Lou Reed

[fox69]

​

"A Gift"

"A Gift"


I'm just a gift to the women of this world
I'm just a gift to the women of this world

Responsibility sits so hard on my shoulder
Like a good wine, I'm better as I grow older, and now -

- I'm just a gift to the women of this world
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
I'm just a gift to the women of this world

It's hard to settle for second best
After you've had me, you know that you've had the best
And now you know that -

- I'm just a gift to the women of this world

(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)

Responsibility sits hard on my shoulder
Like a good wine, I'm better as I get older, and now -

- I'm just a gift to the women of this world
You know that I'm just a gift to the women of this world
Just a gift now

(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world, just now)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world, just a gift)
(I'm just a gift to the women of this world)
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
I'm just a gift to the women of this world
....

 

[fox69]

"A Sheltered Life"

"A Sheltered Life"


Never been to England, never been to France
never really learned how to dance
I've never taken dope and I've never taken drugs
ah, I've never danced on a bear-skin rug

Guess it's true, what all those people they say
I'm gonna have to loose my hometown ways
Guess it's true, guess I've led a sheltered life

Never went around with anything
I've had a hometown life, and I have never learned to swing
Not much of a life, I haven't seen much
I've been true to my wife and it's just been too much

Guess it's true, what all these people they say
I'm gonna have to lose my hometown ways
You know it's true, guess I've led a sheltered life

Guess it's true, what all those people they say
I'm gonna have to lose my hometown ways
Guess it's true, guess I've led a sheltered life

 

[fox69]

"A Wild Being From Birth"

"A Wild Being From Birth"


[Rowena:]
A wild being from birth
My spirit spurns control
Wondering the wide earth searching for my soul
While all the world is chiding
In visions of the dark night
I have had a waking dream
A holy dream
A holy dream
A waking dream of life and light
That cheered me as a lovely beam
A lonely spirit guiding
With a ray turned back upon the past

While I aghast
Sit motionless through the misty night
Dimly peering at what once shone bright
Peeking wariy at what shone afar
What could there be more purely bright
In Truth's day-star?

[Poe:]
In the consideration of the faculties
And impulses of the human soul
In consideration of our arrogance
Our radical, primitive, irreducible arrogance of reason
We have all overlooked the propensity
We saw no need for it
The paradoxical something which we may call perverseness
A mobile without motive
Through its promptings, we act without comprehensible object
Induction would have brought phrenology to admit this
We act for the reason we should not
For certain minds this is absolutely irresistible
The conviction of the wrong or impolicy of an action
Is often the unconquerable force
It is a primitive impulse
Elementary
The overwhelming tendency to do
Wrong for the wrong's sake
This impels us to its persecutions
Oh holy dream
We persist in acts
Because we feel that we should not persist in them
This is the combativeness of phrenology

[Rowena:]
We have a task before us which must be speedily performed
We know it will be ruinous to delay
Trumpet-tongued, the important crisis of our life calls
We glow

[Poe:]
We are consumed with eagerness to commence work
Yet a shadow flits across the brain
The impulse increases to a wish
The wish to a desire
The desire to uncontrollable longing
And the longing in defiance of all consequences is indulged
We put off all until tomorrow

[Rowena:]
We tremble with the violence of the conflict within us
The definite with the indefinite
The substance with the shadow
There is no answer except that we feel perverse
The shadow prevails
Our energy returns
We will commit now
We will labor now
Oh holiest of dreams
But it is too late
We stand upon the brink of the precipice

[Poe:]
We grow sick and dizzy
We go to shrink from danger but instead we approach it
We are intoxicated by the mere idea
Of a fall from such a great height
This fall, this rushing annihilation
For the very reason
It contains the most loathsome and ghastly images
Of death and suffering
For this reason do we now most impetuously desire it
There is no passion in nature
So demonic as the passion of him who
Shuddering upon the edge, meditates a plunge
We will these actions merely
Because we feel that we should not
Having realized this, I swoon
It is the spirit of the perverse
The idea of a poison candle struck my fancy
And I procured one for my victim
I will not vex you with impertinent details
But suffice it to say the verdict was
"Death by the visitation of God"

[Rowena:]
All went well for me

[Poe:]
All went well for me

[Rowena:]
His estate inherited
I reveled in absolute security
I would never be found out
I was safe
I was safe
If I did not prove fool enough to make open confession

