The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Oh Mary was unhappy with the life that she led
She was a simple girl without much to say
So one day she upped and left her dreary home
And she left all her friends to wander all alone
And at first she was afraid, she was so far away
From her home but slowly she got to like it anyway
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Well in time she found
That mountain that she had been taught
Her whole life, that she must avoid
And though at first it hurt, and no one could comfort her
She finally came to appreciate it
And she liked it, she liked it--oh wasn't she surprised
And though still alone, she grew so much inside
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
And after a time, she became so sublime
She could look in people's eyes and read their minds
Though her hands would sometimes bleed and occasionally
She would long for her past and the memories they bring
She decided to return to her old home town
And her heart was burning with all the things she found
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Please come home
So Mary came back and at first no one recognized her face
And her friends were all a little bit afraid
When they heard what she had to say
They all slowly backed away
And her family took her aside and put their arms around her
They said:
Mary, won't you please come back to us now
There is still time to repent for all your sins
And Mary started to cry when she realized
That she'd never come home again in her life
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Please come home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah....
She was a simple girl without much to say
So one day she upped and left her dreary home
And she left all her friends to wander all alone
And at first she was afraid, she was so far away
From her home but slowly she got to like it anyway
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Well in time she found
That mountain that she had been taught
Her whole life, that she must avoid
And though at first it hurt, and no one could comfort her
She finally came to appreciate it
And she liked it, she liked it--oh wasn't she surprised
And though still alone, she grew so much inside
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
And after a time, she became so sublime
She could look in people's eyes and read their minds
Though her hands would sometimes bleed and occasionally
She would long for her past and the memories they bring
She decided to return to her old home town
And her heart was burning with all the things she found
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Please come home
So Mary came back and at first no one recognized her face
And her friends were all a little bit afraid
When they heard what she had to say
They all slowly backed away
And her family took her aside and put their arms around her
They said:
Mary, won't you please come back to us now
There is still time to repent for all your sins
And Mary started to cry when she realized
That she'd never come home again in her life
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Please come home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah....
Lyrics submitted by Tomis Grey
Mary Lyrics as written by Danny Elfman
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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Ahh, my friend and I have had a few conversations about this one, and he had an interesting thought: he reasoned that the "mountain that she must avoid" was pregnancy, a mountain being like a pregnant woman's bulging stomach and she "grew so much inside" quite literally. And she began to appreciate it and like it, as mother's instinct kicked in, but her family shuns her for having a baby out of wedlock, perhaps as a result of being a prostitute. The part that I have troubles with is the whole stigmata/mind-reading bit. Perhaps something to do with all of Jesus' best friends being hookers.