Henry Lee
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And stay all night with me
You won't find a girl in this damn world
That will compare with me
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
I can't get down and I won't get down
And stay all night with thee
For the girl I have in that merry green land
I love far better than thee
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
She leaned herself against a fence
Just for a kiss or two
And with a little pen-knife held in her hand
Well she plugged him through and through
And the wind did roar, and the wind did moan
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
Come take him by his lily-white hands
Come take him by his feet
And throw him in this deep, deep well
That's more than one hundred feet
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
Lie there, lie there, little Henry Lee
'Til the flesh drops from your bones
For the girl you have in that merry green land
Can wait forever for you to come home
And the wind did howl, and the wind did moan
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
The song Henry Lee by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds tells the story of a woman who vies for the love of a man named Henry Lee. She claims that he won't find a girl in this "damn world" that can compare to her, but Henry Lee insists that he loves a girl from "that merry green land" far better than her. The woman becomes angry and kills Henry Lee with a pen-knife, then dumps his body in a deep well. The song ends with a haunting repetition of the wind howling and a little bird landing on Henry Lee's corpse.
The song's lyrics are based on a traditional folk song of the same name, which has been recorded by various artists throughout history. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' version uses traditional elements of American blues music to create a dark and ominous atmosphere that echoes the song's macabre story. The song also features a duet between Nick Cave and British folk singer PJ Harvey.
Line by Line Meaning
Get down, get down, little Henry Lee
Come here, Henry Lee. Get down from wherever you are and come closer.
And stay all night with me
Spend the night with me. Be by my side until the morning light.
You won't find a girl in this damn world
No other woman can compare to me. I am unique and special.
That will compare with me
I am unparalleled in my beauty, my charm, and my essence.
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
The weather was tumultuous and wild. Nature was restless.
La la la la la
This is a musical interlude. No words to be found here.
La la la la lee
This is a musical interlude. No words to be found here.
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
A bird landed on Henry Lee. This may have symbolic meaning or be purely descriptive.
I can't get down and I won't get down
I cannot come to you. I do not want to be with you.
And stay all night with thee
I do not want to spend the night with you. I have other priorities.
For the girl I have in that merry green land
I have a girlfriend in a faraway land where life is joyful and festive.
I love far better than thee
I care for my girlfriend more than I care for you. She means more to me.
She leaned herself against a fence
She stood by a fence and rested herself against it, possibly waiting for someone or taking a break.
Just for a kiss or two
She did this just to get a couple of kisses from him. It was a simple, sweet request.
And with a little pen-knife held in her hand
She had a small knife with her that she was holding.
Well she plugged him through and through
She stabbed Henry Lee repeatedly until he died.
And the wind did roar, and the wind did moan
The wind picked up speed and intensity, creating a loud, mournful sound.
Come take him by his lily-white hands
Grab Henry Lee's pale, white hands.
Come take him by his feet
Lift his feet off the ground and start carrying him.
And throw him in this deep, deep well
Find a deep well and toss his body inside it.
That's more than one hundred feet
This well is extremely deep, over one hundred feet in depth.
Lie there, lie there, little Henry Lee
Stay in the well, Henry Lee. Do not rise from your resting place.
'Til the flesh drops from your bones
Stay there until your body starts decomposing and your flesh falls off your bones.
Can wait forever for you to come home
The girl in the merry green land will wait for Henry Lee to come home, even if it takes an eternity.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Nicholas Cave, Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Nogis81
Nick Cave on break-up with PJ Harvey : "There I am, sitting on the floor of my flat in Notting Hill, sun streaming through the window (maybe), feeling good, with a talented and beautiful young singer for a girlfriend, when the phone rings. I pick up the phone and it’s Polly.
“Hi,” I say
“I want to break up with you.”
“Why?!” I ask.
“It’s just over,” she says.
I was so surprised I almost dropped my syringe."
@idw9159
Get down, get down, little Henry Lee
And stay all night with me
You won't find a girl in this damn world
That will compare with me
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
I can't get down and I won't get down
And stay all night with thee
For the girl I have in that merry green land
I love far better than thee
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
She leaned herself against a fence
Just for a kiss or two
And with a little pen-knife held in her hand
Well she plugged him through and through
And the wind did roar, and the wind did moan
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
Come take him by his lily-white hands
Come take him by his feet
And throw him in this deep, deep well
That's more than one hundred feet
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
Lie there, lie there, little Henry Lee
'Til the flesh drops from your bones
For the girl you have in that merry green land
Can wait forever for you to come home
And the wind did howl, and the wind did moan
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
@xyzHeart
2 people , an empty room no special effects. Just their chemistry
@VladoPasaric
❤ sempre...
@andrewp.schubert2417
Simply a Masterpiece.
@rubytuesdayphoenix
There needs to be a support group for those of us who can't stop watching this
@ognacyyoutuification
yup. admiration, jealousy, envy. what a video.
@nikita70
Yes, and for those who hate an idea of NC getting old and having settled down with Susie Bick.
@Tinaigenigen
I second that 😍
@drugtaken
True
@theblackheath8547
I’ll be the president. Not saying I watched it a lot but out of the 17 million views 16 million are mine.
@nedomarcinkovic4912
Everybody should find someone that looks at them they way they look at each other. I get chills every time I listen this