Lou Reed

[fox69]

"Halloween Parade"

"Halloween Parade"


There's a down town fairy singing out "Proud Mary"
As she cruises Christopher Street
And some Southern Queen is acting loud and mean
Where the docks and the Badlands meet

This Halloween is something to be sure
Especially to be here without you

There's a Greta Garbo and an Alfred Hitchcock
And some black Jamaican stud
There's five Cinderellas and some leather drags
I almost fell into my mug

There's a Crawford, Davis and a tacky Cary Grant
And some Homeboys lookin' for trouble down here from the Bronx

But there ain't no Hairy and no Virgin Mary
You won't hear those voices again
And Johnny Rio and Rotten Rita
You'll never see those faces again

This Halloween is something to be sure
Especially to be here without you

There's the Born Again Losers and the Lavender Boozers
And some crack team from Washington Heights
The boys from Avenue B and the girls from Avenue D
A Tinkerbell in tights

This celebration somehow gets me down
Especially when I see you're not around

There's no Peter Pedantic saying things romantic
In Latin, Greek or Spic
There's no Three bananas or Brandy Alexander
dishing all their tricks

It's a different feeling that I have today
Especially when I know you've gone away

There's a girl from Soho with a teeshirt saying "I Blow"
She's with the "jive five 2 plus 3"
And the girls for pay dates are giving cut rates
Or else doing it for free

The past keeps knock, knock, knocking on my door
And I don't want to hear it anymore

No consolations please for feelin' funky
I got to get my head above my knees
But it makes me mad and mad makes me sad
And then I start to freeze

In the back of my mind I was afraid it might be true
In the back of my mind I was afraid that they meant you

The Halloween Parade
At the Halloween parade
At the Halloween parade
See you next year, at the Halloween parade

 

[fox69]

"Hang On To Your Emotions"

"Hang On To Your Emotions"


When your imagination has too much to say
when the chill of the night meets the sweat of the day
And you have trouble understanding what other people have to say
you'd better

Hang on to your emotions, hang on to your emotions

When a demagogue inside your head has taken charge
and by default what you say or do is criticized
And this litany of failures is recited a thousand times
you'd better

Hang on to your emotions, hang on to your emotions

Could it be you've never felt like that
that your mind's a cage - inside the cage a cat
that spits and scratches all it can get at
And that's you, and your emotions

Could it be you've never felt like that
your mind's a cage - inside the cage a rat
rabidly trying to get it, you
And your emotions, you and your emotions

When your imagination has too much to say
when that facile voice inside your head says give your life away
You might think to ask - how it got that way
what books it has read - that make it that way
And where it got the right - to speak to anyone that way
you'd better

Hold on to your emotions, hold on to your emotions

When a night city's breeze blows across the room
and a 5 am moon and sun start their swoon
You hear your lover's breath
and not a moment too soon
you get to

Release all your emotions, you get to
let go of your emotions, and now
Release all your emotions, you'd better
let go of your emotions

Release, I wanna let go
I wanna release, now

 

[fox69]

"Hangin' 'Round"

"Hangin' 'Round"


Harry was a rich young man
Who would become a priest
He dug up his dear father
Who was recently deceased

He did it with tarot cards
And a mystically attuned mind
And shortly therein
After he did find

Jeanie was a spoiled young brat
She thought she knew it all
She smoked mentholated cigarettes
And she had sex in the hall

But she was not my kind
Or even of my sign
The kind of animal
That I would be about

Woh-woh-woh, you keep hangin' round me
And I'm not so glad you found me
You're still doing things that I gave up years ago
Oh-woh-woh-woh, you keep hangin' round me
And I'm not so glad you found me
You're still doing things that I gave up years ago
All right now
Ah-huh-huh

Kathy was a bit surreal
She painted all her toes
And on her face she wore dentures
Clamped tightly to her nose

And when she finally spoke
Her twang her glasses broke
And no one else could smoke
While she was in the room

Hark the herald angels sang
And reached out for a phone
And plucking it with a knife in hand
Dialed long distance home

But it was all too much
Sprinkling angel dust
To AT and T
Who didn't wish you well

Oh, but you keep hangin' round me
And I'm not so glad you found me
You're still doing things that I gave up years ago
Ho-ho-ho-ho, you keep hangin' round me
And I'm not so glad you found me
You're still doing things that I gave up years ago

Hangin' round
Hangin' round, that's all you're doing baby
Hangin' round
Hangin' round, ooohhh
Hangin' round
Hangin' round
Hangin' round
Hangin' round
...

 

[fox69]

"Harry's Circumcision (Reverie Gone Astray)"

"Harry's Circumcision (Reverie Gone Astray)"


Looking in the mirror
Harry didn't like what he saw
The cheeks of his mother, the eyes of his father
As each day crashed around him
The future stood revealed
He was turning into his parents
The final disappointment

Stepping out of the shower
Harry stared at himself
His hairline receding, the slight overbite
He picked up the razor to begin his shaving and thought
"Oh, I wish I was different.

