Lead singer Jon Fratelli has stated in interviews that the song was written in a hotel room while the band was on tour and is simply about a girl he met at a party. He admits that the lyrics are not meant to be taken too seriously and that the song is just a fun and catchy tune.
Despite the whimsical nature of the song, the lyrics are laced with clever wordplay and hidden meanings. The opening lines, “Henrietta, we got no flowers for you/just these three miserable cunts sitting in a room,” set the tone for the rest of the song.
Henrietta
The Fratellis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just these three miserable cunts
Sittin' on the back seat, tappin' on the off beat
We know you love us and you probably do
Although your husband may cut us
He is an animal, though anything is possible
Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out
Buy us some shoes and maybe take us for cola
We'll get you there in some filthy big gondola
And it's clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us amongst the has-beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk any way you choose it, come on
Oh, come on
Oh, come on
Wa-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ow
Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo
Dear Henrietta, we're just three lonely boys
Though the girls love us, we're so
Into you incredibly, we'd love to see you terribly
We'd love to hate ya, but we don't have no choice
Come be our wa-ha-ha-ha
Honey, three four, one time, once more
Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out
It's hard to miss you when you follow us about
Buy us some shoes and maybe take us for cola
We'll get you there in some filthy big gondola
And it's clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us amongst the has-beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk any way you choose it, come on
Wa-wa-wa-wow
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Wa-wa-wa-wow
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us amongst the has-beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk any way you choose it, come on
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us amongst the has-beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk any way you choose it, come on
Oh, come on
Oh, come on
Oh, come on
Oh, come on
Oh, come on
Oh, come on
Wa-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ow
The Fratellis's song Henrietta tells the story of three men who are infatuated with a woman named Henrietta, to the point that they are willing to commit a crime to be with her. The lyrics are playful and full of humor, but also have a darker undertone as the men suggest they would help Henrietta escape an abusive relationship by "cleaning out the bank and bumping off your daddy." Despite this, they also acknowledge that Henrietta's husband may come after them, saying "He is an animal, though anything is possible."
The chorus consists of the men asking Henrietta to "give us a kiss and maybe we can go out" and describing how they will take her places, even suggesting they will "get you there in some filthy big gondola." Throughout the song, the men refer to themselves as "has-beens and addicts," suggesting that they are not successful or well-respected in their community. Overall, the lyrics of Henrietta tell a humorous yet slightly unsettling story of infatuation and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Henrietta, we got no flowers for you
We have nothing to offer you, just our presence.
Just these three miserable cunts
We are not important people, just three ordinary guys.
Sittin' on the back seat, tappin' on the off beat
We are not musical geniuses, we're just tapping on the rhythm off beat.
We know you love us and you probably do
We think you like us, or we hope you do.
Although your husband may cut us
Your husband might be angry with us.
He is an animal, though anything is possible
We don't know your husband, he might be violent.
Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out
We want to go out with you and maybe kiss you.
It's hard to miss you when you follow us about
We know you're following us and it's hard to ignore you.
Buy us some shoes and maybe take us for cola
We want you to buy us shoes and go for a drink with us.
We'll get you there in some filthy big gondola
We'll take you there in a dirty, old gondola.
And it's clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
We're joking about robbing a bank and killing your father.
You can come live with us amongst the has-beens and the addicts
We're offering you to come live with us among people who are not successful and have addiction problems.
These are crazy times down at Costello music
We're living in a crazy time and music is our escape.
You can answer the phone and talk any way you choose it, come on
You don't have to be polite or anything, just answer the phone the way you like.
Dear Henrietta, we're just three lonely boys
We are just three boys who are lonely and looking for companionship.
Though the girls love us, we're so
We might have the attention of some girls, but we still feel lonely.
Into you incredibly, we'd love to see you terribly
We are very into you and would love to see you so much it hurts.
We'd love to hate ya, but we don't have no choice
We are conflicted about our feelings for you and can't help but like you.
Come be our wa-ha-ha-ha
We want you to be ours, we'll make you happy.
