Some Kinda Love by The Velvet Underground Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Shrouded Poetics of Desire
Lyrics
Margarita told Tom
Between thought and expression
Lies a lifetime
Situations arise
Because of the weather
And no kinds of love
Are better than others
Some kinda love
Margarita told Tom
Like a dirty French novel
Combines the absurd with the vulgar
And some kinds of love
The possibilities are endless
And for me to miss one
Would seem to be groundless
Mmm-hmm, oh yeah
“I heard what you said”
And Margarita heard Tom
And of course you’re a bore
But in that you’re not charmless
‘Cause a bore is a straight line
That finds a wealth in division
And some kinds of love
Ooh, are mistaken for vision, la-dee-da-da-dah
Ooh
Put jelly on your shoulder
Let us do what you fear most
Hmm, that, from which you recoil
But which still makes your eyes moist
Put jelly on your shoulder, baby
Lie down upon the carpet
Between thought and expression
Let us now kiss the culprit, move it on, ooh
I don’t know, just what it’s all about
Tell you something, honey
But put on your red pajamas and find out
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Ooh, Lord rock it on
I don’t wanna have to reach the size
Hmm, oooh
Within the eclectic discography of The Velvet Underground, ‘Some Kinda Love’ stands as a mesmerizing enigma—a track defying the paradigm of classic love songs with its poetic abstraction and avant-garde sensibilities. Anchored in the band’s 1969 self-titled album, ‘The Velvet Underground,’ the song’s essence oscillates between intellect and impulse, dictating a rhythm that mirrors the unpredictable nature of love itself.
The song evokes a literary journey, with protagonists Margarita and Tom enacting a play of words and wits. Straying from traditional interpretations of romance, the narrative treads the line where the conscious and subconscious meet. Here, we dissect the lyrical intricacies and buried symbols of this timeless piece, peeling back layers to reveal a fresco of human emotion and connection so eloquently captured by Lou Reed’s pen.
The Eternal Dance Between Thought and Expression
Lou Reed was a master storyteller, weaving intricate narratives ripe for interpretation. ‘Some Kinda Love’ straddles virgin territory, characterizing a love that transcends mere words—a sentiment caught in the limbo between thought and expression. It’s an acknowledgment of the vast expanse that lies within the human spirit, a space brimming with untapped potential and unexplored relationships.
This dance of the intangible is a metaphor for the myriad forms and definitions of love that escape our attempts to categorize them. It’s an ode to the differences and the similarity in the human experience and suggests that perhaps the truest form of connection lies not in the physical or the said, but in the silently understood and the implicitly felt.
L’amour Absurde: Love Through the Lens of the Absurd
Taking a page out of the playbook of French existentialists, ‘Some Kinda Love’ bears semblance to a ‘dirty French novel’ that meshes the ludicrous with the coarse—the absurd with the vulgar. This reference opens a cryptic window into the philosophy of love’s many nonsensical yet intrinsic attributes, indicative of the unscripted chaos that governs human passions.
Through the lens of absurdity, the song prompts an introspection on the love that society deems erratic or unorthodox. It challenges the listener to question the conventional, to find beauty in the peculiar, and to embrace the endless possibilities that different kinds of love present.
The Visionary Vista: Mistaken Identities of Love
Reed’s lyrical prowess shines as he delineates the terrain where some kinds of love are ‘mistaken for vision.’ This line is a silent nod to the misapprehensions that often accompany one’s understanding of love. Reflecting on the pursuit of ideals, it argues that what is sometimes sought as enlightenment may be nothing more than a mirage in the desert of desire.
This segment of the song dissects the layers that form our perception of connections and cautions against the false prophets of love—a bore that finds worth in division, the straight lines in our lives that we may confuse for the curves of passion and true affinity.
Sensual Surrender and the Moistening Eyes
In an evocative plea, the lyrics coax listeners toward an act of surrender, imploring them to ‘put jelly on their shoulder’ and to confront what they fear. Here, Reed subtly submerges us into the vulnerable space of intimacy, where the things we resist most still manage to stir us, making our eyes ‘moist’ with emotion.
There is a carnal rawness to this call for sensual abandonment, a hedonistic dare that reaches beyond the boundaries of comfort and indulges the senses. It’s a beckoning to partake in a love untamed by societal constructs—a pure expression of truth in the form unfettered by fabrications.
Red Pajamas: The Final Frontier of Exploration
The culminating act of ‘Some Kinda Love’ leaves us with an invitation swathed in mystery and sensual allusion—’put on your red pajamas and find out.’ It’s an enticement to embark on the personal sojourn to understand the nuances of love and of one’s own cravings, underscored by an allure of discovery.
More than just a sly reference to intimacy, the red pajamas symbolize a transformative garment that one must don to truly explore the concealments of the heart and soul. The song concludes with a message of self-exploration, urging us ever onward to navigate the corridors of affection and the hallways of human connection.
