Having played guitar and sung in doo-wop groups in high school, Reed studied poetry at Syracuse University under Delmore Schwartz, and had served as a radio DJ, hosting a late-night avant garde music program while at college. After graduating from Syracuse, he went to work for Pickwick Records in New York City, a low-budget record company that specialized in sound-alike recordings, as a songwriter and session musician. A fellow session player at Pickwick was John Cale; together with Sterling Morrison and Angus MacLise, they would form the Velvet Underground in 1965. After building a reputation on the avant garde music scene, they gained the attention of Andy Warhol, who became the band's manager; they in turn became something of a fixture at The Factory, Warhol's art studio, and served as his "house band" for various projects. The band released their first album, now with drummer Moe Tucker and featuring German singer Nico, in 1967, and parted ways with Warhol shortly thereafter. Following several lineup changes and three more little-heard albums, Reed quit the band in 1970.
After leaving the band, Reed would go on to a much more commercially successful solo career, releasing twenty solo studio albums. His second, Transformer (1972), was produced by David Bowie and arranged by Mick Ronson, and brought him mainstream recognition. The album is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by Reed's most successful single, "Walk on the Wild Side". After Transformer, the less commercial but critically acclaimed Berlin peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart. Rock 'n' Roll Animal (a live album released in 1974) sold strongly, and Sally Can't Dance (1974) peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200; but for a long period after, Reed's work did not translate into sales, leading him deeper into drug addiction and alcoholism. Reed cleaned up in the early 1980s, and gradually returned to prominence with The Blue Mask (1982) and New Sensations (1984), reaching a critical and commercial career peak with his 1989 album New York.
Reed participated in the re-formation of the Velvet Underground in the 1990s, and made several more albums, including a collaboration album with John Cale titled Songs for Drella which was a tribute to their former mentor Andy Warhol. Magic and Loss (1992) would become Reed's highest-charting album on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 6.
He contributed music to two theatrical interpretations of 19th century writers, one of which he developed into an album titled The Raven. He married his third wife Laurie Anderson in 2008, and recorded the collaboration album Lulu with Metallica. He died in 2013 of liver disease. Reed has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; as a member of the Velvet Underground in 1996 and as a solo act in 2015.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Reed
Studio albums
Lou Reed (1972)
Transformer (1972)
Berlin (1973)
Rock 'n' Roll Animal (1974)
Sally Can't Dance (1974)
Metal Machine Music (1975)
Coney Island Baby (1975)
Rock and Roll Heart (1976)
Street Hassle (1978)
The Bells (1979)
Growing Up in Public (1980)
The Blue Mask (1982)
Legendary Hearts (1983)
New Sensations (1984)
Mistrial (1986)
New York (1989)
Magic and Loss (1992)
Set the Twilight Reeling (1996)
Ecstasy (2000)
The Raven (2003)
Hudson River Wind Meditations (2007)
Guilty
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guilty, I'm paralyzed with guilt
It runs through me like a rain through silk
Guilty, my mind won't leave me alone
My teeth are rotted
My lips start to foam
Cause I'm so guilty
Guilty, guilty
What did I say
What did I say
What did I do
Did I ever do it to you
Don't turn your back, ah
I can't look you in the eye, ah
Eye eye eye eye
I guess I'm guilty as charged
I guess I'm guilty as charged
Guilty, huh, guilty ah, guilty ah, guilty
Guilty guilty guilty guilty guilty
Don't do that
Don't do that
Don't do what
Oh you're such a child
Real fool child
Guilty
What can I do
I do it to you
But I do it to me too
Cut off my head
Cut off my head
Cut off my head, ah
Hang me from the yardarm
Guilty, I'm paralyzed with guilt
I've got bad thoughts
I've got an evil clit
Guilty
Guilty, my mind won't leave me alone
I've got a bad mind
I've got a bad bone
Guilty guilty guilty as charged
Guilty
Don't do that
Don't do what
Don't do that
Oh you're such a reckless child
You remember when you were a baby
Do you remember when you were a baby
Do you have a jury, yeah
Do you have a verdict
Guilty as charged
Guilty guilty guilty as charged
Do you have a verdict
Do you have a verdict
I'm guilty
You're guilty
Oh you're such a reckless child
I should beat you
I should hit you
I'll put you in therapy, ah
In Lou Reed's song "Guilty", the artist seems to be grappling with feelings of guilt and the weight it bears on him. He repeats the word "guilty" many times throughout the song, unable to shake the feeling no matter how much he tries. His mind won't leave him alone; he has bad thoughts and an evil "clit" (presumably a misspelling of "clique" or slang for part of the female anatomy).