[Poe:]
If I did not prove fool enough to make public confession
No sooner had I uttered those words
Than I felt an icy chill creep into my heart
I made a strong effort
To shake off this nightmare of the soul
I laughed
I whistled
I walked and then walked faster
I thought I saw a formless shape approaching me from behind
And then I ran
I pushed and shoved blindly
I thought I left a hand upon my throat
No mortal hand
I screamed
And then clearly, clearly
I enunciated pregnant sentences
That consigned me to the hangman and the hell
The fullest judicial conviction
Today I wear chains but tomorrow I shall be fetterless
But where?
Oh holy dream
Oh beam of light
I fall prostrate with excitement this holy night

 

[fox69]

"Adventurer"

"Adventurer"


You're an adventurer
you sail across the oceans
you climb the Himalayas
seeking truth and beauty as a natural state

You're a queen reborn
worshipped from above afar
some see you as an elixir
an elemental natural seeking perfect grace

In a catacomb
or cave of endless drawings
prehistoric or religious
your accomplishments prodigious
seeking out the perfect tone

Your language so clear
your voice perfectly turning
as in the city I sit yearning
blowing rings of smoke from thin cigars
or driving fast in foreign cars
to capture your remains, huh

You're an adventurer
a turban wet wrapped 'round your head
on the mountainside they predict your death
oh how you fooled them all

But subjects are a poor excuse
when what you really want's a muse
an inspirating knowledge
of what comes before

Ooohhh, speeds of light
the momentary flicker
of a candle in its wicker basket
smoking wax, facts

Did you find that superior knowledge
that eluded you in college
Did you find that super vortex
that could cause your cerebral cortex
ooohhh, to lose its grip

You're an adventurer
you were out looking for meaning
while the rest of us were steaming
in an inspirating
ah, urban pit

An adventurer
you enter as I'm dreaming
I wish I'd never wake up
Differentiating scheming from my one true love

You're an adventurer
you love the angles and the cherries
the height and width of levies
the natural bridge and tunnels of the human race

You're an adventurer
nothing seem to scare you
and if it does it won't dissuade you
you just will not think about it
you dismiss it and defocus
you redefine the locus of your time in space, race

As you move further from me
and though I understand the thinking
and have often done the same thing
I find parts of me gone

You're an adventurer
and though I'll surely miss you
and of course I'll survive without you
and maybe good will come of that

But at this point, ah
I anticipate some grieving
and although I know your leaving
is a necessary adjunct to what we both do

An adventurer
splitting up the atom
splitting up the once was
splitting up the essence of our star-crossed fate

None who meet you
do forget you, my adventurer
my adventurer, my adventurer-venturer
my adventuress

 

[fox69]

"All Through The Night"

"All Through The Night"


Don't you feel so lonely when it's in the afternoon
and you gotta face it
all through the night
Don't it make you believe
that something's gonna have to happen soon
oh baby, all through the night

All through the night
oh baby, all through the night
All through the night
all through the night

Have you ever played with an all night band
and gone trough it, baby
all through the night
When the daytime descends in a night time of hell
everybody's gone to look for a bell to ring
all through the night
And they do it, all through the night
babe, all through the night
When the words were donw and the poetry comes
and the novel's written and the book is done
you said, oh Lord, lover, baby, give it to me
all through the night
And she says it

My best friend Sally, she got sick
and I'm feeling mighty ill myself it happens all the time
and all through the night
I went to Saint Vincent's and I'm watching the ceiling
fall down on her body as she's lying round on the ground
said, oh babe, gotta celebrate all through the night
Feel so sad I cried all through the night
I said, oh Jesus, all through the night
If the sinners sin and the good man's gone
and a woman can't come and help him home
and what you're gonna do about it
when they go on all through the night
and they sing, oh baby, oh baby, oh baby
all through the night
and he says, give it to me all through the night
It ain't so much when a man's gotta cry
give a little loving and some peace of mind
I said, hey babe, give it to me all through the night

And some people wait for things that never come
and some people dream of things they've never been done
they do it, oh baby, all through the night
The city's funny and the country's quiet
but I'd wanna know why they don't have a riot
why don't they do it, baby, all through the night
Ooohhh mama, ooohhh mama, tell me 'bout it
all through the night
I want to have it all through the night
If Christmas comes only once a year
why can't anybody shed just one tear
for things that don't happen all through the night
Ooohhh mama, all through the night
oh baby, do it to me all through the night
Easy, easy, baby, why don't you give it to -
- me all through the night

 

[fox69]

"Andy's Chest"

"Andy's Chest"


If I could be anything
in the world that flew
I would be a bat and come
swooping after you
And if the last time you were here
things were a bit askew

Well, you know what happens after dark
When rattlesnakes lose their skins and their hearts
And all the missionaries lose their bark

Oh, all the trees are calling after you
And all the venom snipers after you
Are all the mountains boulder after you

