Venus In Furs )
The Velvet Underground;Nico Lyrics


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Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather
Whiplash girl child in the dark
Comes in bells, your servant, don't forsake him
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart
Downy sins of streetlight fancies
Chase the costumes she shall wear
Ermine furs adorn the imperious
Severin, Severin awaits you there
I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears
Kiss the boot of shiny, shiny leather
Shiny leather in the dark
Tongue of thongs, the belt that does await you
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart
Severin, Severin, speak so slightly
Severin, down on your bended knee
Taste the whip, in love not given lightly
Taste the whip, now plead for me
I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears
Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather
Whiplash girl child in the dark




Severin, your servant comes in bells, please don't forsake him
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Venus in Furs" by The Velvet Underground are a vivid depiction of a BDSM relationship, featuring a submissive narrator pleading with their dominatrix to inflict pain and humiliation upon them. The opening lines set the scene, describing the dominatrix's "shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather" and the singer's status as a "whiplash girl child in the dark." The singer then begs for the dominatrix's attention and punishment, framing their relationship as a servitude that they crave.


The second verse of the song introduces Severin, a character who may represent the singer or another submissive in the dominatrix's circle. The lyrics suggest that Severin is awaiting the dominatrix's attention, surrounded by "downy sins of streetlight fancies" and dressed in "ermine furs." The chorus repeats the singer's desire for punishment and the pleasure they derive from it.


The final verse of the song features Severin pleading for the dominatrix's attention and inflicting punishment upon himself. The lyrics suggest that this behavior is rooted in deep emotional pain, as the singer sings "different colors made of tears." Overall, "Venus in Furs" is a haunting and evocative song that explores the power dynamics of BDSM relationships and the intense emotions they can evoke.


Line by Line Meaning

Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather
The singer is observing a pair of shiny, leather boots.


Whiplash girl child in the dark
The singer sees a young girl in the shadows, who appears to be submissive and alluring.


Comes in bells, your servant, don't forsake him
The girl is a willing servant, and the singer is pleading with the person he is addressing not to abandon her.


Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart
The artist instructs the mistress to punish him so that he can be healed emotionally.


Downy sins of streetlight fancies
The artist is describing the girl's past sins as soft, almost delicate.


Chase the costumes she shall wear
The singer pictures the girl as someone who has a penchant for costumes and changes her attire often.


Ermine furs adorn the imperious
The person the singer is addressing is someone of importance, as evidenced by the luxury of the ermine furs they wear.


Severin, Severin awaits you there
Severin, the submissive man mentioned earlier, is waiting for the person the artist is addressing.


I am tired, I am weary
The artist is fatigued, physically and possibly mentally.


I could sleep for a thousand years
The artist is so exhausted that he wants to sleep a long time, perhaps forever.


A thousand dreams that would awake me
If the singer were to sleep for a thousand years, he imagines he would have many vivid dreams.


Different colors made of tears
The artist's dreams would be full of tears and a spectrum of emotions.


Kiss the boot of shiny, shiny leather
The singer is asking to be subservient to the person who is wearing the shiny boots.


Tongue of thongs, the belt that does await you
The mistress has a belt with a tongue or a whip that is waiting to be used.


Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart
The singer reiterates his desire to be punished, in hopes of finding emotional healing.


Severin, Severin, speak so slightly
The mistress is addressing Severin, asking him to speak softly.


Severin, down on your bended knee
Severin is being instructed to kneel before the mistress.


Taste the whip, in love not given lightly
The singer wants the pain of the whip, but only as an expression of love, not just as an unfeeling punishment.


Taste the whip, now plead for me
The singer is instructing Severin to beg for him, presumably to show his love and submission.


Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather
The artist again comments on the boots, which seem to be symbolic of the dominant/submissive relationship in the song.


Whiplash girl child in the dark
The artist repeats his description of the submissive girl, emphasizing her youth and the danger associated with her behavior.


Severin, your servant comes in bells, please don't forsake him
The artist reiterates his concern for Severin's well-being, asking the addressee not to abandon him.


Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart
The song concludes with the same plea for emotional healing through pain and punishment that has echoed throughout the lyrics.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOU REED

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@kenamolina4243

Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather
Whiplash girl child in the dark
Comes in bells, your servant, don't forsake him
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart
… Downy sins of streetlight fancies
Chase the costumes she shall wear
Ermine furs adorn the imperious
Severin, Severin awaits you there
… I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears
… Kiss the boot of shiny, shiny leather
Shiny leather in the dark
Tongue of thongs, the belt that does await you
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart
… Severin, Severin, speak so slightly
Severin, down on your bended knee
Taste the whip, in love not given lightly
Taste the whip, now bleed for me
… I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
Different colors made of tears
… Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather
Whiplash girl child in the dark
Severin, your servant comes in bells, please don't forsake him
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart



All comments from YouTube:

@kebomusic

“everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band”. Brian Eno

@torkeln

Or became a heroin addict

@qetoun

@torkeln or both...

@mrcode9393

@qetoun Preferably both for sure.

@salmon4869

One became a Czech leader

@weareallbeingwatched4602

@nugget nuggies by starting a band. Was a Zappa fan mostly though.

16 More Replies...

@bokehintheussr5033

For those who don’t know, this song is inspired by the Victorian novel of the same name by Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch, a Viennese aristocrat from whom psychoanalysts coined the term “masochism”. The novel is about a pact between his surrogate protagonist and a female friend with whom he enters into an affair involving experimentations with fem-dom after having a dream in which he encounters the powerful goddess Venus and feels strangely attracted to her. It’s way ahead of its time. It’s full of fascinating meditations upon the nature of social and sexual power-dynamics and master-slave dialectics.

@Lead_Soldier474

The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau is another book written a century before that that talks about femdom. It's actually more scandalous because it's an autobiography where Rousseau talks about how he developed a desire to be spanked by a woman after being spanked by his governess as a child and how his first relationship was with an older woman whom he called "maman"(mommy).

@ongbonga9025

Here was me thinking it's probably just an elaborate metaphor for heroin.

@littlerichie874

I don’t recall reading this in Sunday school.

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