Texty: Lou Reed. NYC Man: The Collection. The Blue Mask.

They tied his arms behind his back
To teach him how to swim
They put blood in his coffee
And milk in his gin

They stood over the soldier
In the midst of the squalor
There was war in his body
And it caused his brain to holler

Make the sacrifice
Mutilate my face
If you need someone to kill
I'm a man without a will

Wash the razor in the rain
Let me luxuriate in pain
Please, don't set me free
Death means a lot to me

The pain was lean and it made him scream
He knew he was alive
He put a pin through the nipples on his chest
He thought he was a saint

I've made love to my mother
Killed my father and my brother, what am I to do?
When a sin goes too far, it's like a runaway car
It cannot be controlled

Spit upon his face and scream
There's no Oedipus today
This is no play you're thinking you are in
What will you say

Take the blue mask down from my face
And look me in the eye
I get a thrill from punishment
I've always been that way

I loathe and despise repentance
You are permanently stained
Your weakness buys indifference
And indiscretion in the streets

Dirty's what you are
And clean is what you're not
You deserve to be soundly beat

Make the sacrifice
Take it all the way
There's no 'Won't' high enough
To stop this desperate day

Don't take death away
Cut the finger at the joint
Cut the stallion at his mount
And stuff it in his mouth