Written by Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and lead singer Morrissey, this track finds the band contemplating mortality as the narrator walks through a cemetery and is saddened by all the people with his loves, hates, and passions who have died. "It seems so unfair, I want to cry," Morrissey sings. It's a familiar story for Morrissey, who often used to wander the Southern Cemetery in Manchester, England, in his youth.
The misspelling of cemetery in the title "Cemetry Gates," was an unintentional error by Morrissey, who admits he always had trouble with the word.
Marr recalled writing the song in Guitar Magazine, 1997: "When we signed with Rough Trade we were being hailed as The Great New Songwriters, and I was on the train coming back thinking, 'Right, if you're so great - first thing in the morning, sit down and write A Great Song.'"
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