Strangeways

[nbc@INFORMATICS.RUTHERFORD.AC.UK]

> From: Andy Greener <mcvax!ist.co.uk!andy@UUNET.UU.NET>
> Subject:  There Goes A Tenner lyrics

> Seeing the discussion of the lyrics of "There Goes A Tenner" reminds me;
> there is something I think all you North Americans are missing. In verse
> "six" the line:
>	"A star in strange ways"
> should maybe be:
>	"A star in Strangeways"

> "Strangeways" is a prison (in Manchester I think).

Strangeways is indeed a prison in Manchester. It will be familiar to
all Smiths fans as their sixth album was called "Strangeways, Here We
Come" - Morrissey is a native of Manchester. What I am not sure about
is whether it is a normal prison or one for the criminally insane.

> [If there is truly a famous prison called "Strangeways" then it
> does seem clear that Kate must have meant this as a cute pun!
            *****
> Thanks for the neat point!  -- |>oug ]

Well it is certainly possible and an interesting idea but if one reads
the song completely literally then the failed robber could just be
sitting in police cells awaiting trial (unfortunately I do not have
the video to compare words with images).

	[ Your reading is how I think of it too.  The lyric sheet
	  writes it as "A star in strange ways", which means this is
	  supposed to be the primary interpretation.  But this doesn't
	  mean that it wasn't also intended to be a pun on the prison
	  "Strangeways".  -- |>oug ]