"Romeo Had Juliette" by Lou Reed

Velvet Underground rock star Lou Reed recites "Romeo Had Juliette" (from the album New York) as a poem.

From The United States of Poetry episode "Love and Sex."

Copyright Washington Square Arts, 1995.

Caught between the twisted stars the plotted lines
the faulty map
that brought Columbus to New York
Betwixt between the east and west
he calls on her wearing a leather vest
the earth squeals and shudders to a halt
A diamond crucifix in his ear is used to help
ward off the fear
that he has left his soul in someone's rented car
Inside his pants he hides a mop
to clean the mess that he has dropped
into the life of lithesome Juliette Bell

And Romeo wanted Juliette
and Juliette wanted Romeo

Romeo Rodriguez squares his shoulders and curses Jesus
runs a comb through his black pony tail
He's thinking of his lonely room
The sink that by his bed gives off a stink
then smells her perfume in his eyes
and her voice was like a bell

Outside the streets were steaming the crack dealers
were dreaming
of an Uzi someone had just scored
I betcha I could hit that light
with my one good arm behind my back
says little Joey Diaz

Brother, give me another tote
those downtown hoods are no damn good
Those Italians need a lesson to be taught

This cop who died in Harlem you think they'd
get the warnin'
I was dancing when his brains ran out on the street

and Romeo had Juliette
and Juliette had her Romeo

I'll take Manhattan in a garbage bag
with Latin writ on it that says
"It's hard to give a s--t these days"*
Manhattan's sinking like a rock, into the filthy Hudson
what a shock
They wrote a book about it, they said it was
like Ancient Rome
The perfume burned his eyes, holding tightly to her thighs
and something flickered for a minute
and then it vanished and was gone

*ASPERUM AESTIMARE FIMI ALIQUID HODIE

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