The Headmaster Ritual – English Lyrics

• By: The Smiths
• Album: Meat Is Murder

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Belligerent ghouls

Run Manchester schools

Spineless swines

Cemented minds

Sir leads the troops

Jealous of youth

Same old suit since 1962

He does the military two-step

Down the nape of my neck

I want to go home

I don't want to stay

Give up education

Is a bad mistake

Mid-week on the playing fields

Sir thwacks you on the knees

Knees you in the groin

Elbows in the face

Bruises bigger than dinner plates

I want to go home

I don't want to stay

...

Belligerent ghouls

Run Manchester schools

Spineless bastards all

Sir leads the troops

Jealous of youth

Same old jokes since 1902

He does the military two-step

Down the nape of my neck

I want to go home

I don't want to stay

Give up life

Is a bad mistake

"Please, excuse me from gym

I've got this terrible cold coming on"

He grabs and devours

He kicks me in the showers

Kicks me in the showers

And he grabs and devours

I want to go home

I don't want to stay

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
belligerent /bəˈlɪdʒərənt/ C1	adjective - hostile, aggressive
ghouls /ɡuːlz/ B2	noun - evil spirits or monsters from folklore
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot verb - to manage or operate
schools /skuːlz/ A1	noun - institutions for education
spineless /ˈspaɪnˌlɛs/ C2	adjective - lacking courage or strength; timid
cemented /sɪˈmɛntɪd/ C2	adjective - bound firmly or permanently
troops /truːps/ B2	noun - soldiers or military personnel
jealous /ˈdʒɛləs/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing envy of someone else's achievements or advantages
youth /juːθ/ B1	noun - the period of life when one is young
mistake /mɪˈsteɪk/ B1	noun - an error or fault
life /laɪf/ A2	noun - the existence of living beings
excuse /ɪkˈskjuːs/ B2	verb - to seek forgiveness or pardon
cold /koʊld/ A2	noun - low temperature; a common illness
kicks /kɪks/ B1	verb - to strike with the foot

Key Grammar Structures

• Belligerent ghouls Run Manchester schools

  ➔ Simple Present Tense, Subject-Verb Agreement

  ➔ The verb "run" is in the simple present tense, used here to describe a general or habitual action. The plural subject "Belligerent ghouls" requires the base form of the verb without '-s'.

• Cemented minds

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective

  ➔ "Cemented" is the past participle of the verb "to cement," used here as an adjective to describe the noun "minds," implying that the minds are fixed or rigid.

• Same old suit since 1962

  ➔ "Since" with a specific point in time (implying duration)

  ➔ "Since 1962" specifies the starting point of a period, implying that the "same old suit" has been worn or present continuously from that year until the present.

• Down the nape of my neck

  ➔ Preposition of Direction

  ➔ "Down" is a preposition indicating movement from a higher to a lower position, specifying the direction of the action (the "military two-step").

• I want to go home

  ➔ Verb + Infinitive (want + to-infinitive)

  ➔ The verb "want" is followed by the "to-infinitive" form "to go," which is a common structure to express a desire or intention.

• Give up education Is a bad mistake

  ➔ Gerund Phrase as Subject

  ➔ The phrase "Give up education" functions as a gerund phrase, acting as the subject of the sentence. It refers to the *action* of giving up education.

• Bruises bigger than dinner plates

  ➔ Comparative Adjective

  ➔ "Bigger than" is a comparative structure used to compare the size of "bruises" to "dinner plates," indicating that the bruises are very large.

• I've got this terrible cold coming on

  ➔ Informal Present Perfect ("I've got") + Phrasal Verb ("coming on")

  ➔ "I've got" is a common informal contraction for "I have got," used to express possession or a current state. "Coming on" is a phrasal verb meaning "starting to develop" or "beginning."

• He kicks me in the showers

  ➔ Simple Present Tense (habitual action) + Preposition of Place

  ➔ "Kicks" is in the simple present tense, used to describe a repeated or habitual action. "In the showers" is a prepositional phrase indicating the location where the action takes place.