Billy Budd

This short sharp shock is one of the rockiest moments of the quite mellow affair that is Vauxhall and I. Taking its title from the Herman Melville novella of the same name, many believe this is a veiled reference to Morrisseys former band mate Johnny Marr. Certainly the timeline fits, as the song states, "it's 12 years on" which in 1994 would have been accurate. The "love" between Johnny Marr and Morrissey can not be overstated and each are vital to the others story. "Billy Budd" might be a musical cousin to the Smiths song "I Won't Share" you which allegedly discusses the same relationship. Together these two artists forged a legacy which thrives to this day but it is very presumptuous of us to assume we can glean anything about a very complicated connection through what he have presented here. Still as always, it's fun to speculate.

The story of Billy Budd has long been associated with themes of repressed homosexuality and the potential persecution of such feelings. Ridicule and oppression is sprinkled throughout the song, people laugh, job applications are turned down and it may all be because of "what is in our eyes."

To me the song could be referring to any sort of regret, that no matter where you are, your past associations are still a factor of how you're perceived in the here and now. Morrissey had to prove himself a great deal as a solo artist and there were inevitable ups and downs. Is he blaming the past for any such hiccups, or is he just reflecting on old relationships from the vantage point of a man who felt he had at last arrived? Much talk of the time declared this album would be his last and could he have let that moment come without mentioning the elephant in the room or even "the one who got away"? Do either of these terms apply to the subject of this song? I guess we'll never know. Of course this wasn't the end of his story, he continues to travel on to this day leaving a million mysteries in his wake, since we as fans, "took up with him".