Written as a personal tribute to Lou’s childhood friend and Velvet Underground guitarist, Sterling Morrison, who had passed away from cancer the previous year. Morrison’s passing was also the catalyst for a unanticipated reunion of the original VU surviving band mates at the Rock & Roll Hall of...
[Verse 1]
Wind blows snow outside my window
Crowd below runs wild in the streets
Two rented brothers race down two separate alleys
Heading for the finish line
[Verse 2]
Down in the train yard, out by the stockyard
Butchers with aprons hack meat in the snow
Blood has the brothers pulsing with envy
Heading for the finish line
[Verse 3]
Two rented brothers, their faces keep changing
Just like these feelings I have for you
Nothing's forever, not even five minutes
When you're headed for the finish line
[Verse 4]
Down in the depot, out by the meat rack
Down by the tunnels surrounding the jail
Prisoners are marching in squares and in circles
They're heading for the finish line
[Instrumental Verse]
Mmm mmm
Ah ha ah ha
Oh oh
[Verse 5]
They're lining up for Noah's Ark
They're stabbing each other in the dark
Saluting a flag made of some rich guy's socks
Heading for the finish line
[Verse 6]
Close to the line the ice is cracking
Two rented feelings sitting in the stands
Two mothers, two fathers and both of them are paid for
All of a sudden it comes back to me
[Verse 7]
Just up ahead is the finish line
Two rented referees and two checkered rags
Out of the corner of my eye comes a dark horse with black wings
Ooh ooh, headed for the finish line
[Verse 8]
I'm five years old, the room is fuzzy
I think there's also a very young girl
It's so hard to remember what happened exactly
As I'm staring at the finish line
[Outro]
Ooh first came fire then came light
Then came feeling then came sight
Finish Line was written by Lou Reed.
Finish Line was produced by Lou Reed.
Lou Reed released Finish Line on Tue Feb 20 1996.