Prominent Men

Is it just me or does this song sound VERY Dylan-inspired?

jackrabbit37, this song probably is, in more ways than one. This song dates from 1965, when Dylan & the Velvets were hanging out w/ Andy Warhol. Google 'Velvet Underground', 'Bob Dylan', 'Edie Sedgwick', and 'Warhol' and you do the math.

what elephant said. haha.

This song is just about 'prominent men' i.e. the social elite who dominate all areas of society, some examples being literature ("Prominent men tell prominent stories") and politics and public life ("Prominent men tell prominent lies"). They are characterised primarily by their viciousness and ruthlessness, this is what is meant by the line "tear out your eyes".

There are various references to typical upper class behaviours such as the mention of having an heir, the beautiful princess-like daughters et cetera. Indeed, there are many references to progeny throughout the song, foreshadowing the verse before the last chorus. Reed is discussing the destructive effect these people have on society without any repercussions: "The child of the agent walks barefoot upon grass / He screams with a power that terror's green eyes / His knife harshly glistening, stabs noways and always / But those prominent men in nowhere in sight." The child of the agent represents not necessarily the young working working class, but any social stratum subservient to the "prominent", incl. the middle class. I think this is especially alluded to in the mention of "green eyes", as the middle class are only one step away from riches and prominency, and hence provokes jealousy and fear in the person discussed. The child of the agent goes on a killing spree with a knife, but his victims are not the prominent men who started the cycle, and they go on unpunished.

For further reading on this subject I would recommend the Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald which in a big way concerns itself with the lives of the rich. In that book, Tom and Daisy are described as "careless people" who break other people's lives and escape into their riches.

Yes, I would say this is very influenced by Dylan - down to the harmonica. I would also say that a number of the songs on the first album have a vocal delivery not dissimilar to Dylan.