I was visited by the power and the glory I was visited by a majestic hymn Great bolts of lightning lighting up the sky Electricity flowing through my veins I was captured by a larger moment I was seized by divinity's hot breath Gorged like a lion on experience Powerful from life (i wanted all of it, all of it, all of it) All of it (not just some of it, all of it, all of it) All of it I saw a man turn into a bird I saw a bird turn into a tiger I saw a man hang from a cliff by the tips of his toes In the jungles of the amazon I saw a man put a redhot needle through his eye Turn into a crow and fly through the trees Swallow hot coals and breathe out flames And i wanted this to happen to me (i wanted all of it, all of it, all of it) All of it (all of it, all of it, all of it) Not some of it We saw the moon vanish into his pocket We saw the stars disappear from sight We saw him walk across water into the sun While bathed in eternal light We spewed out questions waiting for answers Creating legends, religions and myths Books, stories, movies and plays All trying to explain this (i wanted all of it, oh, all of it) All of it (all of it, oh, all of it) Not some of it I saw a great man turn into a little child The cancer reduce him to dust His voice growing weak as he fought for his life With a bravery few men know I saw isotopes introduced into his lungs Trying to stop the cancerous spread And it made me think of "leda and the swan" And gold being made from lead The same power that burned hiroshima Causing three legged babies and death Shrunk to the size of a nickel To help him regain his breath And i was struck by the power and the glory I was visited by a majestic him Great bolts of lightning lighting up the sky As the radiation flowed through him (i wanted all of it, not just some of it, all of it) He wanted all of it (all of it, all of it, all of it) He wanted all of it, not some of it
https://primoaccordo.net/lou-reed/power-and-glory-part-ii-magic-transformation.htm