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.

You Can't Hurt Me Now
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, I know everyone knows the trouble I have seen
That's the thing about trouble you can love

Everyone has the eyes and ears to be where I have been
You can have that heaven here and not wait for up above

The more I feel myself,
the more alone I am

Though you can't hurt me now,
I still fear God's plan

I know everyone has the happiness I have
That's the thing about happiness you can hold

Everyone has had the sense of my own belly laugh
That's the heaven here at hand that does not grow old

The more I feel myself,
the more you're close to me
Though you can't hurt me now,
I still fear destiny

It don't have to be known someday
Let's do it now and not let someday get in the way

Overall Meaning

The song You Can't Hurt Me Now by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is a heartfelt and reflective piece that touches on the universal experiences of both pain and happiness, juxtaposing these emotions against a greater spiritual sense of fate and purpose. The singer acknowledges that while his troubles and joys may be common to all, they still retain a deeply personal significance for him. He observes that the more he feels himself and his own emotions, the more alone he can feel, despite the presence of others. Nonetheless, he finds solace in the fact that while he may fear God's plan and his own destiny, he remains immune to the hurt that others may try to inflict upon him.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, I know everyone knows the trouble I have seen
I acknowledge the fact that people are aware of the struggles I've had.

That's the thing about trouble you can love
Despite how difficult trouble can be, there is beauty in it that some people may appreciate.

Everyone has the eyes and ears to be where I have been
People have the capability to empathize with my experiences and understand where I'm coming from.

You can have that heaven here and not wait for up above
Happiness and peace can be achieved in this world, and we don't have to wait for some kind of afterlife to experience them.

The more I feel myself,
As I become more in tune with my emotions and inner self,

the more alone I am
I may feel increasingly isolated and detached from others.

Though you can't hurt me now,
Even though someone may not be able to hurt or harm me anymore,

I still fear God's plan
I still worry about what fate or destiny has in store for me, and how it may be influenced by a higher power.

I know everyone has the happiness I have
I understand that others are capable of experiencing the same joy and contentment that I have.

That's the thing about happiness you can hold
Happiness is something tangible that can be savored and appreciated.

Everyone has had the sense of my own belly laugh
This deep, authentic laughter is a universal experience that everyone can recognize and relate to.

That's the heaven here at hand that does not grow old
The experience of genuine joy and laughter is something that is timeless and always valuable.

The more I feel myself,
As I become more in touch with my emotions and inner self,

the more you're close to me
I may become more emotionally connected to others.

Though you can't hurt me now,
Even though someone may not be able to hurt or harm me anymore,

I still fear destiny
I still worry about what fate or destiny has in store for me, and how it may be influenced by factors beyond my control.

It don't have to be known someday
We don't have to wait for some unknown future time to take action or pursue something.

Let's do it now and not let someday get in the way
We should take action and pursue what we want in the present, rather than putting it off until some vague future date.

Contributed by Hannah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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