☝️ Key Points
- The song 'Perfect Day' by Lou Reed describes an apparently perfect day filled with idyllic moments and leisure activities with a close person.
- There is a line that says 'You just keep me hanging on', which suggests emotional dependence and possibly a troubled relationship of the singer.
- Despite the happy moments in the lyrics, the song also speaks of a deep sadness and underlying dependence.
- Towards the end of the song, the phrase 'You're going to reap just what you sow' is repeated, which can be understood as a warning or prediction of a negative change in the situation.
- 'Perfect Day' complexly describes a relationship that includes both beautiful and painful aspects, and the perfect day seems to be a way to cover up the painful parts.
Interpretation
The song 'Perfect Day' by
Lou Reed is about an apparently perfect day that the singer spends with someone very close to him. The lyrics paint idyllic images of shared activities like drinking sangria in the park, feeding animals in the zoo, and watching a movie together. These lines like 'Just a perfect day, Drink Sangria in the park' and 'Just a perfect day, Feed animals in the zoo' create an atmosphere of satisfaction and joy.
However, despite the positive portrayals, the song also hints at a deeper sadness and dependency of the singer. This is evident in lines like 'You just keep me hanging on', which suggest that the singer is emotionally dependent on the other person and that this fact burdens him.
Towards the end of the song, Reed repeats the line 'You're going to reap just what you sow', which could be a warning or prediction that the painful situation for the singer will eventually change, possibly to the detriment of the person he depends on.
Overall, 'Perfect Day' describes a complex relationship that has both beautiful and difficult aspects. The perfect day may be a means to mask the pain and dependency that the singer feels in his relationship.