The Black Angels Death Song
The Velvet Undeground And Nico Lyrics
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Set themselves out upon a plate
For him to choose
What had he to lose
Not a ghost bloodied country
All covered with sleep
Where the black angel did weep
Gone to choose
And wandering's brother
Walked on through the night
With his hair in his face
On a long splintered cut from the knife of g.t.
The rally man's patter ran on through the dawn
Until we said so long
To his skull-shrill yell
Shining brightly red-rimmed and
Red-lined with the time
Infused with the choice of the mind
On ice skates scraping chunks
From the bells
Cut mouth bleeding razor's
Forgetting the pain
Antiseptic remains cool goodbye
So you fly
To the cozy brown snow of the east
Gone to choose, choose again
Sacrificials remains make it hard to forget
Where you come from
The stools of your eyes
Serve to realize fame, choose again
And roverman's refrain of the sacrilege recluse
For the loss of a horse
Went the bowels and a tail of a rat
Come again, choose to go
And if epiphany's terror reduced you to shame
Have your head bobbed and weaved
Choose a side to be on
If the stone glances off
Split didactics in two
Leave the colors of the mouse trails
Don't scream, try between
If you choose, if you choose, try to lose
For the loss of remain come and start
Start the game i che che che che i
Che che ka tak koh
Choose to choose
Choose to choose, choose to go
The Velvet Underground's song The Black Angel is a cryptic, surreal and fragmented representation of a series of choices that the singer must make. The lyrics depict an individual who is in conflict with himself and the world around him, unsure of what to do and where to turn. The myriad choices of his fate that are set out on a plate is symbolically significant in the sense that the options available to him are many and he is unsure which way to go. The singer has nothing to lose but everything to gain, and it seems that he is determined to find his way, no matter the cost.
The song moves from one place to another, taking the listener on a journey that is both physical and emotional. The singer initially finds himself in a bleak and desolate place, where the black angel weeps, and then moves on to an old city street in the east, which he chooses to leave. Throughout the song, the singer is haunted by the memory of his past, and he struggles to come to terms with the choices he has made.
The lyrics of The Black Angel create a haunting and melancholic atmosphere, and they can be interpreted in many different ways. It is a song that explores the ideas of choice, fate, and the human condition, and it has remained a favorite among Velvet Underground fans for many years.
Line by Line Meaning
The myriad choices of his fate
His future was full of various possibilities and opportunities
Set themselves out upon a plate
All of these possibilities were available to him
For him to choose
It was up to him to make his own decisions
What had he to lose
He had nothing to lose and everything to gain
Not a ghost bloodied country
He wasn't looking for a place full of violence and death
All covered with sleep
He wasn't looking for a place full of boredom and monotony either
Where the black angel did weep
He wasn't interested in a place filled with sadness and sorrow
Not an old city street in the east
Nor was he interested in a place that's been overdone before
Gone to choose
He chose to go somewhere new and different
And wandering's brother
The brother of a wanderer
Walked on through the night
He roamed through the night
With his hair in his face
With his unruly hair covering his face
On a long splintered cut from the knife of g.t.
Using a knife from G.T., he walked on a long, splintered path
The rally man's patter ran on through the dawn
The man at the rally continued to talk throughout the night
Until we said so long
Until they departed ways
To his skull-shrill yell
To his loud and unpleasant yelling
Shining brightly red-rimmed and
Blindingly bright with red rims
Red-lined with the time
Marked with the passing of time with a red line
Infused with the choice of the mind
Influenced by the decision-making process
On ice skates scraping chunks
On ice skates that scrape off pieces of ice
From the bells
From the ringing of the bells
Cut mouth bleeding razor's
A cut mouth, bleeding like a razor wound
Forgetting the pain
Ignoring the pain
Antiseptic remains cool goodbye
A cool and final farewell
So you fly
The person moves on
To the cozy brown snow of the east
To a comfortable place in the east
Sacrificials remains make it hard to forget
Memories of sacrifices are hard to forget
Where you come from
Memories of one's roots and origin
The stools of your eyes
The colors of one's eyes
Serve to realize fame, choose again
One's appearance might influence their success, so they have the chance to choose again
And roverman's refrain of the sacrilege recluse
A wandering man's song about someone who is isolated due to inappropriate behavior
For the loss of a horse
Due to the loss of a horse
Went the bowels and a tail of a rat
He had to resort to eating the guts and tail of a rat
Come again, choose to go
His only option was to choose to go and leave behind the terrible situation
And if epiphany's terror reduced you to shame
If a realization has scared and humbled you
Have your head bobbed and weaved
Keep your head moving to avoid getting hit
Choose a side to be on
Make a choice and take a stance
If the stone glances off
If you are attacked and unharmed
Split didactics in two
Split the principles into two
Leave the colors of the mouse trails
Don't focus on small details
Don't scream, try between
Don't overreact or be extreme, find middle ground
If you choose, if you choose, try to lose
If you choose to engage, try to lose the argument or end the conflict peacefully
For the loss of remain come and start
After something is lost or destroyed, regroup and start again
Start the game i che che che che i
Start over again with new determination and energy
Che che ka tak koh
Unknown meaning, possibly a reference to Native American culture
Choose to choose
Make a decision to take control of your own life
Choose to choose, choose to go
Make the decision to move on and choose a different path
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN CALE, LOU REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind