Guilty
Lou Reed (Featuring Ornette Coleman) Lyrics

Guilty, guilty
I am admitting that I am guilty of something, and the guilt overwhelms me so much that I have to say it twice.

Guilty, I'm paralyzed with guilt
The guilt is so all-encompassing that I am unable to move or function properly.

It runs through me like a rain through silk
The guilt is permeating every fiber of my being, as easily and smoothly as rain passing through silk.

Guilty, my mind won't leave me alone
My guilty thoughts are constantly present in my mind and I cannot stop thinking about them.

My teeth are rotted
The guilt is even causing physical symptoms, like decaying teeth.

My lips start to foam
I am so consumed by guilt that I am experiencing physical symptoms like frothing at the mouth.

Cause I'm so guilty
The reason for my physical and mental distress is because I am guilty of something.

Ooohhh guilty
I am still consumed with guilt and cannot escape it.

What did I say
I am questioning what I might have said that caused this guilt.

What did I do
I am questioning what I might have done to cause this guilt.

Did I ever do it to you
I am wondering if I have caused someone else to feel the same type of guilt I am currently experiencing.

Don't turn your back, ah
I am pleading with someone not to turn away from me, perhaps in fear or disgust.

I can't look you in the eye, ah
I am so full of guilt that I cannot bear to make eye contact with the person I am speaking to.

Eye eye eye eye
This repetition emphasizes the inability to make eye contact.

I guess I'm guilty as charged
I am accepting responsibility for my actions and admitting that I am guilty of something.

Guilty, huh, guilty ah, guilty ah, guilty
This repetition emphasizes the all-consuming nature of the guilt and my inability to escape it.

Don't do that
I am warning someone not to do something that might cause them to feel the same guilt I am experiencing.

Oh you're such a child
I am chastising someone for acting immaturely, perhaps in a way that is causing me guilt.

Real fool child
This is another way of calling someone immature or naive.

What can I do
I am expressing helplessness in the face of my guilt - I don't know what to do to make it go away.

I do it to you
I am acknowledging that my actions may have hurt someone else.

But I do it to me too
I am also hurting myself with my actions - it's not just about what I may have done to someone else.

Cut off my head
I am expressing a desire to be punished for my guilt, like having my head cut off as a penalty for my actions.

Hang me from the yardarm
Another expression of wanting to be punished for my guilt, like being hung in public from the yardarm of a ship.

I've got bad thoughts
The guilt is causing me to have negative and destructive thoughts.

I've got an evil clit
This is likely a misheard lyric or Reed speaking gibberish, so it does not have a clear meaning.

Don't do what
I am again warning someone not to do something that will cause them or someone else guilt.

Oh you're such a reckless child
I am again scolding someone for their recklessness, perhaps in a way that caused me guilt.

You remember when you were a baby
I am asking someone if they remember the innocence and purity of childhood, before guilt and other negative emotions set in.

Do you have a jury, yeah
I am asking if there is someone to judge me and decide my fate, like a court with a jury.

Do you have a verdict
I am asking if there is a decision about my guilt or innocence, like a verdict in a court case.

You're guilty
I am accusing someone of being guilty of something, perhaps as a way to deflect attention from my own guilt.

I should beat you
I am expressing a desire to punish someone else for their actions, perhaps as a way of projecting my own guilt onto them.

I should hit you
Another expression of a desire to punish someone else for their actions.

I'll put you in therapy, ah
I might be suggesting that the other person needs some kind of mental help or counseling, perhaps as a way of deflecting from my own guilt.