Lyrics for Heroin as interpreted by capitol76

Heroin Lyrics
I don't know just where I'm going
But I'm gonna try for the kingdom, if I can
'cause it makes me feel like I'm a man
When I put a spike into my vein
And I'll tell ya, things aren't quite the same
When I'm rushing on my run
And I feel just like Jesus' son
And I guess that I just don't know
And I guess that I just don't know

I have made the big decision
I'm gonna try to nullify my life
'cause when the blood begins to flow
When it shoots up the dropper's neck
When I'm closing in on death
And you can't help me now, you guys
And all you sweet girls with all your sweet talk
You can all go take a walk
And I guess that I just don't know
And I guess that I just don't know

I wish that I was born a thousand years ago
I wish that I'd sail the darkened seas
On a great big clipper ship
Going from this land here to that
In a sailor's suit and cap
Away from the big city
Where a man can not be free
Of all of the evils of this town
And of himself, and those around
Oh, and I guess that I just don't know
Oh, and I guess that I just don't know

Heroin, be the death of me
Heroin, it's my wife and it's my life
Because a mainer to my vein
Leads to a center in my head
And then I'm better off and dead
Because when the smack begins to flow
I really don't care anymore
About all the Jim-Jim's in this town
And all the politicians makin' crazy sounds
And everybody puttin' everybody else down
And all the dead bodies piled up in mounds

'cause when the smack begins to flow
Then I really don't care anymore
Ah, when the heroin is in my blood
And that blood is in my head
Then thank God that I'm as good as dead
Then thank your God that I'm not aware
And thank God that I just don't care
And I guess I just don't know
And I guess I just don't know

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Rich_M
05-27-2002

Rated 0 
I think this is quite interesting, as songs about heroin usually tend to cover them with some sort of allegory/second meaning/whatever, so that (in my cynical opinion) if they become hits then the authors can try and deny the link with narcotics, which would presumably put off punters. "No, I assure you, it really *is* about a horse with no name...". Heroin also has a bit of a mad song structure to it - you probably won't notice by listening to it, but try playing it on the guitar (two chords: D and G) and it's impossible to remember all the words...

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sXeNiGhTMaREsXe
06-16-2002

Rated +2 
amaaaaazing song. go lou reed

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I And I
08-06-2002

Rated +4 
I don't know why, but to me this is a beautiful song. It almost makes me cry at times. The lyrics are kind of meaningful too. I'd say Lou isn't very fond of heroin.

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mleurck
08-14-2002

Rated +2 
This is the most truthful message I think out there about heroin use...if you choose to do it you are making the decision to "nullify" your life. This song has always been enjoyable for me to listen to until the lyrics came true for someone in my life. My friend loved this song and then it basically became his suicide note. This past weekend my friend overdosed for the 4th time on heroin, but this time no one found him in time, this time. Now he is in a complete vegetative coma on full life support and only a 4% chance of ever waking up and a 0% chance of ever being a normal human being. He is now 98% brain dead. This song was playing on the CD player when he was found by my friend Erin. This song means so much to me now. Like the line "and you can't help me now, you guys and all you sweet girls with all your sweet talk/ you all can go take a walk". This is what he said to all his closest friends and family that tried to save him but he made the big decision long ago that heroin was his life and it would be this death. He was a spoiled middle class white boy that somehow thought heroin was cool. He had everything, a loving family, friends, material crap like a car and nice clothes, a place to stay, and then heroin came into his life and ruined everything. He also had this illusion that he could control it and it was not controlling him. But, look where he ended up. I think he didn’t realize that an overdose doesn’t always mean dying…sometimes there are thing worse that death. He is 23 and now because his parents couldn’t find the strength to “pull the plug”, he will spent the rest of his “life” in a nursing home. He tried to escape the city and it's evils by moving home with his parents out in the country, but even the heroin was too strong. I can never take this song lightly ever again. And I hope everyone who hears this song understands its true meaning and realizes that this song was in no way written to make heroin sound pleasurable. All it does is lead to death and disillusion.

