Music
Lana Del Rey's "Henry, Come On" Lyrics, Explained
“Come on and giddy up.”
Lana Del Rey’s long-teased country era has finally ridden into town. On April 11, the singer released her new song, “Henry, Come On,” with enough lyrical allusions to Western aesthetics to fill up an old-time-y saloon. The breakup ballad serves as the lead single from her 10th studio album The Right Person Will Stay, which Del Rey has stated will lean into the sounds of “classic country, American, or Southern Gothic production.”
On the wistful Americana requiem, Del Rey laments a lover after putting an end to their “off and on” relationship. “Take your ass to the house / Don't even bother explainin' / There's no workin' it out / No way,” she sings to the eponymous Henry.
If the plucky guitar and atmospheric production weren’t enough to evoke the Old West, Del Rey leans into the vernacular in the chorus:
It's last call, "Hey, y'all" / Hang his hat up on the wall / Tell him that his cowgirl is gone / Come on and giddy up / Soft leather, blue jeans
The post-chorus returns to a familiar Del Rey thematic territory, as she turns the focus back on herself (and references Icarus) to describe her predilection for bad boys:
And it's not because of you / That I turned out so dangerous / Yesterday, I heard God say, "It's in your blood" / And it struck me just like lightning / I've been fightin', I've been strivin' / But yesterday, I heard God say, "You were born to be the one / To hold the hand of the man / Who flies too close to the sun"
While heartbreaking ballads are a hallmark of Del Rey’s oeuvre, the breakup single still may be a bit surprising to her fans, considering this is her first release since marrying Louisiana tour guide Jeremy Dufrene last fall. However, it does seem very likely that Del Rey wrote the track long before falling in love with Dufrene, since she first teased it at the very start of 2024.
“Henry, Come On” will be featured on Del Rey’s upcoming album The Right Person Will Stay, due May 21.