I wish I was stronger
I wish I was thinner
I wish I didn't have this nose
These ears that stick out remind me of my father
And I don't want to be reminded at all."
The final disappointment

Harry looked in the mirror thinking of Vincent Van Gogh
And with a quick swipe lopped off his nose
And happy with that he made a slice where his chin was
He'd always wanted a dimple
The end of all illusion
Then peering down straight between his legs
Harry thought of the range of possibilities
A new face, a new life, no memories of the past
And slit his throat from ear to ear

Harry woke up with a cough
The stitches made him wince
A doctor smiled at him from
Somewhere across the room

"Son, we saved your life
But you'll never look the same."
And when he heard that, Harry had to laugh
And when he heard that, Harry had to laugh
Although it hurt, Harry had to laugh
The final disappointment

 

[fox69]

"Heavenly Arms"

"Heavenly Arms"


Heavenly arms reach out to hold me
Heavenly arms entice you to dance
In a world of ill will, the dancers are still
Heavenly arms reach out to me

Heavenly arms soft as a love song
Heavenly arms bring a kiss to your ear
In a world that seems mad, all the dancers seem sad
Heavenly arms reach out to me

Sylvia
Sylvia
Sylvia
Sylvia

Heavenly arms come to my rescue
Only a woman can love a man
In a world full of hate, love should never wait
Heavenly arms reach out to me

Heavenly arms strong as a sunset
Heavenly arms pure as the rain
Lovers stand warned of the world's impending storm
Heavenly arms reach out to me

Sylvia
Sylvia
Sylvia
Sylvia

Ohhh-wohhh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Ooohhh-ooohhh-ooohhh-ooohhh-ooohhh, oh-woh-woh
Ooohhh-ooohhh-ooohhh-ooohhh, ohh-woh-woh
(Heavenly arms reach out to hold me)
(Sylvia, you mean so much to me)
(Heavenly arms reach out to hold me)
(Sylvia, you mean so much to me)
(Heavenly arms reach out to hold me)
(Sylvia, you mean so much to me)
(Heavenly arms reach out to hold me)

 

[fox69]

"Heroin"

"Heroin"


I don't know just where I'm going
But I'm goin' to try for the kingdom if I can
'Cause it makes me feel like I'm a man
When I put a spike into my vein
Then I tell you things aren't quite the same

When I'm rushing on my run
And I feel just like Jesus' son
And I guess I just don't know
And I guess that I just don't know

I have made very big decision
I'm goin' to try to nullify my life
'Cause when the blood begins to flow
When it shoots up the dropper's neck
When I'm closing in on death

You can't help me not you guys
All you sweet girls with all your sweet talk
You can all go take a walk
And I guess I just don't know
And I guess I just don't know

I wish that I was born a thousand years ago
I wish that I'd sailed the darkened seas
On a great big clipper ship
Going from this land here to that
I put on a sailor's suit and cap

Away from the big city
Where a man cannot be free
Of all the evils in this town
And of himself and those around
Oh, and I guess I just don't know
Oh, and I guess I just don't know

Heroin, be the death of me
Heroin, it's my wife and it's my life
Because a mainer to my vein
Leads to a center in my head
And then I'm better off than dead

When the smack begins to flow
Then I really don't care anymore
About all the Jim-Jims in this town
And everybody putting everybody else down
And all of the politicians makin' crazy sounds
All the dead bodies piled up in mounds, yeah

Wow, that heroin is in my blood
And the blood is in my head
Yeah, thank God that I'm good as dead
Ooohhh, thank your God that I'm not aware
And thank God that I just don't care
And I guess I just don't know
And I guess I just don't know

 

[fox69]

"High In The City"

"High In The City"


I got the time, I got my feet
let's go hit the street
High in the city
high in the city

I got my mace and you got your knife
you gotta protect your own life
High in the city
high in the city

I wanna get high in the city
I wanna stay alive here in the city
I wanna stay high in the city
High in the city
high in the city

Let's not walk down Sutton Place
you know everybody there got an Akitas
High in the city
high in the city

Don't wanna talk politics today
I feel too good let me have my way
High in the city
high in the city

Watch out for that guy on your right
seen him on the news last Saturday night
He was high in the city
high in the city

Hey, look they're setting fire to that jeep
there's not much you can keep
High in the city
high in the city

I wanna get high in the city
I wanna stay alive in the city
I wanna stay high in the city
High in the city
high in the city

So many people feeling low
and there's only one way to go to
Get high in the city
high in the city

Let's grap a pie, let's hit the park
I'll kiss and hug you till it gets dark
Here in the city
getting high in the city

(High in the city)

(High in the city and you're looking so pretty)
(feelin' pretty witty, gettin' high off of the city)
(Hi-ai-ai-ai, high in the city)

(High in the city)
(High in the city and you're looking so pretty)
(feelin' pretty witty, gettin' high off of the city)
(Hi-ai-ai-ai, high in the city)