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mleurck
08-14-2002

Rated 0 
This is the most truthful message I think out there about heroin use...if you choose to do it you are making the decision to "nullify" your life. This song has always been enjoyable for me to listen to until the lyrics came true for someone in my life. My friend loved this song and then it basically became his suicide note. This past weekend my friend overdosed for the 4th time on heroin, but this time no one found him in time, this time. Now he is in a complete vegetative coma on full life support and only a 4% chance of ever waking up and a 0% chance of ever being a normal human being. He is now 98% brain dead. This song was playing on the CD player when he was found by my friend Erin. This song means so much to me now. Like the line "and you can't help me now, you guys and all you sweet girls with all your sweet talk/ you all can go take a walk". This is what he said to all his closest friends and family that tried to save him but he made the big decision long ago that heroin was his life and it would be this death. He was a spoiled middle class white boy that somehow thought heroin was cool. He had everything, a loving family, friends, material crap like a car and nice clothes, a place to stay, and then heroin came into his life and ruined everything. He also had this illusion that he could control it and it was not controlling him. But, look where he ended up. I think he didn’t realize that an overdose doesn’t always mean dying…sometimes there are thing worse that death. He is 23 and now because his parents couldn’t find the strength to “pull the plug”, he will spent the rest of his “life” in a nursing home. He tried to escape the city and it's evils by moving home with his parents out in the country, but even the heroin was too strong. I can never take this song lightly ever again. And I hope everyone who hears this song understands its true meaning and realizes that this song was in no way written to make heroin sound pleasurable. All it does is lead to death and disillusion.

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GreenDay337
08-17-2002

Rated 0 
this song makes me sad since its about drugs and all that. my cousin john used it in his profile and i spazzed out and i was like "john you dont do that do you?". the lyrics in the song are dark and gloomy but the beat is awesome and i think its a fairly good song.

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venusinfurs
08-19-2002

Rated 0 
...this song has never grown old on me but it grown with me...the meaning gives me this hope of nothing (the kind you get off watching fight club)...its become a sort of a chant to get the hell up and beat what's killing you are you'll get used to it...i turn up the volume everytime and scream my guts out. especially the 'jim-jim' line through 'and all the bodies piled up in mounds'...this is one of the greatest songs ever made for one reason, the sound fits the mood...and yet you don't see it on those damn vh1 lists...wdc

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drgonzothx
08-27-2002

Rated +1 
I love Lou Reed because he doesn't say something is good or bad he just goes, hey here it is, you decide. I think he is the most truthful song writer I've ever heard

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ripped book page
03-07-2003

Rated 0 
the Velvet Underground was amazing, and this is quite possibly their most amazing song. its so solid all the way through. and to comment back on someone saying that Lou doesn't like Heroin, i don't think the song reflects that. rather i think it's him telling his experience through metaphors and the works..

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carms
03-07-2003

Rated +1 
Lou just told it like it was. Fuck, here's to Lou Reed and the VU. Cheers.

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Gratefate
03-18-2003

Rated +1 
Most people, even some VU fans either dont know, or dont appreciate this song. This song is probably VU/Lou Reeds best song in my opinion. Truthful. Dark. Detailed. "Closing in on death" It describes Heroin as going to the brink. The structure of the song is someone coming up and down from Heroin, and it shows the dark trap the person is in. Great, great song.

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gueveralives
03-23-2003

Rated 0 
what a crop of shit mleurck.

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kaisute
05-02-2003

Rated 0 
I don't think this song is about pulling the plug on a friend who made his choice. It's about making a choice. And the choice is for each person to make. If you ask me it sounds like Lou Reed thoroughly enjoyed the conflicting emotions of heroin, and the rush it gave him. But he's smart enough to know where it leads. The song ((to me)) is about how great this drug can be. But he to reminds us that it can kill... "Heroin, be the death of me"
It is a beautiful honest song, through the metaphors in the lyrics Lou has tried* to give us a feel of what it feels like to do heroin and when mixed with the music I think they accomplished that as far as you can through a song.

mleurck, sorry about your friend, but he made a choice.

