Reed, Lou - Hold On Lyrics






There's blacks with knives and whites with clubs
Fighting in Howard Beach
There's no such thing as human rights
When you walk the N.Y.streets

A cop was shot in the head by a 10 years old kid
Named Buddah in Central Park last week
The fathers and daughters are lined up by the coffins
By the Statue of Bigotry, hey

You better hold on
Something's happening here
You better hold on
Well, I meet you in Tompkins Square

The dopers sent a message to the cops last weekend
They shot him in the car where he sat
And Eleanor Bumpers and Michael Stewart
Must have appreciated that

There's a rampaging rage rising up like a plague
Of bloody vials washing up on the beach
It'll take more than the Angels or Iron Mike Tyson
To heal this bloody breach, hey, hey

You better hold on
something's happening here
You better hold on
I'm gonna meet you in Tompkins Square

A junkie ran down a lady a pregnant dancer
she'll never dance but the baby was saved
He shot up some China White and nodded out at the wheel
and he doesn't remember a thing
They shot that old lady 'cause they thought she was a witness to
a crime she didn't even see
Whose home is the home of the brave
by the Statue of Bigotry, hey

You better hold on
something's happening here
You better hold on
meet you in Tompkins Square

You got a black .38 and a gravity knife
you still have to ride the train
There's the smelly essence of N.Y. down there
but you ain't no Bernard Goetz, ah
There's no Mafia lawyer to fight in your corner
for that 15 minutes of fame
The have and the have nots are bleeding in the tub
that's New York's future not mine, oh

You better hold on
something's happening here
You better hold on
you better, something's happening here
Hold on, ooohhh, babe





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Reed, Lou Hold On Comments
  1. D.... V....

    Solo rock.👌

  2. J.... M....

    Reed and Bowie best partnership in music!

  3. K.... C....

    Talk about a song ahead of its time!!!

  4. O.... t....

    In fact, there have been riots in Thompkins Square since the 19th century, there was one during the Civil War, one in the 1960s, etc.
    But he was probably referring the one in the 1980s.

  5. 2.... F....

    Great album ,, this and transformer is his best work The other stuff puts you to sleep

  6. s.... v....

    eleanor bumpers, uselss cow

    s.... v....

    ty gn at least 1 brain cell here. fqn libelral turd, liberals are the opposite of liberty

  7. k.... l....

    Statuteofbigotryhowdowemakethat

  8. T.... F....

    Just brilliant

  9. C.... R....

    One of The 10 best albuns ever. Hail from Brazil !!

  10. Z.... ....

    One of my favorite tunes from the late and great Mr.Reed.God bless ye man.

  11. L.... ....

    89-90..the year I graduted high school. This was on of my many favorite cassettes I had in my 78 camaro that i drove at the time. My friend ended up driving my car into a lake with this very tape in the radio deck. Sidenote: Not much has changed politically since 89'. Its MUCH WORSE.

  12. M.... B....

    1989 se definio el partido gordo!

  13. K.... K....

    This work is top 10 of all time rock-n-roll, Lou I miss you man!

  14. S.... J....

    Whatever Lou says.

  15. L.... E....

    RIP Uncle Lou

  16. r.... ....

    Nice upload!!!! Greetings from Scotland -
    Rise up!

    r.... ....

    Scotland takes drugs in psychic defence.

  17. P.... F....

    Yes indeed. Dancefloor filler.....Which begs the question. What other Lou Reed songs have got this dance vibe?

    P.... F....

    @PATRICK FLUKE Thats down to Brian Eno!

  18. r.... d....

    grande Lou ...YES IS DANCE!!!

  19. Z.... ....

    R.I.P. Mr.Reed.

  20. S.... P....

    moved to Lower East Side 1 year after the Tompkins riot---later I dated "Buda's" cousin it was a sad story all around. Buda was a real person, he was called Buda because he was a chubby happy baby and looked like a "Buddha"--used to take his calls from Elmira State Prison..just realized that is who the song is referencing....

    love this song, remember when they closed off/fenced off heavy securitized the park and no one could go in.

  21. a.... ....

    It's Mok!

  22. l.... ....

    it's awesong

  23. D.... ....

    Hah, my feelings exactly, She is Skookie's soul sister from the Cesspool State.

    D.... ....

    dawn: Lou was describing New York in the 1980s. Now it is gentrified and prettied up a lot. But the problems he was describing have spread to---all over the place.

  24. D.... ....

    Love this shite, best Lou album

  25. D.... ....

    Trouble with Lady Gaga, her music SUCKS!

  26. t.... ....

    Heema for Louima cause they could have did'd me wrong (I’m brown!)
    That’s word to Eleanor Bumpurs in a Lou Reed song

  27. K.... K....

    Judging by her record sales and concert appearences I'd say that there were ENOUGH people giving Lady Agag a chance! As for Lana del ray, why not give Nicole Atkins a chance instead? The songs are just as good, if not better and sung by a superior voice who emerged well before our Lana. Listen to her song 'The Tower', for example.

  28. S.... ....

    Llady gaga writes her own stuff and sings about issues such as bisexuality and acceptance which are based from personal experience. I share your love for Lou and agree with most of your post, but your dismissal of artists such as Lady Gaga is symptomatic of an unwillingness in many people to give modern artists a chance. There are some great artists out there writing brilliant songs with real meaning...Lana del rey, Michael Kiwanuka, Timber Timbre...you just have to be willing to look for it

  29. F.... R....

    American guy with a brain ! it is very rare in this time ...

  30. F.... A....

    This has got to be one of Lou's finest albums...

  31. J.... O....

    The New York Times printed the lyrics of this song in its Op-Ed section when the album first came out. Great stuff. And Lou plays his ass off towards the end.

  32. j.... b....

    j'adore cet album

  33. p.... ....

    What I love about Youtube, and I hope it stays this way, is that music like this is accessible free of advertisements. Thank you for sharing this @vivemaker.

  34. G.... B....

    right you are growrust. i remember when this record was released, such a relief, those were the 80's.
    At least 4 songs are classics already, still true twenty-something years later.
    no time, strawman, hold on, .. gotta hear Busload of Faith right now.
    (It's like his painter friend Donald said: Stick a fork in their ass and turn them over, they're done)

  35. g.... ....

    this is an awsome song... but why do people listen to todays mainstream music? I can't get it... artists like bieber (ok he's an extreme), lady gaga, 50 cent, madonna and so on... they don't even know what they are singing about... some dude write the texts and music for them and they just have to look cool and they make money... Lou knows what he's singing and that's what music should be about... delivering a message to other people... (I know... my english is poor thx...) Lou for president!!!

  36. p.... ....

    I LOVE THIS SONG