I'm Waiting For The Man
By: Lou Reed

Original Performance: The Velvet Underground
Written by: Lou Reed

Versions:
  1. I'm Waiting For The Man (4:04)
    Available on Velvet Underground & Nico.
    Credits
    Bram Inscore: Bass, Percussion
    Brian Lebarton: Bass
    Beck Hansen: Berimbeau, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
    Joey Waronker: Drums
    Giovanni Ribisi: Glockenspiel, Guitar (Electric)
    Chris Holmes: Guitar (Acoustic)
    Nigel Godrich: Keyboard / Synthesizer (Yamaha DX-7)
    Thorunn Antonia Magnusdottir: Sitar
 
Lyrics:
I'm Waiting For The Man [Version (a)]:

I'm waiting for my man
Twenty-six dollars in my hand
Up to Lexington, 125
Feel sick and dirty
More dead than alive
I'm waiting for my man

"Hey white boy, whatcha doin' uptown?"
"Hey white boy, chasin' the women around?"
Pardon me sir, it's furthest from my mind
I'm just lookin' for a dear dear friend of mine
I'm waiting for my man

Here he comes, he's all dressed in black
PR shoes and a big straw hat
He's never early, he's always late
First thing you learn is you always got to wait
I'm waiting for my man

Up to a Brownstone, up three flights of stairs
Everybody's pinned you, but nobody cares
He's got the works, gives you sweet taste
You gotta split, got no time to waste
I'm waitin' for my man

Baby don't you holler, darlin' don't you ball and shout
I'm feelin' good, you know I'll work it on out
I'm feelin' good, I'm feelin' fine
Until tomorrow, that's just another time
I'm waitin' for my man
I'm waitin' for my man
I'm waitin' for my man
 
The Song:

In March or April 2009, Beck got together with his band (Brian, Joey and Bram), Nigel Godrich, DJ Chris Holmes, and Icelandic singer, Thorunn Magnusdottir. They recorded the legendary album Velvet Underground + Nico in its entirety.

"I'm Waiting For The Man" is the second track, and Record Club posted it online on June 25.

Beck wrote about it, "Here is the second song of our look into The Velvet Underground & Nico, in which everyone untunes their instruments and Nigel thrashes a dx-7, coaxing sounds hitherto unheard from this 80's Whitney Houston power ballad beast."

That description covers it.

Then in December 2017, Beck was in New York to appear on the Tonight Show and play a couple of semi-private functions. On one of the days off, he went into Electric Ladyland Studios and recorded a cover of "I'm Waiting For The Man" with his live band. As yet, we have no idea why, or when it will come out or what. I gather that it will be released somehow though.

The day after recording it in the studio, they also performed it live during one of their gigs.



 
Live:

Played live 2 times:
Earliest known live version: December 9, 2017
Latest known live version: July 19, 2018

Live debut came on December 9 2017, the day after recording it in Electric Ladyland studios.
 
videos

Record Club version:



Velvet Underground original:

 
Notes: