John Cale
Fear Is A Man's Best Friend - John Cale

Lyrics

The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground & Nico

  1. Sunday Morning
  2. I'm Waiting For The Man
  3. Femme Fatale
  4. Venus In Furs
  5. Run Run Run
  6. All Tomorrow's Parties
  7. Heroin
  8. There She Goes Again
  9. I'll Be Your Mirror
  10. The Black Angel's Death Song
  11. European Son

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning
Brings the dawn in
It's just a restless feeling by my side
Early dawning
Sunday morning
It's just the wasted years so close behind
Watch out the world's behind you
There's always someone around you who will call
It's nothing at all

Sunday morning
And I'm falling
I've got a feeling I don't want to know
Early dawning
Sunday morning
It's all the streets you crossed, not so long ago
Watch out the world's behind you
There's always someone around you who will call
It's nothing at all

Sunday morning

[top]

I'm Waiting For The Man

I'm waiting for my man
Twenty-six dollars in my hand
Up to Lexington 125
Feel sick and dirty more dead than alive
I'm waiting for my man

Hey white boy, what you doin' uptown?
Hey white boy, you chasin' our women around?
Oh pardon me sir, it's the furthest from my mind
I'm just lookin' for a dear dear friend of mine
I'm waiting for my man

Here he comes, he's all dressed in black
PR shoes and a big straw hat
He's never early, he's always late
First thing you learn is you always gotta wait
I'm waiting for my man
Up to a brownstone, up three flights of stairs
Everybody's pinned you but nobody cares
He's got the works gives you sweet taste
Then you gotta split because you got no time to waste
I'm waiting for my man

Baby don't you holler, darlin' don't you bawl and shout
I'm feeling good, you know I'm gonna work it on out
I'm feeling good, I'm feeling oh so fine
Until tomorrow but that's just some other time
I'm waiting for my man

[top]

Femme Fatale

Here she comes
You'd better watch your step
She's going to break your heart in two, it's true
It's not hard to realize
Just look into her false-colored eyes
She builds you up to just put you down
Wwhat a clown

'Cause everybody knows (She's a femme fatale)
The things she does to please (She's a femme fatale)
She's just a little tease (She's a femme fatale)
See the way she walks
Hear the way she talks

You're written in her book
You're number 37, have a look
She's going to smile to make you frown, what a clown
Little boy, she's from the street
Before you start you're already beat
She's gonna play you for a fool, yes it's true

'Cause everybody knows (She's a femme fatale)
The things she does to please (She's a femme fatale)
She's just a little tease (She's a femme fatale)
See the way she walks Hear the way she talks

She's a femme fatale

[top]

Venus In Furs

Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather
Whiplash girlchild in the dark
Comes in bells, your servant, don't forsake him
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart

Downy sins of streetlight fancies
Chase the costumes she shall wear
Ermine furs adorn imperious
Severin Severin awaits you there

I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears

Kiss the boot of shiny shiny leather
Shiny leather in the dark
Tongue the thongs, the belt that does await you
Strike dear mistress and cure his heart

Severin, Severin, speak so slightly
Severin, down on your bended knee
Taste the whip, in love not given lightly
Taste the whip, now bleed for me

Shiny shiny, shiny boots of leather
Whiplash girlchild in the dark
Severin, your servant comes in bells, please don't forsake him
Strike dear mistress and cure his heart

[top]

Run Run Run

Teenage Mary said to Uncle Dave
I sold my soul, must be saved
Gonna take a walk down Union Square
You never know who you're gonna find there

You gotta run run run run run
Take a drag or two
Run run run run run
Gypsy Death and you
Tell you what to do

Marguerita Passion I had to get her fixed
She wasn't well, she was getting sick
Went to sell her soul, she wasn't high
Didn't know, thinks she could buy it

Seasick Sarah had a golden nose
Hard-nailed boots, wrapped around her toes
When she turned blue, all the angels screamed
They didn't know, they couldn't make the scene

Beardless Harry, what a waste
Couldn't even get a small-town taste
Rode the trolleys, down to Forty-Seven
Figured he was good to get himself to heaven

We gotta run run run run run
Take a drag or two
Run run run run run
Gypsy Death and you
Tell you what to do

[top]

All Tomorrow's Parties

And what costume shall the poor girl wear
To all tomorrow's parties
A hand-me-down dress from who knows where
To all tomorrow's parties
And where will she go, and what shall she do
When midnight comes around
She'll turn once more to Sunday's clown and cry behind the door

