Nick Garrie-Hamilton, better known as Nick Garrie, is a British singer-song… Read Full Bio ↴Nick Garrie-Hamilton, better known as Nick Garrie, is a British singer-songwriter best known for his extremely rare 1969 debut album, The Nightmare of JB Stanislas, which is considered by many to be an exemplary piece of psychedelic baroque pop. Original copies of the album, which was reportedly only available in France, are known to very expensive, and it wasn't until 2005, when Rev-ola Records issued it, that it was available on CD.

Fourty years after this debut, Nick Garrie is back with "49 Arlington Gardens", long-awaited new album, due to be released on Elefant Records in early 2009.

Can I Stay With You
Nick Garrie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There you go
Now you know
The only thing I'll ever say
Is "honey, can I stay with you?"

Cut my hair
Grew it long
Played my song and watched the sun

Honey can I stay with you

Oh loving you is easy
Watching you is nice but everything I seem to do is wrong
And everything I seem to do is wrong
I feel I'm getting older
Younger every day
And everything I seem to do is wrong

Cigarettes
Magazines
Perforated chinese dreams
Chicken can I stay with you
Sell the car
Sell yourself
Touch your toes and count to twelve
But listen
Can I stay with you

Oh loving you is easy
Watching you is nice but everything I seem to do is wrong
And everything I seem to do is wrong
I feel I'm getting older
Younger every day
And everything I seem to do is wrong

I recall a summer night
Making love by river light
Honey can I stay with you
Maybe not
Maybe now
Doesn't matter anyhow
But honey
Can I stay with you

Oh loving you is easy
Watching you is nice but everything I seem to do is wrong
I feel I'm getting older

Younger every day
And everything I seem to do is wrong

Overall Meaning

The Nick Garrie song "Can I Stay With You" is a wistful and plaintive plea for companionship. The singer seems to be at a turning point in his life, having cut his hair and grown it long, sold his car and maybe even himself, and now he is seeking refuge in another person. He asks, "honey, can I stay with you?" on multiple occasions throughout the song as if he needs to hear the affirmation from his partner that they will hold him and allow him to be vulnerable.

The lyrics of the song convey a sense of uncertainty and doubt, as the singer feels like he is doing everything wrong. He is getting older, yet feeling younger every day, struggling to figure out his place in the world. While he has experienced moments of intimacy and love in the past, he ultimately does not know if he will find it again. The line "watching you is nice but everything I seem to do is wrong" suggests that the singer falters in his attempts to connect with others, even with the person he is addressing in the song. The final plea of "honey can I stay with you" is the question that he hopes will bring him comfort and stability.

Line by Line Meaning

There you go
I have said what I wanted to say and now the conversation is over

Now you know
You now have the knowledge of what I have to say

The only thing I'll ever say
This is the only thing that will ever pass my lips

Is "honey, can I stay with you?"
May I reside in close proximity to you, my honey?

Cut my hair
I modified the appearance of the keratin on my scalp

Grew it long
I cultivated the length of the keratin on my scalp

Played my song and watched the sun
I performed my musical piece while observing the star at the center of our solar system

Oh loving you is easy
It is simple for me to cherish you

Watching you is nice but everything I seem to do is wrong
Although observing you pleases me, I constantly feel that whatever I do ends up being erroneous

I feel I'm getting older
I perceive that I am becoming more senior in age

Younger every day
I experience that I am aging backward

Cigarettes
Tobacco cylinders

Magazines
Printed publications containing articles and illustrations

Perforated chinese dreams
Objects that represent aspirations, potentially made of paper or related materials, that hail from China and are dotted with holes

Chicken can I stay with you
May I reside in close proximity to you, you wonderful person?

Sell the car
Dispose of the automobile that we possess

Sell yourself
Trade the essence of your being for monetary gain

Touch your toes and count to twelve
Bend at the waist and tap the tips of your digits to the ground while enumerating until reaching the number that is one dozen

But listen
But kindly pay attention

Can I stay with you
Might I reside in close proximity to you?

I recall a summer night
I remember an evening from a season typically associated with warmth and sunlight

Making love by river light
Engaging in sexual activity while bathed in the luminescence provided by a flowing body of water

Maybe not
Perhaps that is not possible

Maybe now
It might be feasible at this moment

Doesn't matter anyhow
In any case, it is not of consequence

But honey
Nevertheless, my dearest

Contributed by Bailey H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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