Lou Reed - Last Great American Whale Lyrics
They say he didnt have an enemyHis was a greatness to beholdHe was the last surviving progenyThe last one on this side of the worldHe measured a half mile from tip to tailSilver and black with powerful finsThey say he could split a mountain in twoThats how we got the grand canyonLast great american whaleLast great american whaleLast great american whaleLast great american whaleSome say they saw him at the great lakesSome say they saw him off of floridaMy mother said she saw him in chinatownBut you cant always trust your motherOff the carolinas the sun shines brightly in the dayThe lighthouse glows ghostly there at nightThe chief of a local tribe had killed a racist mayors sonAnd hed been on death row since 1958The mayors kid was a rowdy pigSpit on indians and lots worseThe old chief buried a hatchet in his headLife compared to death for him seemed worseThe tribal brothers gathered in the lighthouse to singAnd tried to conjure up a storm or rainThe harbor parted, the great whale sprang full upAnd caused a hugh tidal waveThe wave crushed the jail and freed the chiefThe tribe let out a roarThe whites were drowned, the browns and reds set freeBut sadly one thing moreSome local yokel member of the nraKept a bazooka in his living roomAnd thinking he had the chief in his sightBlew the whales brains out with a lead harpoonLast great american whaleLast great american whaleLast great american whaleLast great american whaleWell americans dont care for much of anythingLand and water the leastAnd animal life is low on the totem poleWith human life not worth more than infected yeastAmericans dont care too much for beautyTheyll shit in a river, dump battery acid in a streamTheyll watch dead rats wash up on the beachAnd complain if they cant swimThey say things are done for the majorityDont believe half of what you see and none of what you hearIts like what my painter friend donald said to meStick a fork in their ass and turn them over, theyre done