If I could be any one of the things
in this world that bite
Instead of a dentured ocelot on a leash
I'd rather be a kite
And be tied to the end of your string
and flying in the air, baby, at night

'Cause you know what they say about honey bears
When you shave off all their baby hair
You have a hairy minded pink bare bear

And all the bells are rolling out for you
And stones are all erupting out for you
And all the cheap bloodsuckers are flying after you

Yesterday, Daisy Mae and Biff
were groovin' on the street
And just like in a movie
her hands became her feet
Her belly button was her mouth
which meant she tasted what she'd speak, ooohhh

But the funny thing is what happened to her nose, ooohhh
It grew until it reached all of her toes, ooohhh
Now, when people say her feet smell, they mean her nose

And curtains laced with diamonds, dear for you
And all the Roman noblemen for you
And kingdom's Christian soldiers, dear for you
And melting ice cap mountains tops for you
Oh, oh, and knights in flaming silver robes for you
And bats that with a kiss turn prince for you
Swoop, swoop, oh, baby, rock, rock
Swoop, swoop, rock, rock
Swoop, swoop, rock, rock

 

[fox69]

"Animal Language"

"Animal Language"


Miss Riley had a dog
she used to keep it in her backyard
And when the dog began to bark
all the neighbors began to shout
Then came a stormy night
Miss Riley let her dog out
And when the neighbors found him 'round
they put a gun down his mouth and shot him down
and he went

Ooohhh-wow, bow-wow
Ooohhh-wow, bow-wow

Miss Murphy had a cat
on her lap it sat
And once in a great big while
it looked like that Cheshire cat did smile
But often it used to chase
anything that crossed its face
But one day it got so hot
that Cheshire cat had a blood clot
and she said

Ooohhh-meow, me-meow
Ooohhh-meow, me-meow

Meow

And then the dog met the cat
the dog was hot and the cat was wet
Then came some sweaty dude
he put a board between the two
Then they couldn't get at it
got frustrated all about it
So they did the only thing you could do
they took the dude's sweat and shot it up between the two
and they said

Ooohhh-wow, bow-wow
Ooohhh-wow, bow, me, wow

 

[fox69]

"Annabel Lee - The Bells"

"Annabel Lee - The Bells"


It was many and many a year ago,
In a a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of annabel lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me;

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love
I and my annabel lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me;

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful annabel lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me
Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my annabel lee;

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we
Of many far wiser than we
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful annabel lee,

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful annabel lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful annabel lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling .. my darling .. my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea

 

[fox69]

"Average Guy"

"Average Guy"


I ain't no Christian or no born again saint
I ain't no cowboy or Marxist D.A.
I ain't no criminal or Reverend Cripple from the right
I am just your average guy, trying to do what's right

I'm just your average guy
an average guy
I am just your average guy
I'm just an average guy

Average guy, I'm just your average guy
I'm average looking and I'm average inside
I'm an average lover and I live in an average place
you wouldn't know me if you met me face to face

I'm just your average guy
average guy
Average guy
I'm just an average guy

I worry about money and taxes and such
I worry that my liver's big and it hurts to the touch
I worry about my health and bowels
and the crime waves in the street
I'm really just your average guy
trying to stand on his own two feet

I'm just your average guy
I'm just your average guy
I'm just your average guy
average guy

Average looks, average taste
average height, an average waist
Average in everything I do
my temperature is 98.2

I'm just your average guy
an average guy
Average guy
I'm just an average guy
Average guy
I'm just your average guy
I'm just your average guy
I'm just your average guy
Average

 

[fox69]

"Baby Face"

"Baby Face"


Jim, livin' with you'd not such fun
You're not the only one
You don't have the looks
you're not the person that you used to be
And there are people on the street that would go for me

And I said, no, no, no, no, no
baby face
And I said, no, no, no, no, no
baby face

I met you in a bar in L.A.
I was not feeling so good
You did the proper moves
you did everything that you should
But now you're making a mistake
and somebody else will take your place
You're taking drugs off of me

And I said, no, no, no, no, no
I said now, no, no, no, no, no
I said now, no, no, no, no, no
baby face
I said, now, no, no, no, no, no
baby face

You're not the kind of person
it's easy to live with in a house
I cook all your meals
I make sure that you work out
But lately it's been gettin' so hard
(man, you don't split your stash with your blood)
the way you talk, ooohhh, the way you walk
(you can keep it)
And I'm not sure exactly what it's all about

And I said, no, no, no, no, no
baby face
I said, now, no, no, no, no, no
baby face
I said now, no, no, no, no
I said now, no, no, no, no
ooohhh, baby face, ohh
No, no, baby face
No way, no, baby face
uh, uh
(you can keep it, just keep it)