Sunday, October 01, 2006

"Mary" by Patty Griffin

I have discovered Patty Griffin, thanks to reading Blue Like Jazz. I like her a lot. This song is amazing.

"In the song, Patty talks about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and what it must have been like the day her son was killed. She paints this painful picture of Mary inside her house, cleaning, and as the song played I imagined Mary washing down the counters and sweeping the floors, frantically, trying not to think about what they had done to her Son that morning. And I imagined Mary falling down outside her door on her hands and knees and beating her fists into the dirt and screaming at God." (blue like jazz)

I forget about Mary. I forget that she was real...that she was a wife...that she was a mom. And her Son was killed.

I listened to this song on repeat last night and cried. I have never thought about that day from Mary's point of view before. Not like that anyway.

Lyrics:
Mary youre covered in roses, youre covered in ashes
Youre covered in rain
Youre covered in babies, youre covered in slashes
Youre covered in wilderness, youre covered in stains
You cast aside the sheet, you cast aside the shroud
Of another man, who served the world proud
You greet another son, you lose another one
On some sunny day and always stay, mary

Jesus says mother I couldnt stay another day longer
Flys right by me and leaves a kiss upon her face
While the angels are singin his praises in a blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the place

Mary she moves behind me
She leaves her fingerprints everywhere
Everytime the snow drifts, everytime the sand shifts
Even when the night lifts, shes always there

Jesus said mother I couldnt stay another day longer
Flys right by me and leaves a kiss upon her face
While the angels are singin his praises in a blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the place

Mary youre covered in roses, youre covered in ruin
Youre covered in secrets
Youre covered in treetops, youre covered in birds
Who can sing a million songs without any words
You cast aside the sheets, you cast aside the shroud
Of another man, who served the world proud
You greet another son, you lose another one
On some sunny day and always stay
Mary, mary, mary

2 comments:

Nathan Winslow said...

Your right, Andrea, that is beautiful. I love listening to "Mary Did You Know" at Christmas time, it has some great lyrics. I haven't heard this song before, who sings it? - Nathan

Nathan Winslow said...

Nevermind, I figured it out. I was kind of slow there.