Lyric discussion by dmar239 

Cover art for Mary lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

There's one line that gives it away. "A stranger's flesh is offered." This song inspired the book entitled "The Forest of Hands and Teeth". There's been a Zombie apocalypse. Mary is the hero in the book. Mary's become infected with the Zombie virus and doesn't know that she's turned into a Zombie. For the most part the world has been destroyed. That's why she asks about how long she's slept, why she feels so cold and why with trembling hands she reaches up for the offering of a stranger's flesh It is a song about what's been done to the earth, how few appreciate the wonderful gift we have. Now there's not much left of it's bounties. Zombies eat people and she doesn't want to eat her friends.. She was the protector of her friends and led them through the fire while the earth was burning. They were the last to know she'd become infected and the last to let it show to her they knew, and the last ones to become zombies too. .

Song Meaning

@dmar239 And Mary walks the earth as a Zombie.

Considering the book is well more than a decade newer than the song, it seems unlikely that the song is about the book.