29 Meanings
Add Yours
Share
Q&A

Marry Me Lyrics

Marry me, John
Marry me, John I'll be so good to you
You won't realize I'm gone

Marry me, John
Marry me, John I'll be so sweet to you
You won't realize I'm gone
You won't realize I'm gone

Many people wanna make money, make love
Make friends, make peace with death
But most mainly want to win the game they came to win
They want to come out ahead
But you you're a rock with 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

So marry me, John
Marry me, John I'll be so good to you
You won't realize I'm gone
You won't realize I'm gone

As for me, I have to agree
I'm as fickle as a paper doll being kicked by the wind
When I touch down again I'll be in someone else's arms

Oh John, come on
We'll do what married people do
Oh John, come on
(I don't care
what you want
I want to
Marry you)
We'll do what Mary and Joseph did
Without the kid

So marry me, John
Marry me, John
I'll be so good to you
You won't realize I'm gone
You won't realize I'm gone
Questions and Answers

Ask specific questions and get answers to unlock more indepth meanings & facts.

29 Meanings

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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?

Song Meaning
Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

"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.

hahahah that's hilarious!! i didn't think about that john.. but now i will :)

Not Valid
Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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".

Hmmm, I never thought of the Mary and Joseph line that way. I assumed she was tweaking the orthodox Biblical account, but that would add a new dimension to the song. And "we'll do what married people do." Supposedly couples have sex a lot less once they're married. Supposedly.

Not Valid

That's exactly how i read this. I think she'll literally be gone, not that any part of her will be missing. She's demanding marriage from a weak man, understanding that it's not in her nature to settle down, but to move on with little emotional attachment.

This song is not romantic, i'll tell ya that :-)

Not Valid
Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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.

I definately agree. I think it's just supposed to be a clever little line

Not Valid
Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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

Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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).

"...Uh, sorry, I forgot who I was talking to...(!)"

Not Valid
Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uPtt3lC590. 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: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_Amanda_Palmer

Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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.

Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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 agree that in the live versions I've seen she sings "I want to bury you" rather than "I want to marry you" in the last part. This refers to two things: 1) she's disgusted by him, and his naivete and 2) she'll get all his stuff when he dies. I also see this song as being sung by a character that is deepy cynical and manipulative (and likely a prostitute - "I don't care what you are, I want to marry you" is John (her trick) talking. The person narrating this is not at all romantic about...

Cover art for Marry Me lyrics by St. Vincent

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.

I was thinking Bacharach too.