John Cale Lyric

November 23, 2005 4:39 PM

What John Cale song is this lyric from?

It was something about "all the junkies in the street". It was a song he played live in Montreal last weekend, but I can't find a setlist, and I'd like to know what the song was. Thanks for any info.

posted by ITheCosmos to media & arts (11 comments total)

Was it "Sabotage"?

Life is short and love is very sweet
Look at all the people running from their lives in the street
What're they running from?
What are they running from?
Well, God, damn it, ask them
I wanna know, too

Read and destroy everything you read in the press
Read and destroy everything you read in books
It's a waste of time
It's a waste of energy
It's a waste of paper
And it's a waste of ink
Whatever you read in the books, leave it there
The word for it is:
Sabotage, sabotage
Sabotage, sabotage

The military intelligence isn't what it used to be
So what, human intelligence what it used to be either
It's a rising expectation
It's a rising of the tide
The wards will discharge all their patients in the streets
Are they hurt again? They are mine, yeah, murderer

Sabotage, sabotage, sabotage
posted by rhapsodie at 5:11 PM on November 23, 2005

(Google search used)
posted by rhapsodie at 5:12 PM on November 23, 2005

Could he have been covering Gary Numan's "Bombers?"

Years ago, Numan (with Tubeway Army) covered The Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat" -- maybe Cale was returning the favor.
posted by milquetoast at 5:15 PM on November 23, 2005

Maybe Playing in the Street?
posted by iconomy at 6:43 PM on November 23, 2005

Sabotage. Google search used
posted by Carbolic at 8:18 PM on November 23, 2005

Never mind. What I managed to do was verify raphsodies lyrics.
posted by Carbolic at 8:21 PM on November 23, 2005

Okay, I have a question. What John Cale song is this lyrics from:

"                                   "

Any guesses?
posted by jon_kill at 7:45 AM on November 24, 2005

4'33"
posted by kenko at 11:59 AM on November 24, 2005

I think you mean John Cage for the 4'33", not Cale.
posted by vanoakenfold at 3:23 AM on November 25, 2005

Wait, there's a difference? Oh my.
posted by jon_kill at 8:32 AM on November 25, 2005

The song you are looking for is "Set Me Free". I think the first version of this is on 'Walking on Locusts" from 1996, with a remix of same song on "Hobosapiens" from last year. You probably heard the "hobosapiens" version if this was a recent concert. I knew I would come across the song eventually... When you posted the question I recognized the lyric, but couldn't think of which song it was from!

"You hear a noise in the distance
You see the sun go down
The streets are full of junkies
There's a lot of them around
You see them getting closer
Their breathing down your neck
You're the only one left
You're the only one left

[You just wanted?] to be free
You don't want to be free
You never asked to be free"
posted by Slothrop at 6:54 AM on November 27, 2005