The conception of th… Read Full Bio ↴A collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica.
The conception of the collaboration project began in 2009 when both Metallica and Lou Reed performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert. After that performance, the two entities began "kicking around the idea of making a record together," but didn't start working together until two years later. In February 2011, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett announced that in May 2011 the group would start working on something that's "not 100 percent a Metallica record. It's a recording project, let's put it that way." The secret project was publicly revealed to be a collaboration with Lou Reed once the recording of the album had been completed in June 2011.
The collaboration was originally intended to be Metallica re-recording various previously unreleased tracks Reed had written over the years. Among these unreleased demos was a collection of songs composed for a play called Lulu—a theatrical production of two plays originally written by the German playwright Frank Wedekind. Reed shared the demos of these songs with the members of Metallica to help bring the "piece to the next level,"and the group provided "significant arrangement contributions" to the material.[8] David Fricke of Rolling Stone heard at least two of the songs from the project in June 2011—"Pumping Blood" and "Mistress Dread"—and described their sound as a "raging union of [Reed's] 1973 noir classic, Berlin, and Metallica's '86 crusher, Master of Puppets."
Iced Honey
Lou Reed & Metallica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If the effort's too high no matter who you are
You can't catch the moon, or the sun or the stars
It doesn't matter who you are
Iced honey, iced honey
Now me I've tried a million tricks
To make life cold and make it stick
But the proud piece of ice that always floats
Iced honey, iced honey
If I can't trap a butterfly or a bee
If I can't keep my heart where I want it to be
If no matter how much soul and heart
I put to the wood
If a flaming heart is not that good
Iced honey, iced honey
If you can't put a butterfly in a jar
If violence mars your final hour
If you make others feel like jam
Poured on a piece of charbroiled lamb
If it's all mixed up and you cannot shout
And your oxygen starts to run out
If your final gasp has the recipe wrong
And instead of hello you say so long
If your energy starts to leak out
And people wonder what you're all about
A heartbreaker with an unattached heart
The story of love gives them all a start
And me, I've always been this way
Not by choice, just this way
I can't put my honey pot in a jar
Or a heart or a fist of some young boy
If you can't put a butterfly in a jar
No wonder no need to wonder where you are
It might seem like hell, the River Styx
Your affection never sticks
No matter what you say, no matter what you do
A butterfly heart flies right past you
There's nothing to say, nothing to do
See if the ice will melt for you
See if the ice will melt for you
See if the ice will melt for you
See if the ice will melt for you
See if the ice will melt for you
Iced honey, ah ah ah iced honey
Iced honey, iced honey
See if the ice will melt for you
See if the ice will melt for you
See if the ice will melt for you
See if the ice will melt for you
Iced honey, iced honey
Oh iced honey
See if the
See if the ice will melt for you
Iced honey
Iced honey
The lyrics to Lou Reed and Metallica's song "Iced Honey" speak about the difficulty of trapping or holding onto things that seem unattainable. The opening verses refer to the inability to imprison a butterfly or catch the moon, emphasizing the fleeting nature of beauty and wonder. The chorus repeats the phrase "Iced honey," which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the cold, unattainable things in life that we may desperately try to hold onto but ultimately slip through our fingers.
The second half of the song takes a darker turn with the verses speaking about violence, heartbreak, and feeling like an outsider. The repetition of the phrase "See if the ice will melt for you" implies a sense of hopelessness and resignation, as if the singer knows that their efforts to capture the unattainable will ultimately be futile.
Overall, the lyrics to "Iced Honey" convey a sense of longing and frustration with the impermanence of life and the difficulty of holding onto the things we desire.
Line by Line Meaning
You can't put a butterfly in a jar
You cannot control or contain something that is meant to be free
If the effort's too high no matter who you are
No matter who you are, if the effort is too high, you cannot achieve it
You can't catch the moon, or the sun or the stars
You cannot hold onto something that is too grand or too large to be contained
It doesn't matter who you are
Everyone faces limitations, no matter who they are
Iced honey, iced honey
The sweet and cold essence of something that cannot be possessed or contained
Now me I've tried a million tricks
The singer has tried endless methods to control or freeze their emotions
To make life cold and make it stick
To make life solid and unchanging, to prevent it from melting or fading away
Not running heat that flames then out
Avoiding the intense and fleeting passions that quickly extinguish
But the proud piece of ice that always floats
Being an unapologetic and independent presence, remaining afloat despite the changing tides
If I can't trap a butterfly or a bee
If the artist cannot capture or control something as delicate and agile as a butterfly or a bee
If I can't keep my heart where I want it to be
If the singer cannot keep their emotions in check or where they want them to be
If no matter how much soul and heart
If no matter how much effort or love the artist puts into something
I put to the wood
If the singer puts effort into something that ultimately becomes useless or unfruitful
If a flaming heart is not that good
If a passionate heart is not always beneficial or successful
If violence mars your final hour
If violence or aggression taints the end of one's life
If you make others feel like jam
If one's actions or behavior makes others feel crushed or insignificant
It might seem like hell, the River Styx
It may feel like a descent into hell or an underworld of suffering
Your affection never sticks
One's love or emotions cannot stick or remain in one place
See if the ice will melt for you
See if the singer's cold exterior and inability to connect emotionally will thaw or loosen for someone else
Iced honey, ah ah ah iced honey
The sweet and cold essence of something that cannot be possessed or contained, repeated for emphasis
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KIRK L. HAMMETT, JAMES ALAN HETFIELD, ROBERT TRUJILLO, LARS ULRICH, LOU A. REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheIkaraCult
I love how Lou just subjugates the biggest Metal band of all time
@larryheebowitz4140
Lou Reed/Rabinowitz...that says it all
@GaryKemp84
@@larryheebowitz4140 What does it say, exactly?
@larryheebowitz4140
@@GaryKemp84 Yeh, my new ame is Lou CHing. IM Irish. Now, that help
@poppiethestable1090
That's what J**w's do best
@ljrees1721
ACDC?
@LeonTrimble
One of Metallica’s coolest moments - along with their early career and all those garage days covers they pulled out.
@codygranrud6212
RIP Lou, thanks for the music.
@huunjitati
8 beats, 2 chords, simple melody and profound lyrics. This is Rock and Roll, if not metal. Rock and Roll is their fearless attitude itself to explore new music, new forms of art. And it embodies our essential freedom. Rest in Peace, Lou. And thank you, Metallica.
@Kevin9687
I think its two chords (DG) correct me if im wrong tho