And what costume shall the poor girl wear
To all tomorrow's parties
Why silks and linens of yesterday's gowns
To all tomorrow's parties
And what will she do with Thursday's rags
When Monday comes around
She'll turn once more to Sunday's clown and cry behind the door

And what costume shall the poor girl wear
To all tomorrow's parties
For Thursday's child is Sunday's clown
For whom none will go mourning

A blackened shroud
A hand-me-down gown
Of rags and silks - a costume
Fit for one who sits and cries
For all tomorrow's parties

[top]

Heroin

I don't know just where I'm going
But I'm gonna 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
And I'll 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 that I just don't know
And I guess that I just don't know

I have made the big decision
I'm gonna 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
And you can't help me, not you guys
And all you sweet girls with all your sweet talk
You can all go take a walk
And I guess that I just don't know
And I guess that I just don't know

I wish that I was born a thousand years ago
I wish that I'd sail the darkened seas
On a great big clipper ship
Going from this land here to that
In a sailor's suit and cap
Away from the big city
Where a man can not be free
Of all of the evils of this town
And of himself, and those around
And I guess that I just don't know
And I guess that 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 and dead
Because when the smack begins to flow
I really don't care anymore
About all the Jim-Jim's in this town
And all the politicians makin' crazy sounds
And everybody puttin' everybody else down
And all the dead bodies piled up in mounds

'Cause when the smack begins to flow
Then I really don't care anymore
Ah when the heroin is in my blood
And that blood is in my head
Man thank God I'm as good as dead
And 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
Oh and I guess I just don't know

[top]

There She Goes Again

There she goes again
She's out on the streets again
She's down on her knees my friend
But you know she'll never ask you please again
Now take a look, there's no tears in her eyes
She won't take it from just any guy
What can you do
You see her walking on down the street
Look at all your friends she's gonna meet
You'd better hit her

There she goes again
She's knocked out on her feet again
She's down on her knees my friend
But you know she'll never ask you please again
Now take a look, there's no tears in her eyes
Like a bird, you know she would fly
What can you do
You see her walking on down the street
Look at all your friends that she's gonna meet (there she goes)
You'd better hit her

Now take a look, there's no tears in her eyes
Like a bird, you know she will fly, fly, fly away
See her walking on down the street
Look at all your friends that she's gonna meet
She's gonna bawl and shout
She's gonna work it
She's gonna work it out, bye bye
Bye bye baby
All right

[top]

I'll be your mirror

I'll be your mirror, reflect what you are
Iin case you don't know
I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset
The light on your door
To show that you're home

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you

I find it hard
To believe you don't know
The beauty that you are
But if you don't
Let me be your eyes
A hand in your darkness
So you won't be afraid

When you think the night has seen your mind That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you

I'll be your mirror

[top]

The Black Angel's Death Song

The myriad choices of his fate set themselves out upon
A plate for him to choose, what had he to lose
Not a ghost bloodied country all covered with sleep
Where the black angel did weep
Not an old city street in the east
Gone to choose

And wandering's brother walked on through the night
With his hair
In his face
On a long splintered cut from the knife of G.T.

The Rally Man's patter ran on through the dawn
Until we said so long to his skull
Shrill yell

Shining brightly, red-rimmed and red-lined with the time
Effused with the choice of the mind on ice skates scraping chunks
From the bells

Cut mouth bleeding razor's forget in the pain
Antiseptic remains cool goodbye
So, you fly
To the cozy brown snow of the east
Gone to choose, choose again

Sacrificials remains make it hard to forget
Where you come from
The stools of your eyes serve to realize fame
Choose again

Roberman's refrain of the sacrilege recluse
For the loss of a horse
Went the bowels and a tail of a rat
Come again, choose to go

And if epiphanies terror reduced you to shame
Have your head bobbed and weaved
Choose a side
To be on

If the stone glances off split didactics in two
Lay the colors of the mouse trails all's green try between
If you choose
If you choose
Try to lose
For the loss of remain come and start
Start the game
I Chi-Chi
ChiChi I
Chi Chi Chi
Ka-Ta-Ko
Choose to choose
Choose to choose
Choose to go

[top]

European Son

You killed your European son
You spit on those under twenty-one
But now your blue clouds have gone
You better say so long
Hey hey, bye bye bye

You made your wallpapers green
You want to make love to the scene
Your European son is gone
You'd better say so long
Your clouds driftin' goodbye



© 1999- Hans Werksman