What does this line mean?

Hi guys,

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but what does the following line mean:

"The Queen is dead boys, and it's so lonely on a limb"

It's the "..limb" bit I'm most curious about, it's such an interesting phrase.

Cheers
 
[FONT=Georgia, serif][FONT=Arial, Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif]" To put yourself in a risky position in order to help another person is to go "out on a limb" for them. Example: "You know I'm always here to help you and would go out on a limb if you asked me to." As you climb "out" farther "on a limb" of a tree, there is a greater chance that the limb might break and you would be hurt. Example: "I've already gone out on a limb; there is nothing more I can do for you." To go "out on a limb" is to put yourself in a dangerous position in order to get something done. Example: "I want this project to succeed just as much as you do, but I am not willing to go out on a limb." "
http://www.goenglish.com/OutOnALimb.asp

When you go out on a limb, you, usually do so by yourself, hence the lonely part.
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To be "out on a limb" means to be in a vulnerable position. I think that's what he meant. But surely the british people here would know better than me.
 
So since it's "lonely", maybe there was nobody there. Could he be humping a plastic doll's leg?

No, I just think that since he's standing on someone's leg, it must be the Queen's. She obviously wasn't buried properly and her leg was left exposed after a night of hard rain.... :straightface:
 
Hi guys,

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but what does the following line mean:

"The Queen is dead boys, and it's so lonely on a limb"

It's the "..limb" bit I'm most curious about, it's such an interesting phrase.

Cheers

I always thought in part it refered to the fact that he was one of the few artists to be calling for the abolition of the Monarchy so 'The queen is dead boys' is like a delcaration that the whole farce should be done away with. And the, 'And it's so lonely on a limb' means that because he's putting his head on the block and he knows the stick he will get from the media and others for having the cheek to even to suggest such a thing.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys! I simply adored this part of the song, and I can now make more sense of it! : )
 
You know, there's other queens in the universe than the queen of England.
 
With a Charles in their family?


True. But I have it on good authority that Morrissey is actually quite good at playing the piano so the song is riddled with inconsistencies. :p
 
I always thought it was about people losing faith in things like royalty, religion and nation, and therefore there's nothing anymore to hold people together. So everyone is out on a limb because there is no community anymore.
 
Apologies. Just got back from another message board.
If I remember right; some guy called Fagin broke into Buckingham Palace;
found the Queen in her bedroom & talked to her for like 10 minutes before
security came. The "sponge/rusty spanner (wrench)" is mocking how easy it
was to "break into the palace."
 
Apologies. Just got back from another message board.
If I remember right; some guy called Fagin broke into Buckingham Palace;
found the Queen in her bedroom & talked to her for like 10 minutes before
security came. The "sponge/rusty spanner (wrench)" is mocking how easy it
was to "break into the palace."

ah... I knew about this incident, but didn't know the details... was just reading on wikipedia. So I never knew that line was a reference to this. Thank you :)
 
I've always assumed it was a reference to hanging, that he'd been lynched and the song was being relayed to us by his dangling form.
 
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