White Light/White Heat
The Raconteurs & Lou Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' down to my brain
Hey, don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, down to my toes
Forget it
White light
Ohh, white light
Ahhh, white heat
Ohh, yeah, white light
White light goin' messin' up my mind
Don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White light, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' messin' up my brain
Don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
Forget it
Ohh, white light
Yeah, aaah, white light
White heat
Oh, baby, white light
White light, now, now, now
White light goin' messin' up my mind
Don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' down to my brain, ooohhh
Oh, don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
Forget it
White light
Ohh, white light
Ohh, baby, white heat
Yeah, white light
The Raconteurs' version of "White Light/White Heat" is a cover of the original song by The Velvet Underground. The song's alcoholic metaphor warns of the dangers of overindulgence with "white light" (amphetamines), "white heat" (cocaine), and "going down to my brain" (injection drug use). This is consistent with the underground reputation of both The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed, who would become known for his gritty, confessional lyricism. White light can also represent an ecstatic enlightenment or a mystical experience, indicating that the song's warnings may also extend to the dangers of transcendence.
The song is driven by a pounding, hypnotic rhythm and distorted guitars, which reflects the song's themes of addiction and excess. The repetitive nature of the song also highlights the monotony and numbing effects of addiction. The lyrics are delivered in a manic, urgent style, with Lou Reed's guest vocals giving the song a gritty, rebellious edge.
Line by Line Meaning
White light goin' messin' up my mind
The effects of this intense white light are beginning to interfere with my mental faculties.
Don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
If I continue to be exposed to this blinding white light, I will eventually lose my sight.
White heat, goin' down to my toes
The overwhelming heat emanating from this white light is felt all the way to my toes.
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
The power and intensity of this white light is so great that I am helpless to resist it.
White light goin' down to my brain
The effects of this intense white light are now beginning to affect my brain.
Hey, don't you know it's gonna make me insane
If I continue to be exposed to this white light, it will eventually drive me insane.
Forget it
I need to stop this exposure immediately and move on from this experience.
Ohh, white light
I am acknowledging the overwhelming presence of this blinding white light.
Ahhh, white heat
I am feeling the intense heat emanating from this white light.
Ohh, yeah, white light
I am once again acknowledging the overwhelming presence of this blinding white light.
White light, Ohh
The power of this white light feels overwhelming and all-consuming.
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows, yeah
The power of this white light is so great that it is beyond my ability to comprehend or control.
Oh, baby, white light
The intensity of this white light feels almost overwhelming and is causing me to wonder if I can handle it.
White light, now, now, now
The urgency to remove myself from the presence of this white light is now pressing on me.
Oh don't you know it's gonna make me insane, yeah
The effects of this intense white light are causing me to question my sanity.
Lyrics © SONY ATV MUSIC PUB LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeremiasz Urban
should done album with them instead of metallica
charliebe28
I WAS A LITTLE AMAZED THAT I FOUND THIS CLIP ON YouTube. After-all, it is only about one minute long - , even though it is a VERY GOOD one minute. Actually, I myself DVR-recorded this clip - , along with ALL of the Raconteurs other brief going-to-an-ad-break song-segments from the 2006 MTV VMAs - , and dubbed them to a DVD for archiving (... my version includes Jack Black {who hosted that year} giving these collaborators their introduction). The Raconteurs were the first "house band" that the VMAs had ever had;, and another standout performance by them that night was their then-recent "hit" named "Steady As She Goes". (By-the-way, the only "house bands" that the VMAs have had during the 2010s have been E.D.M. "DeeJays".) Those brief performances by Jack White & company - , along with a "live recreation" of OK Go's "Here It Goes Again" music-video (which was actually performed ON TREADMILLS !) - , were the only portions from that entire show that I figured were worth keeping and watching again.
López Mendicuti
Glad to see Jack White and the boys got together with such a legend. RIP, Lou! :)
Michael McShane
Rip Lou. This performance still sends chills down my spine. Stay away from that Morrison dude though.
Ivore Rowena
Me encanta Lou Reed!!! Esto es estupendo, y con los Raconteurs 😊
SkagWinesack
God bless these guys for making an MTV ceremony interesting for once.
jackson2578
DUDE! Amazing gathering of talent.
ceejay960
Bet Jack was diggin this! Saw him with the Stones too. He's getting to play with a bunch of legends!
vlix5
Best one minute rock clip on youtube ever
Jesse Shade
If we had more Lou Reeds than Miley Cyruses performing at the VMAs, this society would be better off. RIP Lou.