This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Wop ba-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop wo-op
Sweet Mary sent a letter to me
She say to "Hurry home
I need you right away, ay, ay
I've got a stomach full of love
And I'm all alone
All of the day"
Sweet Mary I'm coming home
Coming home to you, hey-ey
Sweet Mary I'm coming home now
That's the least I can do
Sweet Mary in that letter to me
She said "It's up to you
I need you right away, ay, ay"
And now I got to hop a freight
Back to the farm and all
I've got to be
Sweet Mary I'm coming home
Coming home to you, yeah-hey
Sweet Mary I'm coming home now
That's the least I can do, babe
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie Mary I'm coming home
Baby I'm coming
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie Mary I'm coming home
Wop ba-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop, oh yeah, baby
Sweet Mary has a smile on her face
You know she's happy to see me wrap her in an embrace
I only hope that the passing of time
She'll always feel that way
And I won't pack up my things
Sweet Mary I'm coming home
Coming home to you, yeah, hey
Sweet Mary I'm coming home now
That's the least I can do, hey
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie Mary I'm coming home
Well, Mary I'm coming
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie Mary I'm coming home
Home, Mary I'm coming
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop wo-op
Sweet Mary sent a letter to me
She say to "Hurry home
I need you right away, ay, ay
I've got a stomach full of love
And I'm all alone
All of the day"
Sweet Mary I'm coming home
Coming home to you, hey-ey
Sweet Mary I'm coming home now
That's the least I can do
Sweet Mary in that letter to me
She said "It's up to you
I need you right away, ay, ay"
And now I got to hop a freight
Back to the farm and all
I've got to be
Sweet Mary I'm coming home
Coming home to you, yeah-hey
Sweet Mary I'm coming home now
That's the least I can do, babe
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie Mary I'm coming home
Baby I'm coming
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie Mary I'm coming home
Wop ba-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop-wop-wop
Waa-op wa-dooba-do wop, oh yeah, baby
Sweet Mary has a smile on her face
You know she's happy to see me wrap her in an embrace
I only hope that the passing of time
She'll always feel that way
And I won't pack up my things
Sweet Mary I'm coming home
Coming home to you, yeah, hey
Sweet Mary I'm coming home now
That's the least I can do, hey
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie Mary I'm coming home
Well, Mary I'm coming
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie-chickie to hop a freight
Chickie-chickie Mary I'm coming home
Home, Mary I'm coming
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Sweet Mary Lyrics as written by Steve Jablecki
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Sweet Mary [Original Album Version] [Version] song meanings
Add Your Thoughts
0 Comments
- No Comments
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.