@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Get down, get down, little Henry Lee
And stay all night with me
You won't find a girl in this damn world
That will compare with me
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
I can't get down and I won't get down
And stay all night with thee
For the girl I have in that merry green land
I love far better than thee
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
She leaned herself against a fence
Just for a kiss or two
And with a little pen-knife held in her hand
Well she plugged him through and through
And the wind did roar, and the wind did moan
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
Come take him by his lily-white hands
Come take him by his feet
And throw him in this deep, deep well
That's more than one hundred feet
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
Lie there, lie there, little Henry Lee
'Til the flesh drops from your bones
For the girl you have in that merry green land
Can wait forever for you to come home
And the wind did howl, and the wind did moan
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
And stay all night with me
You won't find a girl in this damn world
That will compare with me
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
I can't get down and I won't get down
And stay all night with thee
For the girl I have in that merry green land
I love far better than thee
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
She leaned herself against a fence
Just for a kiss or two
And with a little pen-knife held in her hand
Well she plugged him through and through
And the wind did roar, and the wind did moan
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
Come take him by his lily-white hands
Come take him by his feet
And throw him in this deep, deep well
That's more than one hundred feet
And the wind did howl, and the wind did blow
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
Lie there, lie there, little Henry Lee
'Til the flesh drops from your bones
For the girl you have in that merry green land
Can wait forever for you to come home
And the wind did howl, and the wind did moan
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
La la la la la
La la la la lee
A little bird lit down on Henry Lee
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god, this video is just so....
seducing
It's quite nursery-rhyme-ish, I think. In a twisted kind of way.
I love Nick Caves & pj
s version of this song. its lyrics are based around a 1930s version by dick justice."Get down, get down, little Henry Lee, and stay all night with me. The very best lodging I can afford will be fare better'n thee." "I can't get down, and I won't get down, and stay all night with thee, For the girl I have in that merry green land, I love far better'n thee."
She leaned herself against a fence, just for a kiss or two; With a little pen-knife held in her hand, she plugged him through and through. "Come all you ladies in the town, a secret for me keep, With a diamond ring held on my hand I'll never will forsake."
"Some take him by his lily-white hand, some take him by his feet. We'll throw him in this deep, deep well, more than one hundred feet. Lie there, lie there, loving Henry Lee, till the flesh drops from your bones. The girl you have in that merry green land still waits for your return."
"Fly down, fly down, you little bird, and alight on my right knee. Your cage will be of purest gold, in deed of property." "I can't fly down, or I won't fly down, and alight on your right knee. A girl would murder her own true love would kill a little bird like me."
"If I had my bend and bow, my arrow and my string, I'd pierce a dart so nigh your heart your wobble would be in vain." "If you had your bend and bow, your arrow and your string, I'd fly away to the merry green land and tell what I have seen."
you can hear it here youtube.com/watch
this is one of those songs I like to listen to when I feel victorious. =P
I've used it as an away message quite a few times over the years, I love morbid things and this is one of the most morbid songs I've ever heard. for some reason, it reminds me of john steinbeck's east of eden... heh, cathy trask...
"lie there, lie there, little henry lee til the flesh drops from your bones for the girl you have in that merry green land can wait forever for you to come home,"
this is my favorite verse in the song, and the imagery I get of a single bird watching the events unfold... perfect.
it's definitely some evil subject matter, but that's what makes it so delicious. it's a perfect combination of talent, if you ask me (pj and nick).
wow! i first heard this song when i friend of mine played it at a party....the "la la la la la" part just haunted me for days before i figured out which song it was from the lyrics. theres something so eerie and waltz-like about it. the melody just wraps itself around your head and twists in hooks with the lyrics. a truely beautiful song. seriously.
SlightlyMad, I think you are right on with the comparison to Poe. It also have some charactaristcs from mideval ballads with expressions like "lily white hand", and the rythm of the lyrics with the same lines at the end of every verse instead of the usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus...or however the modern pop song go.
A wonderful song. The meaning is very straight forward though. Not much room for interpretation there, hehe
Beautiful song, and the video is damn sexy.
the song is way too nasty! god, can jeaousy make one kill another just like that? The only other place I saw such extreme nasty and mean lyrics is E.A.Poe's poems&stories and I just love it. anyway, one of the greatest cave songs i'll say. by the way, this is sung with ex-lover p.j. harvey right?
It's not nasty. It's because she feels heartbroken.
@SlightlyMad <br /> And it wasn't written by Nick Cave ,it's and old murder ballad that goes back to the 18 Century.
I don't know if nick and Pj were ever a couple. But I wouldn't put it past me after seing the cover of the Henry Lee single :)
Nick says: "This is a song about extreme sexual conflict, and, uh...
...shit like that."