Their debut single on Virgin Records in Feb' 1987, "Mary's Prayer", failed to make an impression, although it did chart in the US before hitting the UK Top 50 in August and then No. 3 the following March. The song was later featured in the movie "Something About Mary"
The debut album "Meet Danny Wilson" was full of promise with the band's clean-cut image fitting perfectly in the late-80's trend for slick.
Their follow-up album, "Bebop Moptop", however, failed to make much impression, though the fine single "The Second Summer Of Love" did go Top 30.
There was also a subsequent "Greatest Hits" album released after the band split in 1990.
Mary
Danny Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Being here is heavenly
Every single day, she says
Everything is free
I used to be so careless
As if I couldn't care less
Did I have to make mistakes when I was Mary's prayer?
Suddenly the rain came down
Suddenly was washed away
The Mary that I knew
So when you find somebody who gives
Think of me and celebrate
I made such a big mistake when I was Mary's Prayer
So if I say save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in heaven for me
Blessed is the one who shares
The power and your beauty, Mary
Blessed is the millionaire
Who shares your wedding day
So when you find somebody to give
Think of me and celebrate
I made such a big mistake when I was Mary's Prayer
So if I say save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in heaven
Save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in heaven for me
If you want the fruit to fall
You have to give the tree a shake
But if you shake the tree too hard
The bough is gonna break
And if I can't reach the top of the tree
Mary you can hold me up there
What I wouldn't give to be when I was Mary's prayer
So if I say save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
If I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in heaven
Save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
If I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in heaven
Save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
What I wouldn't give to be when I was Mary's prayer
What I wouldn't give to be when I was Mary's prayer
What I wouldn't give to be (save me) when I was Mary's prayer
In Danny Wilson's song Mary's Prayer, the singer reflects on his past mistakes and expresses his wish to be saved and be forgiven. The opening lines speak of how he finds everything wonderful and heavenly now that he has found someone who gives, possibly someone he loves. However, he acknowledges that he used to be careless and couldn't care less, making mistakes when he was Mary's prayer, which could mean he was praying for someone named Mary or referring to himself as Mary's prayer, a religious reference.
Suddenly, the heavens rolled, and the rain came down, washing the Mary that he knew away, possibly alluding to a change in his life or relationship. He then sings about the power and beauty of Mary and how blessed the one who shares them is, even comparing the luck of such a person to that of a millionaire on their wedding day. He concludes that when someone finds somebody who gives, they should think of him and celebrate, possibly a wish for his mistakes not to be repeated by others.
The repetitive chorus of the song speaks of his need for salvation and a light to guide him. The lines "If you want the fruit to fall, you have to give the tree a shake" and "Mary you can hold me up there" suggest that he needs help to achieve his desires and that he is willing to put in the effort. The song ends with him expressing his longing to be Mary's prayer again and asking to be saved and seen as he once was when he was Mary's prayer.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything is wonderful
Life is fantastic
Being here is heavenly
Being alive feels like paradise
Every single day, she says
Every day, Mary sees the beauty in life
Everything is free
Life has abundant blessings
I used to be so careless
I used to be reckless
As if I couldn't care less
As if I had no regard for the consequences of my actions
Did I have to make mistakes when I was Mary's prayer?
Did I have to make major errors in judgment when I was reliant on Mary's kindness?
Suddenly the heavens rolled
The sky darkened suddenly
Suddenly the rain came down
It began to rain suddenly
Suddenly was washed away
Suddenly my problems were washed away
The Mary that I knew
The Mary I relied on
So when you find somebody who gives
When you find someone who is giving
Think of me and celebrate
Remember me and celebrate our time together
I made such a big mistake when I was Mary's Prayer
I made a significant error in judgement when I was dependent on Mary's kindness
So if I say save me, save me
If I ask for help, please help me
Be the light in my eyes
Guide me
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in heaven for me
Remember me in your prayers
Blessed is the one who shares
Fortunate is the one who gives
The power and your beauty, Mary
The generosity and kindness of Mary
Blessed is the millionaire
Fortunate is the wealthy person
Who shares your wedding day
Who gets to be with you on your special day
If you want the fruit to fall
If you want success, you need to work for it
You have to give the tree a shake
You have to work hard
But if you shake the tree too hard
If you work too hard
The bough is gonna break
You might suffer burnout or failure
And if I can't reach the top of the tree
If I can't achieve my goals
Mary you can hold me up there
You can support me
What I wouldn't give to be when I was Mary's prayer
I long to return to the time when I was dependent on Mary's kindness
Save me, save me
Help me, help me
What I wouldn't give to be when I was Mary's prayer
I long to return to the time when I was dependent on Mary's kindness
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GARY CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@markjones464
No Internet , no mobile Phones
So what we had was Sport , Music , and
Live pub Music . So before you even
Got a gig , you had To be Good ,
Practices , Practices , Justin Bieber
Would not made it , he sings 5 word
Songs 🎵 Sorry can he sing ? There
No Depth and Breath today . Your
Right the 80 was great , that when
I was a Young man !!! and the Difference
Was , Alcohol , but in my Case no Drugs !!
@oooohapenny4707
Everything is wonderful
Being here is heavenly
Every single day she sends
Everything is free
I used to be so careless
As if I couldn't care less
Did I have to make this mess
When I was Mary's prayer?
Suddenly the heavens roared
Suddenly the rain came down
Suddenly was washed away
The Mary that I knew
So when you find somebody you keep
Think of me and celebrate
I made such a big mistake
When I was Mary's prayer
So if I say, "Save me, save me"
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in Heaven for me
Blessed is the one who shares
Your power and your beauty, Mary
Blessed is the millionaire
Who shares your wedding day
So when you find somebody you keep
Think of me and celebrate
I made such a big mistake
When I was Mary's prayer
So if I say, "Save me, save me"
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in Heaven for me
Save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in Heaven for me
If you want the fruit to fall
You have to give the tree a shake
If you shake the tree too hard
The bough is gonna break
And if I can't reach the top of the tree
Mary, you can blow me up there
What I wouldn't give to be
When I was Mary's prayer
So if I say, "Save me, save me"
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in Heaven
Save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary's
Leave a light on in Heaven
Save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
What I wouldn't give to be
When I was Mary's prayer
What I wouldn't give to be
When I was Mary's prayer
What I wouldn't give to be (save me)
When I was Mary's prayer
@TampaFanatic1
I ran into my wife while this song was playing on the overhead of a Kash and Karry supermarket near USF in Tampa in the late '80s. For some reason I started a conversation about the song and she said she liked Danny Wilson, me being a dumb 22 year old Temple Terrace kid simply agreed. Fast forward a week, I work at Busch Gardens and go to a worker party after hours and guess who is there? We talk a bit more and with a 4 beer courage I get a date and 3 or 4 years later we were married and still are for 30 years now. Our daughter is at FSU. Time flies y'all. Great song, it is the song I heard when I met my wife!
@ronyeahright9536
great story man, God bless
@TampaFanatic1
@@ronyeahright9536 Thanks man! It has been fun, I love them both.!
@mossercasting
What a wonderful story! Happened upon the movie "Something About Mary" again a few days ago and heard a quick clip of this song. Remembered how much I loved it years ago and searched to find this! Haven't heard it in years. The version on Spotify is much different, so I'm happy that I found this video version. Also glad that I happened upon your story. Congrats on a long and happy marriage!
@another-near-miss1117
How lovely! Godspeed for your continued happiness!
@oldskool1668
I worked for Danny Wilson (Gary Clarke) in his studio back in 2005. Himself and his wife where both lovely and they made me feel welcome in their home in west London.
Great Song!
@ausrajuraite1215
Thank's
@CHARLESONIKOSI
Notice to studio sampling...please could you recommend latest Pop tunes.
@duncanlavin4090
Whereabouts in West London does he live? Love the song too!
@emilydowning-mahli6290
So cool!!!