Lyrics Endless Cycle - Live at the Warner Theatre, Washington, DC, 3/14/1989 - Lou Reed

This a song about parents who fight and hurt one another
And it's called "The Endless Cycle"

The bias of the father runs on through the son
Leaving him bothered and bewildered
The drugs in his veins only cause him to spit
At the face staring out of the mirror

How can he tell a good act from the bad
He can't even remember his name?
How can he do what needs to be done
When he's a coward, not a leader?

The sickness of the mother runs on through the girl
Leaving her small and helpless
Liquor shoots through her brain with the force of a gun
Leaving her running the circles

How she can tell a good act from the bad
When she's flat on her back in her room?
How can she do what needs to be done
When she's a coward and a bleeder?

The man if he marries, will that hurt his child
And have endless excuses?
The woman if she marries will do much the same
Thinking that it's right and it's proper

Better than their mommy or their daddy did
Better than the childhood that they suffer
The truth is, they're happier when they're in pain
In fact, that's why they got married