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.
She will kiss you til your lips bleed
But she will not take her dress off
Americana, Tropicana
All the sailor boys have demons
They sing oh Kentucky why did you forsake me
It I was meant to sail the sea
Why did you make me
It should have been another state
Oh stay
Cause Mary Anne's a bitch
Mary Anne's a bitch
Does it matter that our anchor
Couldn't even reach the bottom of a bathtub
And the sails reflect the moon
It's such a strange job
Playing blackjack on the deck
Still
Atop this giant puddle
Dressed in white we quietly huddle with our missiles
And we miss the girls back home
Oh home sweet home
Cause Mary Anne's a bitch
Mary Anne's a bitch
She will kiss you til your lips bleed
But she will not take her dress off
Americana, Tropicana
But she will not take her dress off
Americana, Tropicana
All the sailor boys have demons
They sing oh Kentucky why did you forsake me
It I was meant to sail the sea
Why did you make me
It should have been another state
Oh stay
Cause Mary Anne's a bitch
Mary Anne's a bitch
Does it matter that our anchor
Couldn't even reach the bottom of a bathtub
And the sails reflect the moon
It's such a strange job
Playing blackjack on the deck
Still
Atop this giant puddle
Dressed in white we quietly huddle with our missiles
And we miss the girls back home
Oh home sweet home
Cause Mary Anne's a bitch
Mary Anne's a bitch
She will kiss you til your lips bleed
But she will not take her dress off
Americana, Tropicana
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Okay, I know this is old but I have to comment on this:
"If your argument were correct Regina could take, [sic, nice comma splice] a poetry class is a university, write an analysis of what she believes the song to mean and get an F, provided the professor had drawn some ridiculous meaning of his own."
You've obviously not been an English major recently, have you, sweet pea? I've never had a prof say, "Because this doesn't match my understanding of the poem (or story, or whatever), you fail, sucka." If anything it's, "Hey, this is an interesting perspective of this piece; thanks for demonstrating a different insight." As long as an interpretation has solid grounding within the text, almost anything goes here in the magical world of literature, and since we usually study dead guys that we can't contact without several candles and a Ouija board, we have no way of finding the original meaning, so various interpretations are important to study the text.
And I don't understand why you think your interpretation is the only one that's accurate. Are you, in fact, Regina Spektor? No? Then . . . ?
I think Mary Anne could be the sea, or the ship. Or both, I guess. I personally doubt it's a literal woman, though -- that just doesn't seem very Regina to me.