Sweet Jane - The Second Coming

It was 1992 and I spending a few weeks in Berlin during summer. I stayed with a couple of students in a fantastic apartment in the Charlottenburg Palace area.

Well, they had a stereo system with a great record collection, with 2 jewels: "Live: Take no prisoners" from Lou Reed and "Getz / Gilberto" from Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto.

Sweet Jane's version in that Lou Reed record was phenomenal. Some people hated it, as the whole album, but I think it was Lou Reed as authentic as it gets.

It must have been serendipity: there is were I listened to the famous verses of Yeats for the first time: "the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity"

That led me to the poem The Second Coming, which is cited very often in all kind of situations, from The Economist's Buttonwood (Philip Coggan), to the The Sopranos episode of the sixth season, where A.J. attempts suicide in the family pool.

“what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”

But I’ll talk about The Economist’s Buttonwood, The Sopranos final season, and Stan Getz’s bossa nova in another occasion.

I’ll leave you with an attempt of a transcript of Sweet Jane in “Live Take No Prisoners”. Enjoy.

"Sweet Jane" - Live: Take No Prisoners – The Bottom Line, NYC - May 1978 – Arista

Sound Effects: Match taken out of box and being lit

Lou: Hello, sorry we're late, but we were just tuning

Bottom Line, audience: Lou Reed, best!

[feedback, piano]

Lou:

What's the matter, they keep you waiting or something…

Are we late?

It's raining out there...

What do you mean it's raining out… We know it's fucking raining out…

Men, the guy who tightened this microphone has just sill in.. I can’t, look at that, look at that.

I better either grow an inch men or I need a boyfriend.

Fan1: Need a what? Need a what?

Lou: A boyfriend, can't you fucking hear what's wrong with you?

Fan1: Need a what?

Fans: Come on now, Sweet Jane!

Fan1: I heard that

Lou: I'm gonna quote a line like like from from Yeats

I think it is like for you

and that's called the best like all convictions,

while the best are filled...,

no no it's the other way round.

The best like all convictions hahaha

and the worst are filled with a passionate intensity....

now you figure out who I am

Fans: Do it men, do it!

One two, one two three four

"Sweet Jane"

Standing on the corner

The suitcase in my hand

Jack is in his corset, Jane is in her vest

I hear you

I hear you knocking but you can't come in

to me

Hey honey, I'm in a rock and roll band

and ridin' a Stutz Bearcat

those were different times

and those ladies they studied rules of verse

and all those ladies, they rolled their eyes

and saying

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane

Now Jack, he is a banker

and Jane, she is just a little bitty clerk

And both of them

Hey you little people out there

I saw you little people

Don't you hated those Academy Awards, man?

You know they said: here's fucking Barbara Streisand

She says: I want to thank all those little people

There's too many little people

I can't get their names

Fuck her and you little people

I like big people

Fuck short people and tall people, man, I like middle people

People from Wyoming

You've ever meet somebody from Wyoming?

Not me

Anyway:

Now Jack, he is a banker

and Jane, she is a clerk

Hey clerk

Gimme good clerk

I give good clerk

aha

And both them man, they saved their pennies

and their fucking nickels and their dimes, and it builds up

they got a nest egg

here comes the condominium

oh shit

He Miami

You're sitting there by the fire man

So let your fire, you plug it in

I like make believe fire

I like make believe love too

Oohh mama, give me some make believe love

Hey: Make believe love: that's a album title, Michael,

write that down, quick,

and fuck if I forget it

You're listening to some classical music, hey,

you better watch it now

It's only one time one time only to vote

Hey, The March Of The Wooden Soldiers

Have you ever put a quarter in those machines man?

You know: like the bear that plays basketball?

You put a quarter in

Aha

I guess you never put a quarter in it ha?

Some people say I'm residue

Haha

The March Of The Wooden Soldiers

Where were you on the list when they called you for Vietnam?

Hey man for Vietnam

Are you political Lou?

Political about what?

Give me an issue, I’ll give you a tissue

And wipe my ass with it

Ooh yeah

We're just here to make out

You bend over

We put the head in, you know

if you don't like it

then we'll talk about it

Face north, Jack

Are we been broadcast tonight?

Fuck radio Ethiopia man

I'm radio Brooklyn

I ain't no snob man

Haha

They said

Sweet Jane

Oh sweet Jane

(Sweet Jane)

You know, there's some people man , they like to go out dancing

Why should you?

What about her?

If you write as good as you talk, nobody reads you

What do I look like any young man up here, man ?

You know I found my wife in the living room in a Volkswagen

Said: how did you get there?

Made it right through the kitchen

Ain't that funny, haha?

And there's some evil motherfuckers

oh, oh, oohh,

that tell you that life is just made out of dirt

and that eh

ah man, those pretty women they never really fake

Those villains always shut up you

And blink there eyes

There little bitty children are the only ones that blush

And that life

Life is just to die

But I’ll tell you something

Hey man, anyone who's got a heart

a rock and roll heart

Would you turn around and break it?

And you know

Do that again Michael

Is that control?

Watch this now

And anyone who has played the part you know, hey, hey man

they wouldn’t turn around and hate it

they say

Sweet Jane

(Sweet Jane)

Sweet Jane

(Sweet Jane)

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane