Mary C. Brown And The Hollywood Sign
Dory Previn Lyrics

You know the hollywood sign
The singer addresses the audience to bring up the topic of the Hollywood sign.

That stands in the hollywood hills
The singer gives the geographical location of the sign to the audience.

I don't think the christ of the andes
The singer compares the Hollywood sign to the Christ of the Andes statue, believing the latter never blessed as many people as the sign does via appearing in movies.

Ever blessed so many ills
The artist implies that the Hollywood sign contributes to societal problems and ills by promoting unrealistic dreams and expectations.

The hollywood sign seems to smile
The artist personifies the Hollywood sign, making it appear friendly and welcoming through the term "smiling."

Like it's constantly saying "cheese"
The singer further personifies the sign, making it appear as if it were posing for a camera.

I doubt if the statue of liberty
The singer again compares the Hollywood sign, this time to the Statue of Liberty.

Ever welcomed more refugees
The artist illogically suggests that the Hollywood sign welcomes more dreamers and aspirants who arrive in Hollywood, hoping to make it big.

Give me your poor
The artist begins the chorus, using the imperative "give me" to suggest a desperate plea to others to come to Hollywood.

Your tired your pimps
The artist lists those whom they're pleading to give, including those who are exhausted and pimps.

You carhops your cowboys
The singer goes on to include carhops and cowboys as those who should relocate to Hollywood.

Your midgets your chimps
The artist adds more people to the list: midgets and chimps, which implies that they should also follow the Hollywood dream.

Give me your freaks
The singer wants the "freaks" of the world, further expanding the marginalized people they seek with their plea.

Your whores your harlots
The singer enforces their point by including whores and harlots on the list, suggesting that they're welcome with open arms.

Your flunkies your junkies
The list goes on with more blacklisted folks, such as flunkies and junkies, who are given a chance for the Hollywood dream.

Give me your starlets
The artist concludes the chorus by stating their ultimate goal: the starlets of Hollywood.

Mary cecilia brown
The artist changes the subject to a person named Mary Cecilia Brown.

Rode to town on a malibu bus
The singer gives details of Brown's journey to Hollywood, riding on a Malibu bus.

She climbed to the top
The singer narrates Brown's actions as she tries to achieve her Hollywood dream, which involves the sign.

Of the hollywood sign
The artist specifies the object in question: the Hollywood sign.

And with the smallest possible fuss
The artist implies that Brown is not making a big deal about her actions, acting as if what she's doing is completely normal.

She jumped off the letter "h"
Brown's objective is to jump off the sign, which will attract attention to her and her dream.

'cause she did not become a star
The singer implies the reason for Brown's action was due to her inability to achieve her goal, which was to become a Hollywood star.

She died in less than a minute and a half
The artist reveals Brown's tragic fate, dying just a minute and a half after jumping off the sign.

She looked a bit like hedy lamarr
The singer compares how Brown looked to Hedy Lamarr, an actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Sometimes i have this dream
The singer returns to themselves, describing their own thoughts through the use of a dream metaphor.

When the time comes for me to go
The singer imagines their own death and state of being when it happens.

I will climb that hill
The artist decides that they would climb the same hill as Brown to fulfill their own dream and goals.

And i'll hang myself
The artist heightens the intensity of their dream by imagining they would commit suicide by hanging themselves from the sign.

From the second or third letter "o"
The singer chooses which letter they would hang themselves from and gives two possible options.

When mary cecilia jumped
The singer returns to Mary Cecilia Brown's action as an allegory for the crushing effect of the Hollywood dream.

She finally made the grade
The artist adjusts the previous statement, stating that the person who jumped from the sign automatically becomes a celebrity in death.

Her name was in the obituary column
The artist cites sources to confirm their point, saying that Brown's name appeared in obituaries for both major newspapers.

Of both the daily trades
The artist specifies that the obituaries were from the "daily trades," or well-regarded newspapers in the industry.

I hope the hollywood sign
The singer concludes with their final thoughts on the Hollywood sign.

Cries for the town it touches
The artist personifies the sign again, making it appear as if it were weeping for the town below it, which it influences greatly.

The lady of lourdes in her grotto
The singer compares the Hollywood sign to the statue of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France.

Saw fewer cripples and crutches
The singer implies that the Hollywood dream causes emotional and mental damage that is not visible physically, unlike the disability the statue of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes often helps heal.

Give me your poor
The singer restates the chorus again during the outro.

Your maladjusted
The artist repeats the target audience for their plea, using slightly different words.

Your sick and your beat
The artist continues the list of marginalized people they believe should strive to achieve the Hollywood dream.

And your sad and your busted
The singer prioritizes those who are not at their best state and continue with the appeal.

Give me your has-beens
The singer continues to expand the cast of people they believe should, through their plea, try to start again.

Give me your twisted
The artist continues to list those they have empathy for and want to give a second chance through their plea.

Your loners your losers
The list continues with more people that do not belong anywhere else except for Hollywood, according to the artist.

Give me your black-listed
The artist ends the song with a plea to embrace all castaways, including those specifically excluded from other opportunities.

You know the hollywood sign
Irrelevant repetition from first stanza

The witness to our confusion
The artist defines the Hollywood Sign as a reminder of the viewers' perplexity, a conflicting state of mind induced by modern tales and bright promises.

A symbol of dreams
The singer acknowledges the traditional myth of Hollywood as a paradise for adults, where their dreams and talent can turn into reality.

Turns out to be
The singer comments on the irony that experiences and expectations of Hollywood are far from the ideal provided and propagated by the original myth.

A sign
The singer simplifies the meaning of the Hollywood sign to a physical signal that draws in dreamers, yet shatters their hopes upon realization.