Finish Line

Lou Reed

Wind blows snow outside my windows
crowd below runs wild in the streets
Two rented brothers race down two separate alleys
heading for the finish line

Down in the train yard out by the stockyard
butchers with aprons hack meat in the snow
Blood has the brothers pulsing with envy
heading for the finish line

Two rented brothers. Their faces keep changing
just like these feelings I have for you
And nothing's forever not even five minutes
when you're headed for the finish line

Down in the depot out by the meat rack
down by the tunnels surrounding the jail
Prisoners are marching in squares and in circles
they're heading for the finish line

They're lining up for Noah's Ark
they're stabbing each other in the dark
Saluting a flag made of some rich guy's socks
heading for the finish line

Close to the line the ice is cracking
two rented feelings sitting in the stands
Two mothers, two fathers and both of them are paid for
all of a sudden it comes back to me

Just up ahead is the finish line
two rented referees and two checkered rags
Out of the corner of my eye comes a dark horse with black wings
headed for the finish line

I'm five years old the room is fuzzy
I think there's also a very young girl
It's hard to remember what happened exactly
as I'm staring at the finish line
First came fire then came light
then came feeling then cane sight