Marry Me

people, wake up. close your drooling mouths guys. this song is cynical. if you listen to st vincent you probably know by now that she likes to mix the innocent with the perverse, the sweet with the anxious, etc. this song is about fooling a "john", fooling a man that she doesn't care about. she just wants his safety ("but you, you're a rock...") you can tell that she's being cynical when you hear these lines: "a heart like a socket i can plug into at will / and will you guess when i come around next / i hope your open sign is blinking still" and "when i touch down again i'll be in someone else's arms" combined with the fact that she only wants him for sex. get it?

"Marry Me" is such a lovely song.

Thanks a lot to WhereIsJF? for the info. I am really looking forward to that album!

I interpret this song to be about the fantasies I have about John Green and I. I shall never interfere with his relationship with the yeti, however, so they will remain fantasies.

Really cynical critique of the institution of marriage from someone looking to use it (and her intended spouse) purely as a tool for stability to advance other appetites. She wants a sexless (Mary & Joseph w/o the kid) marriage to a stable, yet emotionally easy-to-manipulate man (a rock with a heart like a socket I can plug into at will) so that she can be taken care of and comfortable until something that tickles her fancy comes along ( I'm as fickle as a paper doll...I'll be in someone else's arms). Pretty ruthless when you consider that she KNOWS she's going to leave him before they marry (marry me, you won't realize I'm gone), that she knows she's manipulating him (I don't care what you want, I want to marry you), AND that she even considers that she can potentially do this to him multiple times in the future when she's between affairs ( "And will you guess when I come around next? I hope your open sign is blinking still").

The really depressing thing about the whole song is that the implication by the singer is that her approach to marriage is really not any different than anyone else's. "most mainly want to win the game they came to win. They want to come out ahead" and "we'll do what married people do".

i can't exactly speak for her, but i don't think the mary and joseph part is about a life without sex. i'm an atheist, and i read this as a sarcastic lyric.

The Jesus reference is so clever... I really do adore this song.

This song is not about Arrested Development. Annie Clark said that the name of the album (which is also the name of this song) was chosen partially as a genuine plea and partially as a reference to her favorite show, Arrested Development (how Maybee says "Marry me!" to get out of situations that could get her in trouble, particularly when she acquires her producer job).

I really love this song. I actually first heard it covered by Amanda Palmer, who I adore. I like the original more, but Amanda's cover is really worth a listen: youtube.com/watch. But, sorry WhereisJF?, it's not going to be on her solo album. There's only one cover on it, and, actually, St. Vincent sings on that track with Amanda. If you're interested in the track list: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_Amanda_Palmer

i love her slightly r&b-tinged verses, and the slightly off-kilter rhyme scheme.

very clever. just a great song by a fantastic artist.

I saw her live, and I noticed that just after the Mary and Joseph line, she sings "I want to bury you" not "I want to marry you". I think I can hear it in the backing vocal in the recorded version, but it hard to hear. It makes sense in the context of the song- conflicting emotions, with a bit of sarcasm.

I listen to this song and can't help but think she is giving a nod to songs like Laura Nyro's "Wedding Bell Blues" or Carly Simon's "That's the way I heard it should be". Except as others have pointed out she cleverly stands them on their head and shakes them out a bit. It has that late 60's early 70's vibe and covers much the same subject matter but from a post women's liberation/modern interpretation. The line, "...you're a rock with a heart like a socket I can plug into at will" is especially poignant. To me it's a wonderful update of the concept of something like "Wedding Bell Blues" while at the same time a pretty dismal assessment of the concept of modern marriage. Of course it's a much needed assessment and observation...it's fun to have the convenience and benefit of marriage...just so long as I can do what I want when I want...and long term commitment is definitely out of the question! lol well done St. Vincent.