Lou Reed
The Little Willies Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

We were drivin' through West Texas
The land of beef and pork
Where they tend the hides of leather
We wear back in New York
In a pasture, along a roadside
Behind a brokedown shack
On a dusky side of evening
We saw a figure dressed in black

And we don't mean to sound like we're trippin'
But we swear to God
We saw Lou Reed cow tippin'
Cow tippin'

Hey Lou, "Is that you?"
She said as we pulled to the shoulder
He just said, "Go screw."
And then he turned and tipped one over
Under a spitshine Western sky
The color of blue varnish
Hey it's like Fellini
Actually I'm thinkin' more like Jim Jarmusch

And we can't say how much we've been sippin'
But we swear to God
We saw Lou Reed cow tippin'
Cow tippin'

I got cops on the cell
I said I got a little story to tell
Lou Reed is in the cow pen
They said, Oh no! Not again!

And we hope our perceptions isn't slippin'
But we swear to God
We saw Lou Reed cow tippin'
Cow tippin'

Cow tippin'
Cow tippin'
Cow tippin'
You really think that was Lou Reed?
Cow tippin'
I'm sure it was, he was wearing black Levis
Cow tippin'
I thought he was a vegetarian
Cow tippin'
He's just tippin' them over, he wasn't eating them
Cow tippin'




Oh
Cow tippin'

Overall Meaning

The Little Willies's 'Lou Reed' is a humorous country song that tells a story of the band's encounter with Lou Reed, the renowned American musician, songwriter, and poet, while they were driving through West Texas. In this song, the band claims that they saw Lou Reed cow tipping behind a broken-down shack on a dusky evening. The song describes the western landscape, the color of the sky, and makes references to famous film directors such as Fellini and Jim Jarmusch. The chorus repeats the phrase "Cow tippin'" as the band members debate whether or not it was actually Lou Reed.


The narrative of the song is obviously fictional, and there is no evidence that Lou Reed was ever involved in cow tipping or even visited West Texas. However, cow tipping is common in rural areas where it is believed that cows can be tipped over when they are sleeping standing up. Furthermore, the song might not be about cow tipping at all, but rather about the thrill of doing something rebellious and unconventional.


The song's lyrics are laced with humor, witty wordplay, and cultural references. It is a playful and lighthearted take on the band's supposed encounter with Lou Reed, who is known for his avant-garde music and eccentric personality. The song highlights the band's creativity and their ability to blend different genres to create something unique.


Line by Line Meaning

We were drivin' through West Texas
We were traveling through the western part of Texas


The land of beef and pork
This region is known for producing large amounts of beef and pork


Where they tend the hides of leather
The animals in this area provide materials for leather products


We wear back in New York
These leather products are used in New York


In a pasture, along a roadside
While passing by a pasture on the side of the road


Behind a brokedown shack
There was a run-down building behind the pasture


On a dusky side of evening
During twilight or the end of the day


We saw a figure dressed in black
We saw someone wearing black clothing


And we don't mean to sound like we're trippin'
We don't want to come across as crazy


But we swear to God
We are telling the absolute truth


We saw Lou Reed cow tippin'
We believe we saw the musician Lou Reed tipping cows


Hey Lou, "Is that you?"
We called out to the figure, asking if it was Lou Reed


She said as we pulled to the shoulder
Referring to the vehicle coming to a stop on the side of the road


He just said, "Go screw."
Lou Reed responded with a rude comment


And then he turned and tipped one over
Lou Reed proceeded to tip over a cow


Under a spitshine Western sky
Referring to the clear blue sky of the western region of the United States


The color of blue varnish
The sky had a glossy blue color


Hey it's like Fellini
The atmosphere felt like a scene from a Federico Fellini film


Actually I'm thinkin' more like Jim Jarmusch
The atmosphere felt more like something from a Jim Jarmusch film


I got cops on the cell
I contacted the police via my cell phone


I said I got a little story to tell
I explained that I had a strange story to tell them


Lou Reed is in the cow pen
I told the police that Lou Reed was in a pen with cows


They said, Oh no! Not again!
The police seemed to have dealt with a similar situation before


And we hope our perceptions isn't slippin'
We hope our perception of reality isn't failing us


But we swear to God
We are telling the truth to the best of our knowledge


We saw Lou Reed cow tippin'
We believe we saw Lou Reed tipping cows


Cow tippin'
The act of tipping over cows


You really think that was Lou Reed?
The person asked for confirmation that the man they saw was really Lou Reed


Cow tippin'
Tipping over cows


I'm sure it was, he was wearing black Levis
The clothing the person was wearing matched Lou Reed's style


Cow tippin'
Tipping over cows


I thought he was a vegetarian
The artist didn't expect Lou Reed to take part in cow tipping due to his supposed vegetarianism


Cow tippin'
Tipping over cows


He's just tippin' them over, he wasn't eating them
The artist confirms that Lou Reed wasn't taking part in the act of cow tipping for food purposes


Cow tippin'
Tipping over cows


Oh
An expression of realization or understanding


Cow tippin'
Tipping over cows




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALEXANDER, JONES, JULIAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found