Oh! Sweet Nuthin

One of the truly rare true blues songs by a white man.

I agree with you, jellybones. It's about being ok with having nothing. When you have nothing you're free. And if you can be happy or satisfied with nothing it's true happiness because it isn't based on temporary conditions.

Obviously it's about poverty and homelessness; the reasons for the poverty and homelessness are left to the imagination. Yes, there were a lot of young people drifting around in the sixties, and a lot of drugs; but it was also standard practice in the sixties for parents to disown their gay kids, and their unwed pregnant daughters, and just kick them out of the house before they were even of age. In any case, it's a very sad song about people in need, and to say that it's about having nothing and "being okay with it" is, imo, to trivialize their suffering.

I just found a great song interpretation by Mark Toscano and David Steinberg (https://phish.net/song/oh-sweet-nuthin/history): "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" is the final song off of Loaded, the last real Velvet Underground album. It tells the stories of the disaffected, the poor Jimmy Brown, the homeless and depressed Ginger Brown, his fellow street person Polly May, and poor Joanna Love who finds herself in an endless stream of failed relationships. Between that and the chorus of, "Oh, sweet nuthin'/She ain't got nothing' at all," you'd think this was a miserable song, one to listen to when you're looking for that last bit of motivation to slash your wrists. That would be the easy approach. Rather, "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" is incredibly life affirming, especially in the end section where drummer Doug Yule – filling in for Moe Tucker who was on maternity leave – suddenly kicks the whole jam into overdrive. The guitars soar and the drumming continues to pound and it builds until it finally resolves to a reprise of, "She ain't got nothing at all," which suddenly feels like a reward instead of a lament. Who says that you can't make something out of nothing? [...]"

do you hear that guitar?? there is heartbreak flowein through his fingers! and if they've got oh sweet nothin, at least they can play some oh sweet music...amazing song.

i love the simple chords, and the melody is just amazing - especially the solo. lou reed is an underated gutarist, he doesnt need to play extremely fast like page and clapton were doin at the time, he plays with such a sweet tone. with respect to page and clapton of course.

Great song, love it.

Just thought I'd post to say that the guitar solo is actually played by Doug Yule.

On this track, Lou and Doug play guitars, while Sterling Morrison plays bass.

i also agree thebodiesobtained, but i wouldn't call it true happiness. the song's bittersweet, like the title, having nothing can be sweet because you are completely free but it is still depressing to just have nothing. to me the song sounds depressing in general, but there's something oddly sweet sounding in the little guitar solo, no?

I think immediately discrediting the people who said this song might have to do w/ heroine is silly. However let me finish, Its definatly not completely about drugs... but what better way to get to a place of sweet nothing than dope... I think that the overall tone of this song is bittersweet contentedness knowing you have nothing but not really being worried about it. I just think with peoples inside knowledge of how Lou reed was using in the 80's it would be dumb to completely ignore that influence.

I think the song is about the young people that took to the cities abandoning there quaint home lives to create a life amongst the counter cultures. Oftentimes these lifestyles although edgy and lucrative left these people with nothing but there names and experiences associated with there names which is why i think first and last names are used. These people have given all they have and still remain beautiful. I think that the song touches on religion too but he is almost saying i wont pray myself but if your going to do it for these people.