Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942, he appeared in Irving Berlin's This Is the Army and became a major star of CBS Radio. In the 1960s, he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". Ives was also a popular film actor through the late 1940s and '50s. His film roles included parts in So Dear to My Heart (1948) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), as well as the role of Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ives is often associated with the Christmas season. He did voice-over work as Sam the Snowman, narrator of the classic 1964 Christmas television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Ives also worked on the special's soundtrack, including the songs "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", both of which continue to chart annually on the Billboard holiday charts into the 2020s.
Mary Ann Regrets
Burl Ives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For Saturday's date and I restlessly counted the hours.
Then today in the mail I received this short little note
And I broke down inside at the message that her mother wrote.
Mary Ann regrets she's unable to see you again;
We're leaving for Europe next week, she'll be busy till then.
They know that she loves me, but poor boys don't fit in their plan.
The weeks have gone by not a word have I heard since then;
In the papers I read of the far away places she's been.
I can't eat, I can't sleep for over and over again
My mind reads that letter and I cry for my Mary Ann.
Mary Ann regrets she's unable to see you again;
We're leaving for Europe next week, she'll be busy till then.
They know that she loves me but poor boys don't fit in their plan.
Good-bye true love, good-bye my sweet Mary Ann.
My Mary Ann died, they said she just wasted away;
If I could have seen her I know she'd be living today.
For we loved each other and if they'd have left us alone,
Today she'd be wearing my ring, not a blanket of stone.
Mary Ann regrets she's unable to see you again;
We're leaving for Europe next week, she'll be busy till then.
They know that she loves me but poor boys don't fit in their plan.
Good-bye true love, good-bye my sweet Mary-Ann
The lyrics to Burl Ives's song 'Mary Ann Regrets' are about a person (presumably a male) who has been planning to take his sweetheart Mary Ann out on a date. The singer saves up his money to buy her some flowers, but he receives a letter from her mother instead that she is unable to see him again. The reason being her family is leaving for Europe next week, and she will be busy until then. They know that she loves him, but as Mary Ann comes from an affluent family, she is unable to continue her relationship with the singer who they consider to be a poor boy who doesn't fit into their plan. The singer is heartbroken and cannot stop thinking about Mary Ann, reading the letter over and over again.
The singer continues to ruminate about Mary Ann in his mind, and he finds out through the papers that she has been traveling to faraway places. He is unable to eat or sleep because he still misses her. The song takes a tragic turn when the singer finds out that Mary Ann has died. He believes that if they had been left alone, they would have been able to marry each other, but their love was not allowed to thrive. In the end, he regrets not being able to see his sweet Mary Ann one more time.
Overall, Ives is trying to convey that love knows no boundaries, and if two people truly love each other, they should be allowed to be together. However, society and family pressures often come in the way and decide the fate of the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I saved up my money to buy my sweetheart some flowers
I worked hard to save money in order to buy flowers for my love
For Saturday's date and I restlessly counted the hours.
I eagerly awaited our date on Saturday, counting down the hours
Then today in the mail I received this short little note
I received a brief message in the mail today
And I broke down inside at the message that her mother wrote.
The message from her mother caused me to emotionally break down
Mary Ann regrets she's unable to see you again;
Mary Ann is unable to see me again and she regrets it
We're leaving for Europe next week, she'll be busy till then.
Mary Ann and her family are leaving for Europe next week and she will be occupied until then
They know that she loves me, but poor boys don't fit in their plan.
Even though Mary Ann loves me, her family does not approve of me because I am poor and do not fit in their plans
Good-bye true love, good-bye my sweet Mary Ann.
I must say goodbye to my true love, Mary Ann
The weeks have gone by not a word have I heard since then;
Weeks have passed without any communication from Mary Ann
In the papers I read of the far away places she's been.
I only know of Mary Ann's whereabouts through the news articles I read about the places she's been traveling to
I can't eat, I can't sleep for over and over again
I am unable to eat or sleep as I repeatedly think about Mary Ann
My mind reads that letter and I cry for my Mary Ann.
I cry when I read the letter from Mary Ann's mother
My Mary Ann died, they said she just wasted away;
Mary Ann passed away and they claim she died from wasting away
If I could have seen her I know she'd be living today.
If only I had seen her, Mary Ann would still be alive today
For we loved each other and if they'd have left us alone,
Mary Ann and I loved each other but if only her family had left us alone
Today she'd be wearing my ring, not a blanket of stone.
If things had gone differently, Mary Ann would be wearing my ring as a symbol of our love, rather than being buried under a stone
Mary Ann regrets she's unable to see you again;
Mary Ann is still unable to see me and she regrets it
We're leaving for Europe next week, she'll be busy till then.
Mary Ann and her family are still leaving for Europe and she will be occupied until then
They know that she loves me but poor boys don't fit in their plan.
Even though Mary Ann still loves me, her family still does not approve of me because I am poor and do not fit in their plans
Good-bye true love, good-bye my sweet Mary-Ann
I must continue to say goodbye to my true love, Mary Ann
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kenneth Loomis
I'm 80 years old, and I've loved this man all my life!!
Michael Francolini
yikes just found this 45 from who knows when, use to play it as a kid, my mom loved it too!! great old song, thanks Burl.
JOHNNY LINDEN
Brul Ives is AWESOME. He sings the best ever version of Mary Ann Regrets. He sings a great song called 40 Phatoms Down Lies The Gold, but you can't find it on you tube yet. God Bless Burl Ives.
John1948TwoC1
Here ya go Johnny. You had the titled wrong - It's Sixteen Fathoms Down. youtube[DOT]com/watch?v=TBMIf1zfzS4 Just replace [DOT] with a period and the link should get you there.
John1948TwoC1
Thanks for the comment. I'm going to look for 40 Phatoms Down Lies The Gold!
David Weinfurtner
I was a teen when Burl had out "Little Bitty Tear" and "It's My Funny Way of Laughing." I sang those songs over and over again because they were 2 of my most favorite songs. I love his smooth voice.
Norm Harvey
One of those songs you never forget..such a passionate melody
Keith O'Neil
I just love him singing this song beautiful
John J. Flanagan - Songs of Faith
Burl Ives, still one of the greats.
Mr Perdue
One of my dads favorite songs RIP dad I miss you so much.