Mary's Prayer

All about regret...about realizing that you once were special to someone but carelessly threw that away. That person could make you feel on top of the world when you belonged to them, but those precious days are gone forever and you would give anything to get them back.

I love this song, but when I read those lyrics I'm flooded with awful memories following the break-up of a 3 year college relationship - the demise occuring over the several shiftless months following graduation when I was seriously lacking confidence and perspective.

Aimless in Boston and tormented with guilt for my part in the break-up, I called her after she moved West. That line, "Everything is wonderful, being here is heavenly . . ." is so like her description of her new life, in her new town, with her new friends -without me. It was as if I had never been a part of her life ["Suddenly was washed away the Mary that I knew."]

Few things suck more than the regret and self-pity you feel when you realize just how much your ex has moved on, while your own life has been going nowhere.

imagine this song being sung by an orphan to a mother that he's never meet that in his mind he's called her Mary to bring her to life and closer to him?

"Being here is heavenly" - is a thank you for the gift of life.

"I made such a big mistake When I was Mary's Prayer "

• this is the thought that, as Mary's "mistake" - he knows that she is thinking about him... he's in her prayers everyday, hopefully.

"If you want the fruit to fall ...... etc" - references the apple not falling far from the tree and trying to "give the tree a shake" to trace his mother.

"But if you shake the tree too hard, The bough is gonna break "

• maybe he might not be able to handle what he finds?

And if I can't reach the top of the tree Mary you can hold me up there What I wouldn't give to be When I was Mary's prayer

• maybe he can't trace his real mother? If not, he'd give anything to just be in his mother's thoughts - whether she's passed on or not.

Comment no3.........from gary clark.......yeah right...........not the real Gary

Always remember, Mary is always with us. In our good times and bad, in timessage of victory and sadness and defeat. She knows what you are going through and knows how to fix it, for she has been through it many times before. It has been written many times before that if you combined all the love from all the mothers in the world, past and present, it would never amount to the love that Mary has for each and every one of us. Cheers to eeveryone.

Me and ma pal going out with these two girls from Kelty. His girl was called Mary and she was a honey and i wanted her. Hence this shite song sticks to my memory like a wet pound note on the bottom of a swimming pool. Its that relevant.

Yeah, yeah .... but I still think it fits an 'innocence lost' idea... at least for us lapsed catholic boys... thats the way I've always heard it...

The catholic church, and particularly Mary... was a big part of my youth... deeper than Santa Claus...

The bough break and the cradle fell... but I still hope She keeps a light on for me in heaven...

Everything is wonderful.( Everything is so wonderful in my life.) Being here is heavenly.( My life is so heavenly.) Every single day she sends. Everything is free.( Every single day she sends power, And its all free.) I used to be so careless. As if I could'nt careless( I was so careless about the spiritual gift Mary sent me. It did'nt phase me.) Did I have to make this face.when I was Marys prayer( I couldnt face myself for for the mistakes I made.

For what it's worth, if there ever was a Mary, Gary has successfully kept her a secret for over 30 years.

So, if there was no Mary, then there's no tragic love story behind this song, and it's just the result of a gifted songwriter creating and preserving an air of mystery around one of his most popular songs.

The lyrics are sufficiently vague to be relatable to a broad audience, both male and female, and even has an adequate religion flavor, so much so that it's even sung by church choirs. Bravo, Gary! That's the way to make a song broadly appealing, and to keep audiences intrigued for decades.

So, if there was no Mary, does that mean Mary's Prayer has no meaning? Of course not! What follows is my interpretation, which I doubt Gary will ever refute, because an artist interpreting his own work tends to dwindle its appeal, and he's far to clever to do that. However, I'm gonna take a stab at it.

The titular Mary isn't a reference to the Blessed Virgin, despite the additional references to the similarly titles popular penance prayer(more on that later). Mary is a former girlfriend, and one he didn't adequately appreciate, when he still had the opportunity. Mary was devoted to him, but he took her for granted. So, if Mary was such a great chick, why not go get her back, instead of just writing her a defeatist love song? Because, Mary is no more....metaphorically "washed away."

The song begins from Mary's perspective, from her "wonderful," "Heavenly" home. Mary is now perfected, not only in the singer's memory, but in a genuinely angelic state, from which she serves as the singer's guardian angel, sending him daily blessings

In the next verse, we hear the singer's lament, not only for the Earthly loss of Mary, but also for his own shabby behavior, when she was still corporeal. That things ended badly, and he never had a chance to repent and reconcile fills him with guilt, as though she might still be earthbound, if he'd behaved in a more worthy manner.

The tree metaphor is a reference to the singer's attempt at stardom, to climb the charts, and "reach the top." He doubts his ability to make it without divine intervention, and suggests that his guardian angel, Mary, can "blow [him] up there,” or carry him the rest of the way, if he isn't able to make it on his own.

The Hail Marys are obviously penance for his feelings of guilt. He's asking his Mary if she'll wait for him("leave a light on in Heaven for me"), if he'll perform this act of contrition. He hopes to reunite with her in Heaven.

So, what about the Millionaire? My guess is that he through that in to soften the song, to provide an alternate interpretation, to broaden its appeal among his female audience, and to round out the religious subtext; in the last interpretation, she would become the bride of the Son whose "Father's House has many Mansions."

Did you guys realize that Gary Clark himself wrote comment nº 3? He wrote the lyrics! He was the vocalist/ guitarist on Danny Wilson. So we should all consider what he says as the actual meaning of the song! Only he knows what went through his head while writing it and I think he explained it clearly. It is a beautiful song with a wonderful intricate meaning.