"And thank your god that i'm as good as dead"

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matrixmouse7
07-07-2003

Rated 0 
Excellent song. sorry about your friend mleurck. I wonder why they didn't use this song in the movie Trainspotting? For people who don't know Trainspotting is a movie about herion and i can think of some places where this song would have fit perfectly.

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maggotbrain
04-24-2004

Rated 0 
this song puts me in a daze.

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River Wolf
09-17-2004

Rated 0 
An excellent song.

For the note, both Lou Reed and Nico did heroin. I'm not sure about the others members but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

It seems like Lou Reed is saying just give'r and do the junk. He's not really putting it down.

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Victoronehalf
09-24-2004

Rated +1 
I think this song might be about drugs, but I'm not sure, the lyrics are kind of vague.

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Perfect Wh()re
10-04-2004

Rated +1 
matrix mouse I think they probably didn't use the song heroin in trainspotting cos its a bit of a junky cliche cos its just such an obvious song.

I'm sure Lou Reed did enjoy heroin I think its pretty impossible not to enjoy. but I don't think he enjoyed the conflicting sides, I mean addiction is never fun mind u I guess he could afford it.

I think it shows a lot about junky mentality. Junk is a painkiller. And at the centre of the song is great unhappiness. Heroin is used to fill the holes in life "it's my wife and its my life". Its used to dull confusion note the slowing and returning to calm of the music as he comes to accept the conculsion "I guess that I just don't know".

It shows heroin as an escape so the character in the song wants to "Escape from the big city". And the lyrics "Thank god that I'm good as dead and thank you god that I'm not aware" Shows that this person is grateful to be half dead. The junky is searching for oblivion its a kind of alternative to suicide. He even acknowledges it int the line "be the death of me". He knows what he's doing and what he's heading for. And if it doesn't kill you physically its gonna kill u inside till all u have is a need to fulfil.

And I love the way that the song mimics the rush from its slow beggininngs to the frenzied middle and the come down.

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yogurt_fog
10-05-2004

Rated 0 
matrixmouse they talk about this song in the book. you should read it if you havent yet. its much, much better than the movie and beautifully written.

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rengalous
10-18-2004

Rated 0 
this song is amazing, i agree with perfect whore, i dont think they used the song in trainspotting because its obvious. but they did use a different lou reed song called "perfect day." its extremely well placed.

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andro666
11-08-2004

Rated 0 
i think he is talking about escaping from the world's shitty reality and i think he is to sensitive to take all the shit and he needs heroin to stop the pain and worries this shitty world gives to a sensitive man like him. he just doesnt wanna care anynmore and what better way of not caring than not thinking and what better way of not thinking than killing your brain with heroin and i think they didnt use this song in trainspotting because i think trainspotting is more about choices (rutine, life or death, heroin) more than drugs and all that shit. i love this song because is so honest and to the point and it just say it all, no censorship in anyway. i think that thats what is missing this days. artists with balls like lou reed or the velvet underground and all those 60's and 70's underground bands that didnt give a shit about anything but the music. i love this song.

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andro666
11-08-2004

Rated 0 
bush is whore. im not american and just say this here for the humanity's sake and for those americans that come here with their head full of lies and ignorance. "the truth will free you"

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AstroZombie777
11-13-2004

Rated 0 
To me,the sound just sounds like it's describing heroin.You don't know,you don't care and everything is peaceful-like this song.

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andro666
11-22-2004

Rated 0 
karate chop!

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novadude
12-05-2004

Rated +1 
I like how the song progresses. It becomes more disorderly until it snaps. The style parallels a heroin trip.

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