Mrs. Henry and me

“Please, Missus Henry,
Missus Henry, please!
I’m down on my knees
An’ I ain’t got a dime.”

-Bob Dylan

This is one of our top two favorite songs about Henrys here at Hankincents.

It shares the distinction, of course, with “Henry The Eighth, I Am” by Herman’s Hermits.

This particular Henryesque tune is a delightfully slurred plea to a Mrs. Henry, who seems to be the barkeep or a landlady, to come scrape a drunken soul off the floor.

It’s certainly not the best song on The Basement Tapes. But I can’t help loving it, especially because I’ve got my own benevolent Mrs. Henry innkeeper landlady bartender (mom) doin’ right by me, while I ain’t got a dime.