The Heroine
Lou Reed Lyrics


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The heroine stood up on the deck
The ship was out of control
The bow was being ripped to shreds
Men were fighting down below
The sea had pummeled the boat for so long
That they knew nothing but fear

And the baby's in the box, he thinks the door is locked
The sea is in a state, the baby learns to wait
For the heroine, ooohh for the heroine
Locked in his defense, he waits for the heroine

The mast is cracking as he waves are slapping
Sailors roll across the deck
And when they thought none was looking
They would cut a weaker man's neck
While the heroine dressed in a virgin white dress
Tried to steer the mighty ship
But the raging storm wouldn't hear of it
They were in for a long trip

Baby's in the box, he thinks the door is locked
He finds it hard to breathe, drawing in the sea
And where's the heroine to fire off the gun
To calm the raging seas and let herself be seized by the

Baby in the box, he thinks the door is locked
The woman has the keys
But there is no moment she can seize
Here's to the heroine, who transcends all the men
Who are locked inside the box
Will the lady let them out




Ooohh the heroine, ooohh the heroine
Strapped to the mast, the pale ascendant heroine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lou Reed's "The Heroine" depict the dramatic scene of a ship's crew battling against the merciless force of a raging storm. As the situation spirals out of control, fear and violence take hold of the men, who resort to cutting each other's throats to survive. In the midst of chaos, the heroine stands out as a symbol of hope and courage. Dressed in white and strapped to the mast, she tries to steer the ship to safety but ultimately succumbs to the storm's fury. Meanwhile, a baby is locked in a box, struggling to breathe, waiting for the heroine to come to his rescue.


The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the extreme circumstances that bring out the best and worst in people. The heroine represents a transcendent force that binds the crew together and inspires them to fight for their survival. However, her efforts are ultimately futile, as the storm proves too powerful to overcome. The metaphor of the baby in the box adds a sense of vulnerability and innocence to the story, contrasting with the violent and harsh reality of the storm.


Overall, "The Heroine" combines vivid imagery, emotive storytelling, and a deep understanding of human psychology to create a powerful and thought-provoking piece of poetry.


Line by Line Meaning

The heroine stood up on the deck
The courageous woman stood up on the unstable platform of the ship


The ship was out of control
The ship was uncontrollable and was not obeying the captain's orders


The bow was being ripped to shreds
The front part of the ship was being torn apart by the relentless waves


Men were fighting down below
The male crew members were engaged in a physical altercation in the lower part of the ship


The sea had pummeled the boat for so long / That they knew nothing but fear
The unrelenting sea had battered the ship for a long time, causing the crew to experience nothing but terror and apprehension


And the baby's in the box, he thinks the door is locked / The sea is in a state, the baby learns to wait / For the heroine, ooohh for the heroine / Locked in his defense, he waits for the heroine
A young child is trapped in a box and fears that the door is locked. He learns to be patient as he waits for the brave woman to come and rescue him. In the meantime, he is stuck in his protective mode, waiting for the hero to save him.


The mast is cracking as he waves are slapping / Sailors roll across the deck / And when they thought none was looking / They would cut a weaker man's neck
The mast is giving way under the force of the waves, causing the sailors to stumble and roll on the unstable platform. Some sailors take advantage of the chaos and attack weaker crew members when they think no one is watching.


While the heroine dressed in a virgin white dress / Tried to steer the mighty ship / But the raging storm wouldn't hear of it / They were in for a long trip
Amidst the chaos and danger, the brave woman tries to take control of the ship and steer it in the right direction. However, the storm is too powerful and refuses to let her steer. They are all in for a long and perilous journey.


Baby's in the box, he thinks the door is locked / He finds it hard to breathe, drawing in the sea / And where's the heroine to fire off the gun / To calm the raging seas and let herself be seized by the
The child in the box is struggling to breathe and thinks that he is running out of time. He wonders where the savior is, who could use a gun to stop the raging sea and rescue him.


Baby in the box, he thinks the door is locked / The woman has the keys / But there is no moment she can seize / Here's to the heroine, who transcends all the men / Who are locked inside the box / Will the lady let them out / Ooohh the heroine, ooohh the heroine / Strapped to the mast, the pale ascendant heroine
The child in the box still thinks that the door is locked, but the woman who has the keys has no opportunity to free him at the moment. The woman is the true hero who transcends all the men who are trapped inside, and the artist wonders if she will let them out. The brave and ghost-like woman is strapped to the mast, leading the charge to save everyone on board the ship.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@kenmurphy6792

The best version of a great tune from perhaps one of the best live concert recordings ever published. The album was recorded live on December 21, 1973, at Howard Stein's Academy of Music in New York City. The album was released in two parts ... 'Rock 'n' Roll Animal' and its sequel, 'Lou Reed Live', which were both recorded at the same show. At the Academy, I didn't expect much and when his new band came out and began to play spectacular, even majestic, rock & roll, management's strategy for the evening became clear: Elevate the erratic and unstable punkiness of the centerpiece into punchy, swaggering grandeur by using the best arrangements, sound and musicians that money could buy; the trimmings, particularly guitarists Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, were awesome enough so that if Reed were merely competent, the concert would be a success. And it was, as one can judge from the resultant albums. The band does not emulate the violent, hypnotic, dope-trance staccato power and subway lyricism of the Velvet Underground, but rather opts for a hard, clean, clear, near-royal Mott the Hoople/Eric Clapton (Layla) opulence and Reed sings out most of the songs in his effective street-talk style. Animal, coming first, naturally contains the best performances ("Intro/Sweet Jane," "White Light/White Heat," the first half of "Rock 'n' Roll" & of course .. 'Heroin' ~ 💉 🩸 💊 🧫 🧬 🔭 💉

@enriqueenrique5690

No hace falta,poner los emoigs esos.los que eschuchamos su música..sabemos quién es lou reed.👣

@mcs7625

Clean 10 years, and I still fantasize about it. It's in my dreams, and it's in all of my art. Such a beautiful song, and what a beautiful rendition. But I'm done nullifying my life. Heroin is no longer my wife or my life. No more blood shooting up the dropper's neck. No more closing in on death. Choose life...

@preheatedmusic3179

I’ve only got a year clean myself and it’s been really hard but hearing you have a full decade really makes me feel like I can do it to. And I totally agree about the fantasies I made a rule for myself not to listen to this song for months after I first got clean because it brought back all the memories of when I used put this song almost every time I got high but now I’m finally able to just enjoy this beautiful song is but I still catch myself eyes closed daydreaming sometimes. This song does that to you lol.

@JM-ym8mm

I am happy for you. I'm not a religious person but pray for the rest of us.

@danieloconnell5011

Well you need not glamorize you made it.whats with the mc,like the mc 5

@davedavid7061

I've been sober for 33 yrs. never relapsed, but it took a good 10 yrs to get to the point where I didn't think about it every day. I rarely think about it now

@QueenslandLawyers-cr8vw

Good morning I've been clean for several decades but the thing that really kept me on the path was the the practices of law, the eight limbs of yoga and stoicism but what really nailed me was how narcotics enhance the motility of bad bacteria in the microbiome.

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@les595

Lou Reeds one of my favorite albums for 50 yrs +.
Rock an Roll Animal

@amandamolloy6117

One of the best artist Ever 15yrs clean ,rip Lou x

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