My House/Lou Reed

In his song "My House," from the 1982 album The Blue Mask, Lou Reed sings about being haunted by the ghost of poet and short story writer Delmore Schwartz, who died in 1966. Schwartz was a teacher and mentor to Reed when he attended Syracuse University. In the song, Reed says: My friend and teacher occupies a spare room/He's dead, at peace at last the wandering Jew. He then describes how he and his wife summoned Schwartz's spirit using a Ouija board: We were happy and amazed at what we saw/Blazing stood the proud and regal name Delmore. Reed describes Schwartz as the first great man that I had ever met, and muses: Delmore, I missed all your funny ways/I missed your jokes and the brilliant things you said/My Dedalus to your Bloom, was such a perfect wit/And to find you in my house makes things perfect. Previously Reed had dedicated the Velvet Underground song European Son, from their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico, to Schwartz.

Submitted by Bob Davison