Tree by the River Lyrics

Lyric discussion by manikay 

Cover art for Tree by the River lyrics by Iron & Wine

My favourite line is "Happy just to be with you, and you were happy for me." To me, it's just such a sad ending to the song, and really sets the tone. On the first listen, it's a glorious narrative of young love. With that one last line, it spins the notion on its head, telling of a tale that was so beautiful, yet ultimately a love unrequited. Why wouldn't Mary Anne be happy to be with "him" too? Why was she only happy "for" him?