As soon as I read the first few lines I was reminded of Eliot's Prufrock poem, which is also about fate and choice. He refers to one having choices "dropped on a plate" in much the same way that Lou Reed does. this was probably not intentional at all, but the song and the poem go together in an interesting way. here's the specific verse:
"There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea."
I have a book on The Velvet Underground, and there's a part that talks about Eliot's influence on Reed's writing. Apparently Lou's mentor in college, Delmore Schwartz, was a worldwide authority on T.S. Eliot. I guess Lou was really impressed that Eliot could write something as good as Prufrock at age 25.
I have a book on The Velvet Underground, and there's a part that talks about Eliot's influence on Reed's writing. Apparently Lou's mentor in college, Delmore Schwartz, was a worldwide authority on T.S. Eliot. I guess Lou was really impressed that Eliot could write something as good as Prufrock at age 25.
At the end when he starts breaking into the "i chi chi, chi chi i, kah tah koh" seems directly influenced by the "co co rico co co rico" wordplay end of Eliot's The Waste Land.
At the end when he starts breaking into the "i chi chi, chi chi i, kah tah koh" seems directly influenced by the "co co rico co co rico" wordplay end of Eliot's The Waste Land.
Also, in heroin, the line "and when that...
Also, in heroin, the line "and when that heroin is in my blood, and my blood is in my head" always reminded me of the line "formulated, sprawling on a pin... pinned and wriggling on a wall". Two great lines.
and then The Murder Mystery is a whole other can of worms...
As soon as I read the first few lines I was reminded of Eliot's Prufrock poem, which is also about fate and choice. He refers to one having choices "dropped on a plate" in much the same way that Lou Reed does. this was probably not intentional at all, but the song and the poem go together in an interesting way. here's the specific verse:
"There will be time to murder and create, And time for all the works and days of hands That lift and drop a question on your plate; Time for you and time for me, And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of a toast and tea."
I have a book on The Velvet Underground, and there's a part that talks about Eliot's influence on Reed's writing. Apparently Lou's mentor in college, Delmore Schwartz, was a worldwide authority on T.S. Eliot. I guess Lou was really impressed that Eliot could write something as good as Prufrock at age 25.
I have a book on The Velvet Underground, and there's a part that talks about Eliot's influence on Reed's writing. Apparently Lou's mentor in college, Delmore Schwartz, was a worldwide authority on T.S. Eliot. I guess Lou was really impressed that Eliot could write something as good as Prufrock at age 25.
At the end when he starts breaking into the "i chi chi, chi chi i, kah tah koh" seems directly influenced by the "co co rico co co rico" wordplay end of Eliot's The Waste Land.
At the end when he starts breaking into the "i chi chi, chi chi i, kah tah koh" seems directly influenced by the "co co rico co co rico" wordplay end of Eliot's The Waste Land.
Also, in heroin, the line "and when that...
Also, in heroin, the line "and when that heroin is in my blood, and my blood is in my head" always reminded me of the line "formulated, sprawling on a pin... pinned and wriggling on a wall". Two great lines.
and then The Murder Mystery is a whole other can of worms...