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The Gun
Lou Reed Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The man has a gun
He knows how to use it
Nine millimeter browning
Let's see what he can do
He'll point at your mouth
Say that he'll blow your brains out
Don't you mess with me
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Don't you mess with me
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Don't mess with me
Ooohhh, carrying a gun
Get over there
Move slowly
I'll put a hole in your face
If you even breathe a word
Tell the lady to lie down
I want, ah, you to be sure to see this
I wouldn't want you to miss a second
Watch your wife
Carrying a gun
Shooting with a gun
Dirty animal

Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Watch you face
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
The animal dies with fear in his eyes
With a gun
Don't touch him, don't touch him
Stay away from him, he's got a gun

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lou Reed's song, The Gun, describe a scene of violence and intimidation. The singer is carrying a gun and is willing to use it to exert power over others. He points it at a person's mouth and threatens to kill them, saying "Don't you mess with me." He then forces a woman to lie down and forces someone to watch as he shoots an animal. The last lines of the song describe the animal dying with "fear in his eyes" and the warning to stay away from the man who has the gun.


The lyrics convey a sense of danger and the unpredictability of someone who is armed. The use of the word "animal" may suggest that the singer has given up his humanity by relying on a weapon to exert his power. The song's bleak tone speaks to the darker side of society, where people can become vulnerable to violence and intimidation.


Line by Line Meaning

The man has a gun
There is a man with a gun


He knows how to use it
The man is skilled in using the gun


Nine millimeter browning
The gun in question is a Nine millimeter browning model


Let's see what he can do
The artist wants to observe the man's capabilities with the gun


He'll point at your mouth
The man with the gun will aim it at the victim's mouth


Say that he'll blow your brains out
The man threatens to shoot the victim in the head, killing them


Don't you mess with me
The singer is warning the listener not to provoke him


Carrying a gun
The man has a gun with him


Get over there
The artist orders the victim to move to a specific location


Move slowly
The artist wants the victim to move in a slow manner


I'll put a hole in your face
The man with the gun threatens to shoot the victim in the face


If you even breathe a word
The man warns the victim not to say anything


Tell the lady to lie down
The singer orders someone to tell a woman to lay down


I want, ah, you to be sure to see this
The singer wants the victim to watch what he's about to do


I wouldn't want you to miss a second
The singer doesn't want the victim to miss what's happening


Watch your wife
The artist wants the victim to watch his wife


Shooting with a gun
The man is using the gun to shoot someone


Dirty animal
The singer insults the victim, calling him a dirty animal


The animal dies with fear in his eyes
The victim is afraid as he is about to die


Watch you face
The artist is threatening to shoot the victim in the face


Don't touch him, don't touch him
The artist warns others not to touch the victim with the gun


Stay away from him, he's got a gun
The artist tells others to stay away from the man with the gun




Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN DAVIES CALE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Geoff Woade

The man has a gun
He knows how to use it
Nine millimeter browning
Let's see what he can do
He'll point at your mouth
Say that he'll blow your brains out
Don't you mess with me
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Don't you mess with me
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Don't mess with me
Ooohhh, carrying a gun
Get over there
Move slowly
I'll put a hole in your face
If you even breathe a word
Tell the lady to lie down
I want, ah, you to be sure to see this
I wouldn't want you to miss a second
Watch your wife
Carrying a gun
Shooting with a gun
Dirty animal
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Watch you face
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
Carrying a gun
The animal dies with fear in his eyes
With a gun
Don't touch him, don't touch him
Stay away from him, he's got a gun



Zippy Miester

Lyric*

The man has a gun, he knows how to use it.
Nine millimeter browning, let's see what he can do.
He'll point it at your mouth. Says that he'll blow your brains out.

Don't you mess with me.

Carrying a gun.
Carrying a gun.
Carrying a gun.

Don't you mess with me.

Carrying a gun.
Carrying a gun.
Carrying a gun.

Don't mess with me, mmmm carrying a gun.

Get over there.
Move slowly, I'll put a hole in your face if you even breathe a word.

Tell the lady to lie down.

I want, ahhh, you to be sure to see this. I wouldn't want you to miss a second.
Watch your wife.

Carrying a gun, shooting with a gun.

Dirty animal.

Carrying a gun.
Carrying a gun.

Watch your face.
Carrying a gun.
Carrying a gun.
Carrying a gun.

The animal dies with fear in his eyes, with a gun.

Don't touch him, don't touch him stay away from him, he's got a gun.



All comments from YouTube:

Travis Bickle

timeless classic .. RIP brother lou

Crow

Best Lou Reed track for my attention. With one of the most powerful lines.. โ€œan animal dies with fear in his eyes.โ€

Fred Morris

if you like this you might like my brother music. his name is Stu Morris and 'New Yellow Moon' is a good song by him.

Nicholas colby

Every time I hear a new Lou song Iโ€™m so impressed โค

Fred Morris

if you like this you might like my brother music. his name is Stu Morris and 'New Yellow Moon' is a good song by him.

Gerard McLean

Man Lou is one musician I miss so much. I was blessed to have seen him live a few times and yes The Velvets also at Town & Country club!!

Kaltonian

brilliant m8, my dad introduced me to him and wow

Vincent Beux-Prรจre

Trop de chance

Christopher Fleenor

Amazing man. Soooo grooovy!! Haha

Chrissy Fleenor

That's badass. I wish I could have seen him

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