Lyrics to
Walk On The Wild Side

Released by Lou Reed in 1972
From the Album: Transformer |

This version of Walk On The Wild Side was released by Lou Reed in 1972.

Our About Lou Reed page at Decade Lyrics includes the lyrics for Walk On The Wild Side from 1972 as well as all of the other lyrics from Lou Reed that we have in our lyrics database.

Here's more interesting things in songs and lyrics tied to Lou Reed or about the 1970s in general.

Holly came from Miami, Florida
Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A.
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She says, “Hey, babe
Take a walk on the wild side”
She said, “Hey, honey
Take a walk on the wild side”

Candy came from out on the Island
In the back room she was everybody’s darling
But she never lost her head
Even when she was giving head
She says, “Hey, babe
Take a walk on the wild side”
Said, “Hey, babe
Take a walk on the wild side”
And the colored girls go
“Doo do doo do doo do do doo …”

Little Joe never once gave it away
Everybody had to pay and pay
A hussle here and a hussle there
New York City’s the place
Where they said, “Hey, babe
Take a walk on the wild side”
I said, “Hey, Joe
Take a walk on the wild side”

Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets
Looking for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the Apollo
You should’ve seen them go, go, go
They said, “Hey, sugar
Take a walk on the wild side”
I said, “Hey, babe
Take a walk on the wild side”
All right, huh

Jackie is just speeding away
Thought she was James Dean for a day
Then I guess she had to crash
Valium would have helped that bash
Said, “Hey, babe
Take a walk on the wild side”
I said, “Hey, honey
Take a walk on the wild side”
And the colored girls say
“Doo do doo do doo do do doo …”


Want more lyrics and songs by Lou Reed?

Lou Reed has released many songs over the years besides Walk On The Wild Side. Lou Reed released songs from 1972 to 2000 spanning across albums like Transformer, Lou Reed, Berlin, Sally Can't Dance, Rock 'n' Roll Animal, Coney Island Baby, Rock And Roll Heart, Street Hassle, The Bells, Growing Up In Public, The Blue Mask, Legendary Hearts, New Sensations, Mistrial, New York, Magic And Loss, Set The Twilight Reeling, and Ecstasy. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Lou Reed.

If you're a fan of popular 1970s songs looking for more songs from 1972 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

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About Lyrics and Walk On The Wild Side by Lou Reed

The lyrics to Walk On The Wild Side are the words, verses and chorus for the song released by Lou Reed in 1972. Elements of the lyrics to Walk On The Wild Side are both direct in meaning and also metaphorical with the real meanings of the song only known by Lou Reed and any collaborating writers working on the lyrics for Walk On The Wild Side back when it was created.

Some people have an interest in the etymology behind words and phrases. You can take apart the lyrics to Walk On The Wild Side by Lou Reed in a number of ways. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to Walk On The Wild Side" means the words set to the music of Walk On The Wild Side, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Lou Reed. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to Walk On The Wild Side and the lyrics to Walk On The Wild Side are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Lou Reed who came here looking just for the lyrics to Walk On The Wild Side, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

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