As the song progresses, he asks what he did wrong, and if he ever did it to the person he's speaking to. He seems almost childlike in his inability to face the person or look them in the eye. He even suggests cutting off his own head or hanging himself for his guilt. The song ends with him essentially admitting to being guilty and suggesting he should hit or beat the person listening.
The lyrics of "Guilty" are somewhat cryptic and open to interpretation, as is typical of Lou Reed's work. However, it seems to be a reflection on the emotional weight guilt can hold and the cathartic release that can come from admitting to wrongdoing.
Line by Line Meaning
Guilty, guilty
I am very guilty and I acknowledge it. The situation is not good and I have no defense.
Guilty, I'm paralyzed with guilt
I feel so guilty that I am unable to move forward or find any peace.
It runs through me like a rain through silk
My guilt is permeating every part of me, just like water flowing easily through soft silk.
Guilty, my mind won't leave me alone
My brain keeps reminding me of my guilt and it's always on my mind.
My teeth are rotted
My guilt is making me feel like my whole body is decaying.
My lips start to foam
I am so consumed by my guilt that I am physically manifesting signs of madness.
Cause I'm so guilty
The reason for all of my distress and issues is that I am incredibly guilty.
Ooohhh guilty
I can't shake off my guilt and it's causing me a lot of pain and discomfort.
What did I say
I am questioning my actions and words in the light of the evidence against me.
What did I do
I am questioning my actions in the light of the evidence against me.
Did I ever do it to you
I am questioning whether I did what I am being accused of to other people as well.
Don't turn your back, ah
I really want to confront the situation and not shy away from it, but I'm afraid of the consequences and the possibility of being rejected.
I can't look you in the eye, ah Eye eye eye eye
I am unable to look at someone directly, as I am ashamed of what I did or my relationship to guilt.
I guess I'm guilty as charged
I'm admitting that what they've said about me is the truth and that I'm guilty.
Guilty, huh, guilty ah, guilty ah, guilty Guilty guilty guilty guilty guilty
I'm still painfully aware that I'm guilty and it's tearing me apart.
Don't do that Don't do that Don't do what
I recognize that I messed up, and I'm begging for help or guidance.
Oh you're such a child Real fool child
I'm incredibly self-deprecating and angry, casting myself as an ignorant child.
What can I do I do it to you But I do it to me too
I may have done this to you, but I know that I've repeated my mistakes to myself even more than to you.
Cut off my head Cut off my head Cut off my head, ah Hang me from the yardarm
I feel like my only way out of this guilt is through self-harm or self-punishment.
I've got bad thoughts I've got an evil clit
I'm preoccupied with thoughts that I think are evil or sinful, and instead of acknowledging them as coming from my own mind, I'm attributing them to an external feature of myself.
Guilty
I'm coming to realize that guilt will always be a part of me since things that happen in the past cannot be erased or forgotten easily.
Guilty guilty guilty as charged
I am very guilty, and there is no denying it anymore.
Don't do that oh you're such a reckless child
I am asking someone else to not follow along the same path that I have taken, to prevent further guilt or pain.
You remember when you were a baby Do you remember when you were a baby
I'm reflecting on someone's youthful innocence and reminding them that they were once free from the guilt or pain they may be experiencing now.
Do you have a jury, yeah
I question whether people will be able to forgive me or judge me fairly, as there is always a group of people in society who might have differing opinions on guilt and innocence.
Do you have a verdict Guilty as charged
Regardless of the opinions of the jury, I know that I am guilty and should be punished accordingly.
You're guilty
I'm coming to terms with the fact that I am not alone in feeling this way, and many other people are likely feeling their own guilt as well.
Oh you're such a reckless child I should beat you I should hit you I'll put you in therapy, ah
I'm reflecting on how extremely harmful or self-destructive reckless actions can be, and that in order to heal from guilt, someone might need to seek therapy or counseling.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Les Reed, Terry Dempsey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind