Lyrics The Tell Tale Heart, Pt. 1 - Lou Reed

The Tell Tale Heart, Pt. 1

True
Nervous
Very nervous
Madman
Why will you say that I am mad
The disease has sharpened my senses
Not destroyed
Not dulled them
Madman
The eye of a vulture
A pale blue eye
With a film overit
Listen
Observe how healthily
And how calmly I tell this story
He had no passion for the old man
He was never insulted
He loved him
It was the eye the eye the eye
I made up my mind
To take his life forever
Passionless
The eye of a vulture
You should have seen me
How wisely I proceeded
To rid himself of the eye forever
With what dissimulation I went to work
Caution
I turned the latch on his door
And opened it
To work
To practice
I opened his door
And put in a dark lantern
Dark
Slowly I put my head in
Slowly I thrust it until in time Ientered
I was in so far
He was in so far
He could see the old man sleep
And then I undid the lantern so a thin ray
Fell upon the eye
The vulture eye
He did this for seven days
Seven days
But always the eye was closed
And so I could not do the work
And in the day he would greet the old man
Calmly in his chamber
Calmly
Nothing is wrong and all is well
Knock, knock
Who’s there
Came night eight
Night eight
I was slower than a watch minute hand
The power that I had with the old man
Not to even dream my secret thoughts
Secret thoughts
My sagacity
I could barely conceal my feelings of triumph
When suddenly the body moved
The body moved
But I went in even further
Pushing the door open even further
Who’s there
Who’s there
I did not move a muscle
I kept quiet and still
The old man sat up in bed
In his bed
Who’s there
I heard a groan
And knew it was a groan of mortal terror
Not pain or grief
Oh no
It was the low stifled sound that arises
From the bottom of the soul
When overcharged with awe
I felt such awe welling up in my own bosom
Deepening with its echo the terrors that distracted me
Knowing what the old man felt and
Pitying him
Although it made me laugh
Ha ha
He’d been lying awake since the first slight noise
He’d been lying awake thinking
Thinking
It is nothing but the wind
The wind
It is nothing but the house settling
The old man stalked with his black shadow
Death approaching
The mournful presence of the unperceived
Causing him to feel my presence
Open the lantern
I saw the ray fall on the eye
On the eye