These Days
The Velvet Underground Lyrics


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One of these days
Ain't it peculiar
Gonna look for me
And baby I'll be gone
One of these days
And it won't be long
You gonna call my name
And I'll be far gone

I'm gonna tell you something
That I ain't told no one before
That is if I can't stop dancing
And get my poor self off this bar room floor

One of these days
Ain't it peculiar
Babe you're gonna call my name
You now that I'll be gonne (bye bye baby)

I'm gonna tell you something
That I ain't told no one before
That is if I can't stop dancing
And get my poor self off this bar room floor

One of these days
And it won't be long
You gonna call my name
And I'll be gone
You gonna call my name
And I'll be gone




You gonna call my name
And I'll be gone

Overall Meaning

The Velvet Underground's song "These Days" is a melancholic yet relatable piece about regret, self-reflection and acceptance. Opening with the line "I've been out walking, I don't do too much talking these days", the song sets the tone for the singer's contemplative state of mind. He mentions thinking about the things he forgot to do and the times he had a chance to, indicating a feeling of missed opportunities and unfulfilled aspirations. The melody is slow and soft, emphasizing the introspective and pensive atmosphere.


The second verse talks about changes that have occurred in the singer's life and his contemplation of whether he'd have an opportunity to witness or be a part of similar changes again. He admits that he had a lover but wouldn't risk having another one in order to avoid heartbreak and loss. The song's refrain "These days" ties the lyrics together, suggesting a feeling of resignation and acceptance of the realities of life.


The final verse is an acknowledgment of the singer's current state of being. He mentions that he's stopped dreaming and scheming, indicating a feeling of disillusionment or even surrender. He sits on cornerstones and counts time in quarter tones, suggesting a slowed down, monotonic existence. But he also asks not to be confronted with his failures, making it clear that he's aware of his shortcomings but doesn't need them pointed out.


Overall, "These Days" is a beautifully written piece that allows listeners to be introspective and feel a sense of longing and regret.


Line by Line Meaning

I've been out walking
I have been walking outside


I don't do too much talking these days
I am not talking very much lately


These days
Recently


These days I seem to think a lot
Recently I have been thinking frequently


About the things that I forgot to do
About the things that I failed to do


And all the times I had
And all the opportunities I had


A chance to
A chance to do something


I've stopped my rambling
I have stopped my wandering


I don't do too much gambling these days
I am not gambling very much lately


These days
Recently


These days I seem to think about
Recently I have been thinking about


How all these changes came about my ways
How all these changes happened to me


And I wonder if I'd see another
And I wonder if I will see another


Highway
Road or path in life


I had a lover
I used to have a romantic partner


I don't think I'd risk another these days
I don't think I would take the chance with another partner now


These days
Recently


And if I seem to be afraid
And if I appear to be scared


To live the life that I have made in song
To live the life that I have created through music


It's just that I've been losing
It is because I have been failing


So long
For a long time


La, la, la, la, la
N/A


La, la
N/A


I've stopped my dreaming
I have stopped dreaming


I won't do too much scheming these days
I am not planning excessively lately


These days
Recently


These days I sit on cornerstones
Recently I sit on street corners


And count the time in quarter tones to ten
And count time passing in small increments


Please don't confront me with my failures
Please do not remind me of my past mistakes


I had not forgotten them
I have not forgotten about my past failures




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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

@johnrall8818

I've been out walking
I don't do too much talking
These days, these days
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
And all the times I had the chance to.
I've stopped my rambling
I don't do too much gambling
These days, these days
These days I seem to think about
How all the changes came about my ways
And I wonder if I'd see another highway
I had a lover
I don't think I'll risk another
These days, these days
And if I seem to be afraid
To live the life that I have made in song
It's just that I've been losing so long
I've stopped my dreaming
I won't do too much scheming
These days, these days
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten
Please don't confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them



All comments from YouTube:

@bryce8793

It's hard to believe this song came out 55 years ago. Indie music now sounds so similar to this

@jdjsjsj8027

hard to believe it came out 55 years ago? you really think people 55 years ago were primitive monkeys or something? You definitely haven't heard anything from the '60s other than The Beatles and the songs that have become a stupid tiktok trend if you think like that. please 10s zoomer kids stop calling tvu indie and comparing the legendary band to today's indie bullshit and billie eilish because today's indie music and billie eilish is shit and you dont know about culture and music. I hate these people from tiktok

@jdjsjsj8027

@Google User usually when new people say TVU sounds like today's indie artists, they mean Billie Eilish or people like Lil Peep XD Like wtf? they contributed nothing to the music, they are not creative and they don't sound alike at all and their work is only about being edgy and writing lyrics about being gay and eating xanax for "alternative" 12 year olds who have no other activities than watching tiktok. If people are to be interested in the culture and music of the 1960s, I love that and I encourage my friends to familiarize themselves with old psychedelic music, if zoomers are to comment on a topic they have no idea about, I dont get that and people shouldn't comparing them. Btw you know indie artists who are actually indie and do something comparable to TVU?

@t.castro4493

It's a shame that Nico was most likely a racist. She made interesting music that was quite influential. Desertshore and Marble Index are great.

@jdjsjsj8027

@@arunhuh have something constructive and interesting to say or leave

@jdjsjsj8027

@@arunhuh lmao I literally saw comments from people saying After Hours sounds like something Billie Eilish would do and wow, really? you are very innovative and wise cuz nobody knows that all of TVU's were junkies (like almost everyone in the 60's lol) and Reed has written lyrics inspired by bdsm novel and since when Lou Reed liked trans people ?? wtf ??? Nico hated blacks ?? Nico is canceled now 😭😭😭. I'm not saying anywhere that all songs about drugs are bad but compared to today's quirky indie music, Reed wrote much more ambitious and poetic lyrics and had very interesting inspirations. I don't really understand what being gay has to do with BDSM? I don't really defend Lou Reed anywhere, because not all of what he released was good imo and he acted like an asshole a lot, but he made so many good music projects and he was such a good and creative artist that he can definitely be compared more to David Bowie (who did something great for music himself and was inspired by reed) than to today's tiktok bullshit because it's not similar at all. who the hell cares that Warhol was gay? 'Popular to seem cool' is being gay now and changing pronouns. Children literally define their orientation with tiktok and zodiacs even though they are 12 years old and change pronouns every week and cry to wish you were gay. I'm so homophobic now oh no 😭😭

27 More Replies...

@doransanft1525

"Please don't confront me with my failures, I had not forgotten them." --One of the best lines ever...from a 16-year old kid!

@erazet3084

Woah she wrote this when she was 16????

@cameronfooter323

@@erazet3084 Jackson Browne wrote it

@davidleiva36

@@erazet3084 Yeah Jackson Browne wrote the song at age 16

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