The lyrics of John Cale & Bob Neuwirth's song "Overture: A Tourist / A Contact / A Prisoner" tell the story of a tourist who is lost and looking for a way out. The tourist approaches a stranger for help, who guides them through different landmarks in the city, such as The Headless Horsemen and Café Shabu. The tourist expresses their feelings of regret and a desire to forget something they did while under the influence of paranoia. They mention being a foreigner and feeling worn out, searching for points of importance and historical interest. They feel trapped by the same pattern of exchange that they are trying to escape from, highlighting their resistance to change. The stranger emphasizes that change is a virtue and encourages the tourist to make up their mind if they want to escape their current situation. However, the tourist feels like a prisoner, mentioning that their hands are made to work and that they have been sentenced for thinking of impossible plans. They describe working hard and climbing the ladder out of the gutter towards the light. The repeated line "I'm just an innocent here" suggests that the tourist feels wrongly judged or misunderstood in their current environment. It conveys a sense of frustration and a longing to be seen for who they truly are. Overall, the song portrays the journey of a lost tourist in search of an escape, highlighting themes of regret, imprisonment, and the desire for change and freedom.
