Recorded more than three years ago, 'Saint In a Stained Glass Window' is scheduled to appear on the still unreleased Bonfire Of Teenagers studio album. The song has been performed live by Morrissey a total of ten times. Morrissey utilized a backdrop of a stained glass window and crucifix from the Church of St. Eustache1 when performing the song.
Musically, ‘Saint In A Stained Glass Window’ begins with a subdued guitar twang that is more country than rockabilly. This continues throughout the track, though the song increases somewhat in tempo and volume as it reaches its climax (the “give me rest” exhortation portion near the end of the song). One discerns a graceful dichotomy between the mellow, cloying melody and the songs somber lyrics2 dealing with life and death.
‘Saint In A Stained Glass Window’ was written by Morrissey in the aftermath of the passing of his beloved mother, Elizabeth, and is probably one of his most introspective songs written to date. If one wishes to understand the man, then this track provides a brutally honest and emotionally searing window into Morrissey’s living soul. One can perceive a man who is not merely troubled by the tribulations of life, but broken and exhausted (both morally and spiritually) by loss and the acute awareness of ones mortality. The depths of this malaise is such that the lapsed Catholic from Stretford implores Jesus by name.
In a June 2021 interview called Turning The Inside Out with his nephew, Sam Esty Rayner, Morrissey was asked if the song is, in effect, his asking Jesus to just let him die because he's had enough. In response, Morrissey stated, "Well, since the death of my mother - which was so awful - I've been between two worlds, and unfortunately time only moves in one direction. We can't go back."
It is clear that 'Saint In a Stained Glass Window' is both a paean and a plea. But exactly to whom?
While purely speculation on the part of the author, the timing of the song's composition coupled with the import of its lyrics would suggest that Morrissey is speaking to both his mother as well as to Jesus Christ. If the reader will accept this assumption for a moment, the meaning of the lyrics may very well come into focus.
Morrissey turns to the memory of his mother ("I turn to your mercy"), a woman beyond reproach ("A Saint..."), with a soul beyond the reach of earthly temptation and corruption ("For you have a soul that can not be bought by money"). Morrissey confesses that he has been struggling in the wake of her passing ("I've had such a hard time"), admitting that he is now merely waiting for death to come ("I've been waiting my turn"), as he has been all of his earthly days ("Since the wretched day I was born). As if to underscore his beleaguered state of mind, Morrissey bemoans his difficulties ("I should not exist" and "You'll never find my trace on lovers lips"). This is followed by a bleak forecast that his suffering will continue for all of his days, to be followed by an eternity in hell, or perhaps simply the cremation of his remains ("I'll burn till the day I burn").
Morrissey then pivots to Jesus Christ, making a pitiful plea not for mercy, but for death - sooner rather than later - as he is utterly broken ("I don't have any strength to protest so Jesus let me die"). The song's coda sees Morrissey's plaintive plea turn into a growling, almost snarling demand with "Give me rest" stated over and over again. Morrissey's lapsed Catholicism is seemingly put aside, and replaced not with new-found piety, but rather with a churlish resignation (and an almost palpable frustration) that leaves the listener reeling.
Listen to ‘Saint In A Stained Glass Window’ here:
The Church of St. Eustache is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The present building was built between 1532 and 1632. The 2019 Easter Mass at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris was relocated to Saint-Eustache after the Notre-Dame de Paris fire
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I turn to your mercy
For you are a Saint in a stained-glass window
I turn for your mercy
For you have a soul that can not
Be bought by money
I've had such a hard time
I've been waiting my turn
Since the wretched day I was born
I've had such a marred time
I should not exist
You'll never find my trace
On lovers lips
I turn for your mercy
For you are a Saint in a stained-glass window
You weren't corrupted
You tell the truth and you face being butchered
I've had such a hard time
I should not exist
I'll burn till the day I burn
So don't pick on me
I know nothing comes next
I don't have any strength to protest
So
Jesus let me die
Don't torture me more
I've pitched my sights
No higher than this hardwood floor
Don't torture me more So
Jesus let me die
Don't torture me more
Oh, Jesus let me die
I can't do this anymore
Give me rest
I'm too tired to protest
Oh, give me rest
Give me rest
Give me rest
Give me rest
Give me rest
Give me rest
Give me rest
Give me rest
Give me rest
Another perfectly-formed thought provoking feature. 'Most men lead lives of quiet desperation'. Nearly 300 million people are poor and malnourished. Millions more cower in conflict. Billions are sick. Mental illness soars. Point being; the message of this song is universal. 'The story is old'. Regarding the stained glass window, I doubt Morrissey was aware the saint depicted, a major medieval figure with a fantastical grim life story, was patron of hunting https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Eustace . Interesting too the Paris church named for him is where Notre Dame services were reloated to after the fire. Saints alive!