Halloween parade

Lou Reed · New York [1989]

There's a down town fairy singing out "Proud Mary"

as she cruises Christopher Street

And some Southern Queen is acting loud and mean

where the docks and the Badlands meet



This Halloween is something to be sure

Especially to be here without you



There's a Greta Garbo and an Alfred Hitchcock

and some black Jamaican stud

There's five Cinderellas and some leather drags

I almost fell into my mug



There's a Crawford, Davis and a tacky Cary Grant

And some Homeboys lookin' for trouble down here from the Bronx



But there ain't no Hairy and no Virgin Mary

you won't hear those voices again

And Johnny Rio and Rotten Rita

you'll never see those faces again



This Halloween is something to be sure

Especially to be here without you



There's the Born Again Losers and the Lavender Boozers

and some crack team from Washington Heights

The boys from Avenue B and the girls from Avenue D

a Tinkerbell in tights



This celebration somehow get me down

Especially when I see you're not around



There's no Peter Pedantic saying things romantic

in Latin, Greek or Spic

There's no Three bananas or Brandy Alexander

dishing all their tricks



It's a different feeling that I have today

Especially when I know you've gone away



There's a girl from Soho with a teeshirt saying "I Blow"

she's with the "jive five 2 plus 3"

And the girls for pay dates are giving cut rates

or else doing it for free



The past keeps knock, knock, knocking on my door

And I don't want to hear it anymore



No consolations please for feelin' funky

I got to get my head above my knees

But it makes me mad and mad makes me sad

and then I start to freeze



In the back of my mind I was afraid it might be true

In the back of my mind I was afraid that they meant you



The Halloween Parade

At the Halloween parade

At the Halloween parade

See you next year, at the Halloween parade

About Halloween parade

Lou Reed's "Halloween Parade" stands as a haunting centerpiece on his 1989 album *New York*, capturing the surreal decay of the city through a lens of gothic pop and experimental rock. Recorded during a period where Reed revisited his early punk roots while embracing a darker, more theatrical aesthetic, the track blends driving rhythms with Reed's distinctive, gravelly vocals to evoke a sense of urban isolation. The song reflects the artist's ongoing exploration of New York's atmosphere, merging the energy of his 1970s work with the atmospheric textures of his later years. As part of his extensive discography, "Halloween Parade" exemplifies Reed's ability to transform mundane observations into profound musical statements, influencing generations of artists who sought to blend punk aggression with art-house sensibilities. Its enduring presence in his catalog underscores its status as a definitive recording within his body of work.