Mike has released six studio albums - 2010's Learning, 2012's Put Your Back N 2 It, 2014's Too Bright, 2017's No Shape, 2020's Set My Heart On Fire Immediately and his most recent, 2022's Ugly Season, all of which have received praise from music critics.
Take Me Home
Perfume Genius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, lay me down easy
For I have grown weary on my own
Ohhhh, all alone
I wither and I bruise
I run my mouth like a fool
I'll be so quiet for you
Be like a shadow of a shadow,
Of a shadow for you
Take me home, tend me,
Baby, lay me down easy
For I have grown weary on my own
Ohhh, all alone,
I wander aimless
I work the corner of an endless grid
I'll be so still for you
Like a dead dog
Lay there till my eyes pop,
Ohhh all for you
The lyrics to Perfume Genius's Take Me Home are introspective and melancholic. The singer is confessing to feeling tired and alone, having withered and bruised, and is seeking solace and comfort from another person. The longing for someone to care for and lay them down easy is emphasized by the repetition of the chorus.
The first verse conveys the sense of weariness and loneliness that the singer is feeling, having grown tired from being on their own. The line "I run my mouth like a fool" suggests that the singer may have been talking to themselves or expressing their feelings without being heard or understood. The second verse talks about how lost the singer feels, wandering aimlessly, and working the corner of an endless grid. It is unclear what this means specifically, but it could be a metaphor for the monotonous and unfulfilling nature of life.
The second half of the song is more visceral in its imagery. The line "I'll be so still for you like a dead dog" sounds shocking at first but is also revealing of how the singer is willing to submit themselves completely to another person. The repeated phrase "Ohh, all for you" reinforces this idea that the singer is willing to give themselves over entirely to whoever they are seeking comfort and salvation from.
Overall, the lyrics to Take Me Home are a poignant and affecting portrayal of loneliness and yearning for comfort and human connection in a world that can often feel isolating and cruel.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me home, tend me
Asking to be taken care of and nurtured
Baby, lay me down easy
Asking for comfort and gentleness
For I have grown weary on my own
Expressing exhaustion of being alone
Ohhhh, all alone
Repeating the theme of loneliness for emphasis
I wither and I bruise
Describing the emotional state of feeling hurt and weakened
I run my mouth like a fool
Acknowledging the tendency to speak impulsively and irrationally
I'll be so quiet for you
Promising to listen and be still
Look like a child for you
Offering vulnerability and submission
Be like a shadow of a shadow, Of a shadow for you
Willingness to be unnoticed and overlooked for someone else's sake
I wander aimless, I work the corner of an endless grid
Expressing feeling lost and trapped in a difficult situation
I'll be so still for you
Promise to remain calm and motionless
Like a dead dog
Using a bleak metaphor to emphasize willingness to obey completely
Lay there till my eyes pop, Ohhh all for you
Affirming loyalty and devotion even to the point of self-destruction
Contributed by Ella B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
harryezra
Take me home, tend to me
Baby lay me down easy
For I have grown weary on my own
All alone
I wither and I bruise
I run my mouth like a fool
I'll be so quiet for you
Look like a child for you
Be like a shadow of a shadow
Of a shadow for you
Take me home, tend to me
Baby lay me down easy
For I have grown weary on my own
All alone
I wonder aimless
I work the corner of an endless grid
I'll be so still for you
Like a dead dog
Lay there 'til my eyes pop
All for you
jonaahthan
This guy is incredible. I love everything he does.
XPUBI
He's just adorable. I wanna give him a big hug. His second album is so sad, and in a real, honest way. Sometimes I find sad themes in music is almost. Glorified. In a way that it becomes cliché and not authentic. Perfume genius is simply, speaking through his music. His music sounds very intimate. As if he's voicing these mumbled thoughts through music. Genius in song writing. Sorry my English sucks. There's more I want to say but I have trouble finding words.
Ahmet Murat Alper
Vicky Liu go listen new album
CheesecakeLasagna
At least his latest album shows he's in a lighter place! Yet still beautiful amd poignant.
the sea...
Vicky Liu what a beautiful way to describe this experience Perfume Genius is ♡
XPUBI
+djazr haha Thank you, glad you feel the same way.
djazr
+Vicky Liu woah I really like that description. it's true! his music is very visceral but not in a sentimental or contrived way
Tina Holyoake
I saw this years ago and still come back to it...it sticks in my head...beautiful and poignant
joshlikesblue
I can't help but smile when he smiles at the end :)
Justin O'Malley
Everything this man has done lately is just golden. Need more!