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)
The Gun
Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
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 Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN DAVIES CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.
Travis Bickle
timeless classic .. RIP brother lou
Crow
Best Lou Reed track for my attention. With one of the most powerful lines.. βan animal dies with fear in his eyes.β
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 Iβm so impressed β€
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-Prère
Trop de chance
Christopher Fleenor
Amazing man. Soooo grooovy!! Haha
Chrissy Fleenor
That's badass. I wish I could have seen him