Lyrics
Mary's got herself a sensible man
Mary has found a sensible man for herself.
With a practical car and a ten-year plan
He has a practical car and a ten-year plan.
Greasing his hair each morning to the left side
He styles his hair to the left side every morning.
And Mary's got a wrist tattoo
Mary has a wrist tattoo, symbolizing a mark from her youth.
The last permanent mark of a fading youth
The tattoo is a lasting reminder of her fading youth.
From a whim back when we'd skip class
Refers to the time when they used to skip class together on Tuesday nights.
On Tuesday nights
Continuation of the reference to skipping class.
I used to take her home the long way
In the past, the speaker used to take Mary home by a longer route.
We would pull off and mess around
They would stop and engage in playful activities.
Used to say these days were years away
The speaker thought the current situation was distant in the past.
But Mary's getting married now
Mary is now getting married, a significant change in her life.
Mary, i'm not the kind to kick down the doors
The speaker expresses not being the disruptive type during weddings.
Object on the wedding day you've been saving for
He questions the significance of objects saved for the wedding day.
In front of some poor pastor
Imagines objecting at the wedding ceremony.
And make him do the vows again
Describes disrupting the vows and questioning their validity.
Tell me Mary, am I chained to the past?
The speaker wonders if he is dwelling too much on the past.
Am I rose-tinting all the history we had?
Questioning if he romanticizes their shared history.
Just promise you won't introduce me
Asks Mary not to introduce him as an old friend.
As one of your oldest friends
The speaker wants to avoid being associated with the past.
'Cause I used to take you home the long way
Recalls the speaker used to take Mary home through a longer route.
We would pull off and mess around
They used to engage in playful activities during the longer route.
Used to say these days were years away
Thought those days were far in the future.
Yeah we'd both grow up by then somehow
Believed they would grow up and move on by now.
Well it took me a while
The speaker took time to come to terms with the situation.
To work things out
Reflects on the time it took to understand things.
But Mary's getting married
Mary is now officially getting married.
Mary's getting married now
Reiterates Mary's impending marriage.
We used to laugh until the sunrise
Recalls the past laughter and joy shared until sunrise.
'Till our voices cracked and gave out
Their voices would crack from excessive laughter.
Making big plans for forever
They made ambitious plans for the future.
From a pull-out couch on the edge of town
Reference to planning from an unassuming location.
So you can save me all your sympathy
Rejects sympathy, implying it won't help.
That'll only get me down
Expresses a resistance to feeling down.
'Cause it took me a while to work things out
Reflects on the time it took to understand things.
To summon the courage I had deep down
Gained the courage to admit she's the one he can't live without.
To say she's the one I couldn't live without
Expresses the realization of deep feelings for Mary.
But Mary's getting married
Reiterates Mary's imminent marriage.
Yeah, Mary's getting married
Confirms Mary's ongoing commitment to marriage.
Mary's getting married now
Reiterates Mary's current engagement.
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