Joy Division

Sister Ray

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Sister Ray Lyrics

Jimmy came from Carolina
Wants to know a way to earn a dollar
Says he's suffering with a fever
Just like Sister Ray says

I'm searching for my mainline
I couldn't hit it sideways
I'm searching for my mainline
I couldn't hit it sideways

Jimmy's got a new piece
Lying cold for a quarter hour
Took it out of his suitcase
Shot him dead right on the floor

Hey man, you shouldn't do that
Don't you know you'll stain the carpet
Hey man, you shouldn't do that
Just like Sister Ray says

Too busy sucking on a ding dong
Hey don't you know you'll stain the carpet
Too busy sucking on my ding dong
Hey you know you shouldn't do that

I'm searching for my mainline
I couldn't hit it sideways
I'm searching for my mainline
Going to count one, two, three, four

Jimmy came from Carolina
Wants to know a way to earn a dollar
Says he didn't like the weather
It's just like Sister Ray says

Hit on it Jim, hit on it Jim
Hit on it Jim, hit on it Jim

Had a good night, had a good night
Had a good night, had a good night

Jimmy's got a new piece
Cold hearted for the fingering
Took it out in front of him
Shot him dead right on the floor

Hey man, you shouldn't do that
Hey don't you know you'll stain the carpet
Hey man, you shouldn't do that
Don't you know you'll stain the carpet

It's just like Sister Ray said
Just like Sister Ray said
Had a good night, had a good night
Had a good night, had a good night
Had a good night, had a good night
Had a good night, had a good night
Just like Sister Ray said
Just like Sister Ray said

Submitted by

typo On Jan 12, 2002

Love Will Tear Us Apart

Jimmy came from Carolina 
Wants to know a way to earn a dollar 
Says he's suffering with a fever 
Just like Sister Ray says

I'm searching for my mainline 
I couldn't hit it sideways 
I'm searching for my mainline 
I couldn't hit it sideways

Jimmy's got a new piece 
Lying cold for a quarter hour 
Took it out of his suitcase 
Shot him dead right on the floor

Hey man, you shouldn't do that 
Don't you know you'll stain the carpet 
Hey man, you shouldn't do that 
Just like Sister Ray says

Too busy sucking on a ding dong 
Hey don't you know you'll stain the carpet 
Too busy sucking on my ding dong 
Hey you know you shouldn't do that

I'm searching for my mainline 
I couldn't hit it sideways 
I'm searching for my mainline 
Going to count one, two, three, four

Jimmy came from Carolina 
Wants to know a way to earn a dollar 
Says he didn't like the weather 
It's just like Sister Ray says

Hit on it Jim, hit on it Jim
Hit on it Jim, hit on it Jim

Had a good night, had a good night
Had a good night, had a good night

Jimmy's got a new piece 
Cold hearted for the fingering 
Took it out in front of him 
Shot him dead right on the floor

Hey man, you shouldn't do that 
Hey don't you know you'll stain the carpet 
Hey man, you shouldn't do that 
Don't you know you'll stain the carpet

It's just like Sister Ray said 
Just like Sister Ray said 
Had a good night, had a good night
Had a good night, had a good night
Had a good night, had a good night
Had a good night, had a good night
Just like Sister Ray said 
Just like Sister Ray said

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Keep it true to the song

Fix what’s wrong, but don’t rewrite what the artist wrote. Stick to the official released version — album booklet, label site, verified lyric video, etc. If you’re guessing, pause and double-check.

Respect the structure

Songs have rhythm. Pages do too. Leave line breaks where they belong. Don’t smash things together or add extra empty space just for looks.

Punctuation counts (but vibe-editing doesn’t)

Correct typos? Yes. Re-punctuating a whole verse because it ‘looks better’? Probably not. Keep capitalization and punctuation close to the official source.

Don’t mix versions

If you’re editing the explicit version, keep it explicit. If it’s the clean version, keep it clean. No mashups.

Let the lyrics be lyrics

This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.

Edit lightly

If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’

When in doubt, ask the crowd

Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.

typo

Submitter

2002-01-12 13:51:16

4 Meanings

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by Joy-Division

21y ago

erm, this song is not from Ian's mind, this is a Cover from Velvet Underground.

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by 1fish

19y ago

and what a cover it is.

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by sydbarrett5

16y ago

You should hear their version of Louie Louie

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by oakes12

15y ago

You've got to say that there aren't many songs about transvestites shooting up heroin, commiting murder and performing oral sex. The Velvet Underground orignal is amazing. A live studio recording that lasts over 17 minutes. The keyboard player goes off on one and turns up his amp way too high. It's genius. I've also got concert recordings that are completely different musically and last over 30 minutes.

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