That’s How People Grow Up

Song Meaning

Morrissey's "That's How People Grow Up" delivers a sardonic and self-aware take on the universal experience of disillusionment. Forget the sugar-coated platitudes; this isn't a song about rainbows after the rain. Instead, it's a brutally honest, almost begrudging, acceptance that emotional battering is simply part of the deal. The opening lines, "I was wasting my time / Trying to fall in love," immediately establish a tone of weary resignation. Love, in Morrissey's world, is not a grand, romantic gesture but a futile pursuit leading to inevitable disappointment. The repeated chorus, "That's how people grow up," becomes less a comforting mantra and more a cynical shrug. It's the sound of hard-won, if somewhat bitter, wisdom. What elevates "That's How People Grow Up" beyond mere complaining is its flicker of self-awareness. The verse about "always thinking about myself" and the anecdote of someone on their deathbed pointing out "other sorrows, too" suggests a dawning recognition of perspective. Morrissey, the eternal romantic pessimist, acknowledges, however reluctantly, that his own heartbreak isn't the center of the universe. Even the image of crashing a car and breaking his spine serves as a stark reminder that there are far worse fates than romantic rejection. The bridge, a desperate plea of "Let me live / Before I die," only to be immediately retracted with "No not me / Not I," reveals a deep-seated conflict between a desire for genuine experience and a fear of further pain. Ultimately, the song's meaning resides in the tension between Morrissey's trademark melancholia and a grudging acceptance of life's harsh realities. The closing line, "As for me, I'm OK / For now, anyway," is perhaps the most revealing of all. It's not a declaration of happiness, but a fragile truce with existence. "That's How People Grow Up" isn't a celebration of growth, but an acknowledgement that it often comes through pain. It's a sentiment many listeners can relate to, even if they're not quite ready to admit it with Morrissey's characteristic level of gloom.