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"The Tell-Tale Heart Pt. 1"
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album _The Raven_
(Lou Reed, 2003)

written by Lou Reed
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        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




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transcribed by Shiroh KOUCHI (wildside@mx21.tiki.ne.jp)
http://ww21.tiki.ne.jp/~wildside/
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