Will Oldham (born 24 December 1970, Louisville, Kentucky) is an American si… Read Full Bio ↴Will Oldham (born 24 December 1970, Louisville, Kentucky) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and musician. His music is often (perhaps inappropriately) placed under the genre of "alt-country". Oldham has recorded under many names, including Palace, Palace Music, Palace Brothers, and Bonnie Billy. He often plays and records with other musicians, including David Pajo and his brothers Ned and Paul Oldham, but is generally the chief creator of the music. He has also been involved in musical projects and bands such as Amalgamated Sons of Rest, The Anomoanon, The Boxhead Ensemble, Tortoise, and The Sundowners as well as releasing his first solo album in 1993. Oldham has said that the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy moniker has many references. These include 'Bonnie' Prince Charlie, an 18th century Jacobite; Billy the Kid, the 19th century American outlaw also known as William Bonney; and the American singer Nat King Cole. He has also appeared in several films, such as the 1987 film Matewan and most recently in Old Joy (released in late 2006). He is also the photographer of the cover image of the slint album Spiderland.

I Send My Love to You
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I send my love to you
I send my hands to you
I send my clothes to you
I send my nose to you
I send my trees to you
I send my pleas to you
Won't you send some back to me?

Send your ways to me
Send your call to me
Send your days to me
Send it all to me
And when I'm high and square
When I would have you there
You will be

The moon is falling
My wounds are calling
My head is bleeding
And I'm a duck
The lake is cracking
It hears me quacking
Fuck the land
And two if by me

Send your ways to me
Send your call to me
Send your days to me
Send it all to me
And when I'm high and square

When I would have you there
You will be

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's song, "I Send My Love to You" convey a sense of longing and desperate desire for connection with someone else. The repetition of the lines "I send my love to you/I send my hands to you/I send my clothes to you/I send my nose to you" suggest a desire to give everything to the person being addressed. The following line "I send my trees to you/I send my pleas to you" suggests a willingness to give up all the things that the singer values in order to be with the person they love. However, the line "Won't you send some back to me?" suggests that they are not expecting the other person to do the same for them.

The next set of lines in the song "Send your ways to me/Send your call to me/Send your days to me/Send it all to me" suggest a plea for reciprocity. The singer is asking the person they love to give back to them, to share their ways, their call, their days, and everything else with them. The line "And when I'm high and square/When I would have you there/You will be" suggests that the singer is waiting for the moment when they can be with their love, and they will be there for them when they need them.

The last stanza of the song is a bit harder to interpret. The lines "The moon is falling/My wounds are calling/My head is bleeding/And I'm a duck/The lake is cracking/It hears me quacking/Fuck the land/And two if by me" are disjointed and evoke a sense of chaos. It could be interpreted as a reflection of the singer's emotional state, that they are feeling lost, wounded, and disconnected from their surroundings. The final repetition of "Send your ways to me/Send your call to me/Send your days to me/Send it all to me/And when I'm high and square/When I would have you there/You will be" reinforces the main theme of the song, that the singer desperately wants to be connected with the person they love and wants them to reciprocate the feeling.

Line by Line Meaning

I send my love to you
I am expressing my affection towards you and wishing you well

I send my hands to you
I am sending my help and support to you

I send my clothes to you
I wish to offer you my possessions and wish that they bring you warmth and comfort

I send my nose to you
I am sending my sense of smell to you as a symbol of my closeness to you

I send my trees to you
I am sending you nature's gifts and wishing that they bring freshness to your life

I send my pleas to you
I am making a humble request to you and seeking your kindness

Won't you send some back to me?
I am expressing my desire and hope that you reciprocate my gestures of love and kindness

Send your ways to me
I am requesting you to share your ways, methods and techniques with me

Send your call to me
I wish to hear your voice, your message, your inspiration and your guidance

Send your days to me
I want to be part of your life and your journey, and know your experiences and achievements

Send it all to me
I want to receive everything, every aspect and every detail that makes you who you are

And when I'm high and square
When I am sober and truthful about my feelings and intentions

When I would have you there
When I need you and wish for your presence and support

You will be
You will be there for me, as you always are

The moon is falling
This is an imaginative phrase indicating an event that is unlikely to happen

My wounds are calling
I am acknowledging my pain and seeking healing and solace

My head is bleeding
I am struggling and suffering from anxiety and mental turmoil

And I'm a duck
I am helpless and vulnerable, like a duck in a pond

The lake is cracking
This is another imaginative phrase describing a situation that is unsettling and unpredictable

It hears me quacking
I am expressing my fears and concerns, and hoping for a response

Fuck the land
This is an exclamation expressing frustration and anger towards a situation

And two if by me
This is an unclear phrase that may imply a sense of defiance or victory in a difficult situation. The meaning is open to interpretation.

Contributed by Julian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS