I'm Henry the eighth, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before

And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am

Second verse, same as the first

I'm Henry the eighth, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before

And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am

I'm Henry the eighth, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)

I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth, I am
H-E-N-R-Y
Henry (Henry) Henry (Henry)
Henry the eighth, I am, I am
Henry the eighth, I am, yeah


Lyrics submitted by shut

I'm Henry the VIII, I Am Lyrics as written by R P Weston Fred Murray

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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I'm Henry The VIII, I Am song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    This is so fun live. At the Summer Oldies concert in PA awhile ago I heard this on the radio on the way and then it was performed there and it got the whole crowd going. :)

    thinkitbeiton August 18, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song really touches a special place in my heart, I am just overcome with emotion, these lyrics really speak to me.

    Jillian04on September 13, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is a fun song. Fun to sing along to. Henry the VIII did have a lot of wives...

    angeleyes07on March 05, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I have always found this song deeply disturbing. The key word to unlock the meaning of this song is "widow". She's been married seven times, and widowed. Is that not suspicious?

    And she refuses to marry anyone but a Henry - why? She's clearly obsessive, but when that lines up with "widow"...

    My interpretation is that this woman is psychopathic and sociopathic. She sees Henry VIII as an oppressor of women (due to his 6 wives, 2 of whom were beheaded) and is taking her own revenge by killing 8 Henrys.

    And frighteningly, the narrator has no concept of the ghastly fate that awaits him. Brrrrr.

    whatssarcasmon August 25, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    could henry be herion? and eigth of herion, married (addiction) to the widow next door. her problems result in her being married to a drug. I don't enjoy relating songs to drugs, but it's one of those silly happy songs that sometimes carry a disturbing undertone.

    spisacolaon April 15, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    it's my opinion that almost ever punk song is based off of this song.

    greatflyingfetuson August 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't find the song disturbing, I find it comical. I believe it is intended as a parody, primarily on marriages and failing relationships.

    I find it ironic that the singer claims to be Henry VIII simply because he is the 8th husband of the widow next door, not because he is Henry the king of an 8th generation. I'm not fully versed on the English history, though a simple Google search informed me that Henry VIII had trouble getting an heir to the throne because none of his sons and daughters would have kids, though Edward did take the throne at early age. Thus comes the idea of "failure." In the song, the woman had 7 Henrys of failed marriages, no William or Sam, so the singer is destined to be the 8th failure, similar to King Henry the 8th struggling to get an heir.

    The fact that the singer sings this as a nursery rhyme brings to light it's comedic heritage, considering how such a lovely tune ironically symbolizes the failure of marriage. Although he seems happily married to the widow next door, the allusion to the king emphasizes this upcoming failure.

    costumedancepartyon July 19, 2022   Link

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