Lou Reed Lyrics-8 – White boy, what you doin’ uptown (from “I’m Waiting for the Man”)

The subject matter of “I’m Waiting for the Man” is classic Lou Reed. A seemingly innocent young white man goes on an urban adventure of sorts, to the heart of the city. Speaking bluntly … he goes uptown to score some drugs.    

However, when he gets uptown, the “white boy” is out of place. And without a doubt, he feels totally out of place. Particularly when the men in the uptown neighborhood start asking why he’s come there, implying that he has no reason to be there.   

The protagonist in turn implies that he has good reason to be there. Just “waiting for my man” to show up, waiting for a “dear friend,” maybe to take care of a little business. And presumably, the uptown men understand and accept him.    

This song ended up being one of the classic tunes by the Velvet Underground – one that was covered by a variety of musicians. David Bowie used to play it live back in the day, and since then it has been covered by Bauhaus, Echo and the Bunnymen, and even Cheap Trick. The finest version, of course, is the original, by Lou and the Velvet Underground.

Lou Reed, Anthology of Memorable Lyrics.

Waiting for the Man, Velvet Underground …

Images sourced from Goole Images.