“Suffer Little Children” is the final track on The Smiths’s self-titled debut album. It is about the Moors murders, but only mentions one of the two murderers involved, namely Myra Hindley. The song was extremely controversial upon its initial release, as some people – including relatives of the murdered children – considered it to be exploitative of the tragedy. Many stores, including Woolworth’s, pulled both the “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” single (“Suffer Little Children” is its B-side) and the LP from their shelves. Morrissey later would establish a friendship with Ann West, the mother of victim Lesley Ann Downey, and she stated she felt the band’s motives for recording the song were honorable.

The title likely refers to the biblical quote, “Suffer little children to come unto me,” which was apparently chanted at Hindley in jail.