(High in the city)
(High in the city and you're looking so pretty)
(feelin' pretty witty, gettin' high off of the city)
(Hi-ai-ai-ai, high in the city)

 

[fox69]

"Hold On"

"Hold On"


There's blacks with knives and whites with clubs
Fighting in Howard Beach
There's no such thing as human rights
When you walk the N.Y.streets

A cop was shot in the head by a 10 years old kid
Named Buddah in Central Park last week
The fathers and daughters are lined up by the coffins
By the Statue of Bigotry, hey

You better hold on
Something's happening here
You better hold on
Well, I meet you in Tompkins Square

The dopers sent a message to the cops last weekend
They shot him in the car where he sat
And Eleanor Bumpers and Michael Stewart
Must have appreciated that

There's a rampaging rage rising up like a plague
Of bloody vials washing up on the beach
It'll take more than the Angels or Iron Mike Tyson
To heal this bloody breach, hey, hey

You better hold on
something's happening here
You better hold on
I'm gonna meet you in Tompkins Square

A junkie ran down a lady a pregnant dancer
she'll never dance but the baby was saved
He shot up some China White and nodded out at the wheel
and he doesn't remember a thing
They shot that old lady 'cause they thought she was a witness to
a crime she didn't even see
Whose home is the home of the brave
by the Statue of Bigotry, hey

You better hold on
something's happening here
You better hold on
meet you in Tompkins Square

You got a black .38 and a gravity knife
you still have to ride the train
There's the smelly essence of N.Y. down there
but you ain't no Bernard Goetz, ah
There's no Mafia lawyer to fight in your corner
for that 15 minutes of fame
The have and the have nots are bleeding in the tub
that's New York's future not mine, oh

You better hold on
something's happening here
You better hold on
you better, something's happening here
Hold on, ooohhh, babe

 

[fox69]

"Home Of The Brave"

"Home Of The Brave"


Here's to Johnny with his Jo
and Mickey's got a wife
And here's to Jerry
he has got his Joyce

And me, I'm shaking
in my boots tonight
For the daughters and the sons
lost in the home of the brave

And here's to the home of the brave
And here's to the life that's not saved
Here's to the home of the brave
Here's to the home of the brave

Here's to Frank hit in some bar
in picturesque Brooklyn Heights
And here's to a friend who jumped in front of a train
at seven o'clock one night

And another friend who thinks he lacks worth
has disappeared from sight
Somewhere in the home
of the brave

And here's to the home of the brave
And here's to the life that's not saved
Here's to the home of the brave
Here's to the home of the brave

The stars are hiding in their clouds
the street lights are too bright
A man's kicking a woman
who's clutching his leg tight

And I think suddenly of you
and blink my eyes in fright
And rush off to the home
of the brave

And here's to the home of the brave
Here's to the home of the brave
And here's to the life that is saved
Here's to the home of the brave

And everyday you have to die some
cry some and die some
And everyday you have to die some
cry some and die

In the home of the brave
Home of the brave

 

[fox69]

"HookyWooky"

"HookyWooky"


I'm standing with you on your roof
Looking at the chemical sky
All purple blue and oranges
Some pigeons flying by
The traffic on canal street's so noisy
It's a shock
And someone's shooting fireworks or a gun
On the next block

An-an-and, I wanna hookywooky with you
I wanna hookywooky with you

The traffic's so noisy it's a shock
Sounds like fireworks or a gun on the next block
Ah, hookywooky with you

Your ex-lover satchel is here from france
Yet another ex
They gather about you like a mother superior
All of you still friends, but -
None of my old flames ever talk to me when things
End for me they end
They take your pants, your money, your name
But the song still remains

An-an-and, I wanna hookywooky with you
Ah-ha-ha-ha, I wanna hookywooky with you

Then they take your pants, your money, your name
But the song still remains, sayin' -
I wanna hookywooky with you

You're so civilized it hurts

I guess I could learn a lot, ha-ha...
About people, plants and relationships
How not to get hurt a lot
And each lover I meet up your roof
I wouldn't want to throw him off, mmmmm..
Into the chemical sky, down into the streets to die
Under the wheels of a car on canal street
And each lover I meet up on your roof
I wouldn't want to throw him off, mmmmm..
Into the chemical sky
Under the wheels of a car to die on canal street

Ah-ah-hi, I wanna, ah, hookywooky with you
Ah-huh, huh-huh-huh-ah
I wanna hookywooky with you

I wouldn't want to throw him off into the chemical sky
Down into the streets to die
Under the wheels of a car on canal street

Under the wheels of a car on canal street
Under the wheels of a car on canal street
Hookywooky
Under the wheels of a car on canal street
Hookywooky
Under the wheels of a car on canal street
Under the wheels of a car on canal street
Hooky-hooky-hooky-wooky
(under the wheels of a car on canal street)
(under the wheels of a car on canal street)
(under the wheels of a car on canal street)
(under the wheels of a car on canal street)