As a musician Henson usually sings and plays guitar. Henson suffers from serious stage fright and, as a result, he rarely plays concerts. His art show "Hithermost" took place at the Pertwee, Anderson & Gold gallery in London in January 2013 and "sold quickly". He has also released a wordless graphic novel called "Gloaming", published by Pocko, which is "essentially a field guide to a spirit world beyond our reality".
Keaton Henson was born in 1988 in London, England. He is the son of actor Nicky Henson and ballet dancer Marguerite Porter.
Originally Henson was an illustrator. He designed the artwork for various albums including Dananananaykroyd's Hey Everyone! and Enter Shikari's Take to the Skies. Henson recorded songs in his apartment in London, initially purely for his own consumption. He gave a recording of one of the songs as a gift for his best friend, and was encouraged to put music online. In November 2010 his debut album Dear was released on Motive Sounds Recordings, in a limited edition which he made by hand himself. In 2011 he released a single, "Metaphors", on Porchlight Records. He also recorded "Don't Be Afraid" for the Tormented soundtrack.
Henson's breakthrough came when Zane Lowe played "You Don't Know How Lucky You Are" on BBC Radio 1 for the first time on Wednesday 7 September 2011, saying: "That piece of music right there is one of the most special pieces of music I've heard in a very very long time". The play received a rapturous reaction from listeners.
Henson formed his own Oak Ten Records and officially re-released his debut album Dear in 2012. It went on to sell over 7,000 copies and gained a cult following. The album was well critically acclaimed: the BBC said "Keaton Henson isn't a show-off, but with talent like this, he has every right to be", and on Metacritic the album received a score of 70 out of 100. The album, which never charted, spawned three singles – "Charon", "Small Hands" and "You Don't Know How Lucky You Are" – all of which were accompanied by music videos. The video for "Charon" was shortlisted for a UK MVA award in Best Budget Indie/Rock Category. "Small Hands" won Best Music Video at Rushes Soho Shorts 2012.
Henson released The Lucky EP in July 2012.
Henson's music ("Charon", "Corpse Roads", "To Your Health", "10AM Gare du Nord", "You") has been featured in the BBC Three zombie drama In the Flesh.
In November 2012, Henson designed a t-shirt for the Yellow Bird Project to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
"Keaton Henson spends his time alone, writing songs and sometimes drawing, he doesn't like to talk about himself."
Visit www.keatonhenson.com
Don't Swim
Keaton Henson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been right here waiting for you to wake up
And how can you sleep knowing
That you'd be much better off there with him
And promising to never let me in
Don't swim
Don't swim
Don't swim
And I was better where
I was miserable, why didn't you leave me there?
And I love you, please don't go
But don't you sit there looking like you know
That I'm the one that kept you from your home
Don't go
Don't go
Don't go
Oh my love,
Tell him that you will meet him at ten
Oh my love,
Just don't let me see him again
I just don't think I can lie
And not tear out both his eyes
Don't lie
Don't lie
Don't lie
Don't
Swim by Keaton Henson is a melancholic song about a lover who has been waiting for their significant other to awaken from their slumber. The opening line, "Where have you been, my love?" is a question that highlights the distance between the two lovers, perhaps indicating a long absence or break in communication. The song is wrapped with a sadness that draws its strength in the reality of the scene that the singer paints. The singer's lover is asleep, possibly dreaming of someone else, and not them. The situation is made worse by the fact the lover already has someone else waiting for them.
The chorus, "Don't swim, Don't swim", could be interpreted in two ways. One is that the lover should not be tempted to "swim" in the other man's arms, and the other is a warning that the situation is too deep to drown in. It is a plea to stay away and not get overwhelmed by everything that is happening all at once. As the song progresses, the singer questions why their lover would even want to return to someone who treats them poorly. The lines "And promising to never let me in" suggests that their lover has been keeping secrets, which has left the singer feeling rejected and unwanted.
The final verse of the song is poignant as the singer tells their lover to go to the other man, but not let the singer see him again. The closing lines, "Don't lie, don't lie, don't lie" highlight the desire for honesty from their lover before anything else. The song carries a sense of sadness, loneliness and abandonment, all expressed through the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Where have you been, my love?
Asking where the person has been and what they've been doing since they left.
I've been right here waiting for you to wake up
I've been waiting for you to realize what you're missing and come back to me.
And how can you sleep knowing that you'd be much better off there with him
Asking how they can sleep at night, knowing that they're with someone else and they'd be better off with me.
And promising to never let me in, Don't swim, Don't swim, Don't swim
Refusing to let me back into their life and warning me not to try to come back.
And I was better where I was miserable, why didn't you leave me there?
Saying that I was actually better off being miserable and asking why they didn't just leave me there.
And I love you, please don't go, But don't you sit there looking like you know that I'm the one that kept you from your home
Expressing love and desire for them to stay, while acknowledging that they blame me for taking them away from their real home.
Don't go, Don't go, Don't go
Begging them not to leave.
Oh my love, Tell him that you will meet him at ten, Oh my love, Just don't let me see him again
Telling them to meet their other lover but not in front of me, as it would hurt too much.
I just don't think I can lie, And not tear out both his eyes, Don't lie, Don't lie, Don't lie
Admitting that I can't pretend everything is okay and that I'm so hurt it would drive me to violence, and pleading with them not to try to lie to me.
Don't
A final plea not to do something, whether it be swim, leave, or lie.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Keaton Leslie Henson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lvivman
Where have you been, my love?
I've been right here waiting for you to wake up
And how can you sleep knowing
That you'd be much better off there with him
And promising to never let me in
Don't swim
Don't swim
Don't swim
And I was better where
I was miserable, why didn't you leave me there?
And I love you, please don't go
But don't you sit there looking like you know
That I'm the one that kept you from your home
Don't go
Don't go
Don't go
Oh my love,
Tell him that you will meet him at ten
Oh my love,
Just don't let me see him again
I just don't think I can lie
And not tear out both his eyes
Don't lie
Don't lie
Don't lie
Don't
John Williams
It's not too much of an exaggeration to say that 3:25 onwards is one if the best musical passages I've ever heard. Anywhere. Ever.
Slide
Literally blurted out "Holy shit!" at the shocking change at 3:25. The whole album is really fantastic, I love the development thats occurred since Dear :)
Brianna Berger
This song is so amazing. Like I can hear every emotion he feels while singing this through his voice and it's beautiful
Lvivman
Where have you been, my love?
I've been right here waiting for you to wake up
And how can you sleep knowing
That you'd be much better off there with him
And promising to never let me in
Don't swim
Don't swim
Don't swim
And I was better where
I was miserable, why didn't you leave me there?
And I love you, please don't go
But don't you sit there looking like you know
That I'm the one that kept you from your home
Don't go
Don't go
Don't go
Oh my love,
Tell him that you will meet him at ten
Oh my love,
Just don't let me see him again
I just don't think I can lie
And not tear out both his eyes
Don't lie
Don't lie
Don't lie
Don't
Nermeen Emaduddin
🖤
Hugo Ricardo
first time I'm hearing this (thanks to In The Flesh!), and this actually gave me the chills.
Penny Lane
So this was the song that woke me up when I fell asleep to his album
ThePsychicMom
This goes beyond just touching the core of my soul.
Mel Vona
he seems so broken and sad and lost and then at 3:28 so angry it breaks my heart you can feel the soul of his music
John Williams
Mel Vona - Welcome to my world. Losing the Love of Your Life will do that. I've lost the only woman I have ever truly loved because of my low self-esteem, my stupid insecurities and unfounded jealousy. And all she ever did - was love me.