Honey, three four, one time, once more
We're counting down to something, inviting you to join us.
Wa-wa-wa-wow
We're making a joyful, exuberant noise.
Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa
Continuing to make joyful noise, repeating.
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
Reiterating the earlier joke about robbing a bank and killing your father.
You can come live with us amongst the has-beens and the addicts
Offering you a chance to come live with us and escape your current life.
These are crazy times down at Costello music
Life is unpredictable and chaotic, music is our only certainty.
You can answer the phone and talk any way you choose it, come on
Repeating earlier sentiment about answering the phone however you like.
Oh, come on
Encouraging you to join us, excitedly.
Wa-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ow
Making more joyful, exuberant noise.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: John Lawler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RichieDee123
The lyrics:
Henrietta we got no flowers for you
Just these three miserable c**ts
Sitting on the back seat banging on the off beat
We know you love us and you probably do
Although your husband may cut us
He's such an animal though everything is possible
Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out
It's hard to miss you when you follow us about
Buy us some shoes and maybe take us for cola
We'll get you there in some filthy big gondola
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us among the has beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk nice anyway you choose it , come on
Dear Henrietta we're just three lonely boys
Though the girls love us we're so
Into you incredibly we'd love to see you terribly
We'd love to hate you but we don't have no choice
Come be our wa ha ha ha
Honey, honey three four one time once more
Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out
It's hard to miss you when you follow us about
Buy us some shoes and maybe take us for cola
We'll get you there in some filthy big gondola
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us among the has beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk nice anyway you choose it, come on
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us among the has beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk nice anyway you choose it, come on
@richardeverett7577
Henrietta we got no flowers for you
Just these three miserable c**ts
Sitting on the back seat banging on the off beat
We know you love us and you probably do
Although you're husband may cut us
He's such an animal though everything is possible
Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out
It's hard to miss you when you follow us about
Buy us some shoes and maybe take us for cola
We'll get you there in some filthy big gondola
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us among the has beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk nice anyway you choose it , come on
Dear Henrietta we're just three lonely boys
Though the girls love us we're so
Into you incredibly we'd love to see you terribly
We'd love to hate you but we don't have no choice
Come be our wa ha ha ha
Honey, honey three four one time once more
Give us a kiss and maybe we can go out
It's hard to miss you when you follow us about
Buy us some shoes and maybe take us for cola
We'll get you there in some filthy big gondola
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us among the has beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk nice anyway you choose it, come on
Clean out the bank and bump off your daddy
You can come live with us among the has beens and the addicts
These are crazy times down at Costello music
You can answer the phone and talk nice anyway you choose it, come on
@NiSiochainGanSaoirse
This is the song that I was listening to as I walked out of the prison gates in lindholme, Doncaster three years ago.
This album was my go to album when my addiction and hedonistic chaos was in full flight and I was an incredibly good efficient junkie. I truly mastered my craft, and this album fueled a lot of it, along with some choice e bands from this era but mine so much as this album.
It feels like this band jumped into my every day life and wrote this album as a tribute! Incredible empathy with a true timeless classic of rock.
And so it was, I also listened to it as I exited prison.
I managed to stay clean for three hours.
Fuck it.
Im home, in the only place I've ever known.
But I love you all still.
@alexnope2223
One of the hidden gems of the century thus far. If you like this song, you'll love all of them
@rabbids_Z
True❤❤
@milesparker557
Is it just me or is this song perfect as a theme song for a sitcom?
@crazymage3000
Omg you're right
@RegretfulDeadMan
it would be even better to play over some brutal doom
@camabaguncada0326
Tommy N' Henrietta, The Series
@kobalt_ren01
Ah yes, my two favourite homosexuals on the Internet.
@SuperZarkosis
Yes but the fact of the matter is that like the 10th word is cunts
@leejk3926
My mum used to have The Fratellis album playing whilst on a drive in France. I'm just going through all the songs I remember listening to in the car... so nostalgic.
@liamsanderson7099
Dude same :3