Three

     With the opportunity of revolution, it shined a light of hope for the family; however, this rare opportunity is forever gone and missed. Jim and the other workers did not revolt and unite because they believe only the wealthy will have the better things in life. Once that thought process is set, the cycle continues with the future generations. The Holbrook family forever remains in their endless cycle of poverty. The chase of the “American dream” leads them to their destruction and failure.

     When the wagon got stuck in a ditch, Jim held “the weight of the wagon on him, not knowing what to do next.”The family travels from city to city in hopes to find a better job, but they always return to being stuck and “not knowing what to do next.”

(Listen to entire song)

     At the slaughterhouse neighborhood, Mazie and Will slowly turn into their parents. The parents’ problems and thinking process are installed into their kids. Lou Reed’s “Endless” tells the story of how the kids turn into their parents. The cycle continues through the children. The lyrics “the bias of the father runs on though the son” and “the sickness of the mother runs on through the girl” show how the children inherited their parents’ attributes. Will, “even outwardly,” begins to have Jim’s attributes with his eyes narrowed and “his mouth drawn up at the corner.” Mazie does not pay close attention to her younger siblings and starts to act rigid like Anna. 
(0:21-1:55)  

The bias of the father runs on through the son
and leaves him bothered and bewildered
The drugs in his veins only cause him to spit
at the face staring back in the mirror
How can he tell a good act from the bad
he can't even remember his name
How can he do what needs to be done
when he's a follower not a leader
The sickness of the mother runs on through the girl
leaving her small and helpless
Liquor flies through her brain with the force of a gun
leaving her running in circles
How she can tell a good act from the bad
when she's flat on her back in her room
How can she do what needs to be done
when she's a coward and a bleeder

     The process never ends because children marry resemblances of their parents. Jim knows Mazie’s future will be the same as Anna and his because education is worthless and she will not marry a doctor.  

(2:41-3:20)

The man if he marries his child
and have endless excuses
The woman sadly will do much the same
thinking that it's right and it's proper
Better than their mommy or their daddy did
Better than the childhood they suffered
The truth is they're happier when they're in pain
In fact, that's why they got married