The singer states that he turned down the chance to sing with The Smiths frontman as he wanted him to sing an anti-woke screed that he had written. Cave expresses in a response to a fan on his blog, The Red Hand Files, that "I would have been happy to do so, however, while the song he sent was quite lovely, it began with a lengthy and entirely irrelevant Greek bouzouki intro. It also seemed that he didn’t want me to actually sing on the song, but deliver, over the top of the bouzouki, an unnecessarily provocative and slightly silly anti-woke screed he had written."
Cave also states in his response on his blog, "I’ve never actually met Morrissey, which is probably why I like him. He is undeniably a complex and divisive figure, someone who takes more than a little pleasure in pissing people off."
Although he rejects the collaboration with Morrissey, he states in his response that he is "the best lyricist of his generation." Cave does not state the exact contents of the song Morrissey wished to collaborate with him, however it was enough for him to politely decline the offer. The singer continues to state that he tries to keep politics and culture out of the music that he is involved with, as he finds it has a diminshing effect on what he is trying to achieve.
This isn't the only instance where Cave has commented on Morrissey's controversy surrounding his personal and political views. In 2019 Cave attempted to encourage people to separate the singers political views from his music as he says in a response on his blog, The Red Hand Files, "Whatever inanities he may postulate, we cannot overlook the fact that he has written a vast and extraordinary catalogue, which has enhanced the lives of his many fans beyond recognition." He also resurfaced this subject last year as he stated that he had to make peace with all of the musicians that have "dissapointed" him.
