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)
Sword of Damocles
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're trying a new treatment to get you out of bed
But radiation kills both bad and good
It can not differentiate
So to cure you they must kill you
The sword of Damocles hangs above your head
Now I have seen lots of peoples die
Last night on 33rd street, I saw a kid get hit by a bus
Bus this drawn out torture over which part of you lives
Is very hard to take
To cure you, they must kill you
The sword of Damocles above your head
That mix of morphine and Dexedrine
We use it on the street
It kills the pain and keeps you up
Your very soul to keep
But this guessing game has its own rules
The good don't always win
And might makes right
The sword of Damocles
Is hanging above your head
It seems everything's done that must be done
From over here, though things don't seem fair
But there are things that we can't know
Maybe there's something over there
Some other world that we don't know about
I know you hate that mystic shit
It's just another way of seeing
The sword of Damocles above your head
In the song "Sword of Damocles," Lou Reed paints a vivid picture of a person suffering from a life-threatening illness, receiving experimental treatments to "cure" them. The person's fate is uncertain, and the treatment is a double-edged sword; it has the potential to save their life, but it may also end it. The sword of Damocles metaphorically hangs over their head as a symbol of the imminent danger posed by their situation.
Reed powerfully conveys the agony of watching someone undergo such a painful and uncertain experience, using imagery of death and suffering to drive home the point. He contrasts this with the idea that there may be something beyond our earthly existence, a "mystic" realm that we don't understand. The song leaves the listener with a sense of profound sadness and uncertainty, as if we've glimpsed something terrifying and mysterious just beyond our grasp.
Overall, "Sword of Damocles" is a haunting and deeply affecting song that captures the frailty and ultimate futility of human life in the face of overwhelming odds.
Line by Line Meaning
I see the sword of Damocles is right above your head
The threat of death from medical treatment hangs over you.
They're trying a new treatment to get you out of bed
The doctors are seeking to cure your illness.
But radiation kills both bad and good
The radiation used for treatment is deadly to all cells.
It can not differentiate
Radiation cannot tell the difference between healthy and cancer cells.
So to cure you they must kill you
The only way to treat you is with a deadly radiation treatment.
The sword of Damocles hangs above your head
The threat of death from the treatment remains imminent.
Now I have seen lots of peoples die
The singer has witnessed many deaths.
From car crashes or drugs
Some deaths the singer has witnessed are from accidents or drug abuse.
Last night on 33rd street, I saw a kid get hit by a bus
The singer witnessed a recent fatal accident.
Bus this drawn out torture over which part of you lives
The slow agony of deciding which parts of the patient's body to save is unbearable.
Is very hard to take
The situation is emotionally difficult for everyone involved.
But to cure you, they must kill you
The medical treatment could prove fatal.
The sword of Damocles above your head
The threat of death from the treatment remains looming.
That mix of morphine and Dexedrine
A drug combination commonly used on the street.
We use it on the street
The singer is aware of this drug combination due to personal experience.
It kills the pain and keeps you up
The drug is effective in both minimizing pain and increasing energy levels.
Your very soul to keep
The risk of addiction and subsequent harm is high.
But this guessing game has its own rules
The medical profession cannot always guarantee results.
The good don't always win
Sometimes even the best medical practices cannot save patients.
And might makes right
Those with the power to make medical decisions may not always choose the best path.
The sword of Damocles is hanging above your head
The danger of unintended consequences looms.
It seems everything's done that must be done
All options have been pursued.
From over here, though things don't seem fair
The situation may not appear just or right from an outsider's perspective.
But there are things that we can't know
Some factors that influence medical decisions are not easily understood.
Maybe there's something over there
There could be external factors influencing the situation.
Some other world that we don't know about
There may be unknown variables that complicate the situation.
I know you hate that mystic shit
The singer acknowledges that some may be skeptical of unprovable intangible concepts.
It's just another way of seeing
The singer offers a different perspective to consider.
The sword of Damocles above your head
The gravity of the situation remains imminent.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind