born in November, and the unfortunate physical and medical infirmities that plague the anti-hero have not escaped me, though I am lucky to never have been in a wheelchair, except for temporary incidents such as leaving a hospital! I find "November" particularly heartbreaking because I am an atheist and I don't have a hateful bone in my body; yet, I was subjected to schoolkid ridicule (I would venture to say much, much worse than the standard teasing), chemotherapy (and the physical changes associated with it), and just so many things that no child should have to go through.

This song took on a life of its own when Morrissey appeared on "Top of the Pops" sporting a very noticeable hearing aid. Moz, never one to shy away from controversy and making his own social commentary, also sported the said hearing aid in the video for "November." In a similar vein to the controversy surrounding the Smiths' "Suffer Little Children" (in which music critics complained that Morrissey was glorifying the Moors Murders), the music critics jumped on his back again, saying that Morrissey was "making fun" of people with disabilities.

One reviewer wrote of the video that the black see-through top that Morrissey wears in the promotional video was "more Madonna than Morrissey." In addition to Morrissey's stylish shirt:

• a white business-grade label with an "L" sitting on his left nipple (nearly 2 decades before Smash Mouth's "All Star" video),
• for a couple profile shots in between lyrics, an apple stuffed in Moz's mouth, as if he's a pig ready to be eaten on the dining room table,
• Morrissey writhing around on the floor of Death Valley,
• rather nonsensical attempts by Moz to look cool dancing around the desert,
• the decidedly unearthly deep blue color of the sky during the video (years before Photoshop had become commonplace), reminiscent of the Bona Drag album cover,
• a chocolate bar Morrissey plays with his mouth and lips, and
• the excessive mascara on Moz's eyelashes and the decidedly larger-than-life quiff.

Incidentally, in his post-Smiths performance days, this song is statistically Morrissey's most-performed song in concert, and Moz is often seen writhing around on the floor during the song.

sing your life