[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
Patti Smith — Lo and Beholden
Album: Gung Ho
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2110









Released: 2000
Length: 4:36
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I was alone and content in my world
Dancing on air
You sent to me a message that said
I like your style
Will you come to the temple tonight
And dance for me there?
I pledge to you all that you wish
The moon and the stars

Lo and beholden, why don't you give it up?
Lo and beholden, oh now you know it's true
Lo and beholden, oh I'm beholden to you

In the palace there was wild reverie
And the look in your eyes
As I dropped veil after veil
Was drunken desire
The dove calls and God he notes it all
The naked truth
Here is my seventh veil and last
It will cost you

Lo and beholden, why don't you give it up?
Lo and beholden, oh now you know it's true
Lo and beholden, oh I'm beholden to you

Dove calls and God he notes it all
You know it's true
Here is my seventh veil and last
It will cost you
The royal word it has been passed
The Prophet's head is all I ask
For beauty and the naked truth
It will cost you oh you

Lo and beholden, why don't you give it up?
Lo and beholden, oh now you know it's true
Lo and beholden, oh I'm beholden for you

Oh you
Lo and beholden, why don't you give it up?
Oh I'm beholden to you
Oh you, oh you, oh
Comments (39)add comment

I saw her on a side stage at Glastonbury 1999 at 11pm on the Saturday night. So many expectations when you see a legend for the first time and she fulfilled them all


There verses are quite boring, but the chord progression in the chorus is very catchy. Maybe reading the lyrics would make the verses also better.
PS  I like PS
tuning in from a bookstore and being appreciated by customers for the music too. great soundtrack on werid times rehearsing stages
The best radio station out there,thanks for the great tunes and pure dedication for making R.P so great Bill and Rebecca. Long live R.P✌️
I finally heard this clearly tonight. Pretty amazing piece of art, to my ears.
"The Prophet's head is all I ask
For beauty and the naked truth
It will cost you oh you"

That's some heavy AF sh*t right there! Once you hear Patti Smith poetry, you're hooked on the heavy AF stuff. More please. 

I feel very lucky to be alive at the same time as Gems like Patti.
 Grayson wrote:

Terrific spooky mood-setting song. But since the lyrics read "beholden TO you" yet also "beholden FOR you," that gonna cause me some serious consternation for the rest of this afternoon. 




patty's song is sang by salome to king herod.

lo and behold, expresses surprise.
behold means to look at/observe (usually something special); beholden in this case means being looked at/observed, as salome is looked at with lust while she dances for herod. thus "lo and beholden"

beholden also means "indebted".  salome was put upon the scheme to ask for st.john the baptist's head her mother.  thus she is beholden to her mother FOR herod (to whom she sings).  she is also beholden TO herod for fulfilling her wish.

so many nuances with so few words. patty is a Poet, with a capital P
One of the most significant artists of the late 20th century!
I saw Patti Smith in Trinity Park during South by Southwest.  Can't remember the year..... what I do remember, though, is I got there super-early and claimed my spot right in front of the stage.  I stood there for 2 hours while she and her band set up.  A little after dark they started playing, and she looked down and saw me, and she put her right hand over her heart, and we both laughed.  Then she winked at me. 

I will treasure that moment for the rest of my days. 
Terrific spooky mood-setting song. But since the lyrics read "beholden TO you" yet also "beholden FOR you," that gonna cause me some serious consternation for the rest of this afternoon. 
Not a big Patti Smith fan, but I do quite like this.
A naked prayer ~ at its very best … relevant, modern, truthful, passionate, … so why aren’t we listening ??
This had me at hello ….. whatever it is …. I’m in ….
That woman is a rock. Her voice is going right thru you.
 Edweirdo wrote:


Sorry, but she's not a poet in my book.
 
Then please go listen to iHeartRadio then
Patti Smith has become the sage of our time. I saw her perform in Seattle in 2016 and it was an amazing show. Still very fresh and inspired. Her Instagram feed is so wonderful, so personal and full of love and insights. I have great respect for her and her artistry.
 Edweirdo wrote:


Sorry, but she's not a poet in my book.
 

you must have an old copy of your book, you should get a newer edition.
 Grayson wrote:
Let no one EVER say Patti Smith isn't/wasn't one of the great romantic poets. And pretty much every other kind, too.
 

Sorry, but she's not a poet in my book.
 flatop wrote:
I have a giant poster of Patti  that sits  between a poster of Kerouac and  one of  Garcia 
 
Pedro?...
I have a giant poster of Patti  that sits  between a poster of Kerouac and  one of  Garcia 
I will be honest with you that I was never a Patti Smith fan.  But, because of Radio Paradise I will say she is growing on me.  I appreciate the poetry in her songs.  Thanks RP!
Just saw her on Monday night in San Francisco, as she has a new book out. She read from that and played a few songs with Tony Shanahan. Amazing as always. I strongly recommend Just Kids, her memoir of her time in NY with Robert Mapplethorpe. 
Love anything by patti
the lyrics are outstanding!
She is gorgeous
Let no one EVER say Patti Smith isn't/wasn't one of the great romantic poets. And pretty much every other kind, too.
Nice.
To me 7 - Quite Likeable   but not more    so I change Rating and Skip
 poetdancer wrote:
Her book "Just Kids" is fabulous. And if you ever get a chance to see her live, go. She's amazing. But of course I've only been a fan for 35 years...

 
I concur. The book is great.
gung-ho |ɡʌŋˈhəʊ| adjective

unthinkingly enthusiastic and eager, especially about taking part in fighting or warfare: the gung-ho tabloids have wrapped themselves in the Union Jack.

ORIGIN Second World War: from Chinese gōnghé, taken to mean ‘work together’ and adopted as a slogan by US Marines.

Why funny? What do you think "Gung Ho" means?

 

latrippa wrote:

Funny to learn what "Gung Ho" means in american...

 


Why is she using a photo of Peyton Manning as the cover artwork?
Her book "Just Kids" is fabulous. And if you ever get a chance to see her live, go. She's amazing. But of course I've only been a fan for 35 years...
Outside Society.jpg
excellent artist imo  : )
Funny to learn what "Gung Ho" means in american...
No comment. Just voted 8.