I started Last Conservative. Made my first record, "Unremarkable" in 1999. Got some attention. Played some cool shows around Buffalo. Made my second record, "These In-Between Times" in 2001. One of the songs, "Out of Nowhere", got a lot of radio play. Started to establish myself as a songwriter (with help from our producer, Armand John Petri who worked with the Goo Goo Dolls and 10,000 Maniacs among others). Played some bigger shows. People started to listen. Started touring. Got some airplay around the US. Lineup change. Met Robby Takac from the Goo Goo Dolls and signed with his label, Good Charamel Records. Recorded my third record "On to the Next One" (produced by Robby). Lots of guitars and a few hooks thrown in for good measure. Some cool things started to happen (featured on MTV's Advanced Warning, opened for Bon Jovi, played shows at over 100 high schools around the northeast, won XM Radio's 2005 Best Unsigned Band, toured all across the US). Lineup change (rock and roll isn't easy). Recorded our latest album, "Pretty New Things" which came out in 2006 to rave reviews. Toured with Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls, Augustana, The All American Rejects and Boys Like Girls. Played the coolest clubs packed with fans and the smallest dives to no one. Lowest low to highest high. Saw all four corners of the country. Oftentimes sober. Lineup change.
And now, here I am. Writing better than I've ever written before. Finding my voice and the right words. Making music I truly believe in. Settling into my skin. Working working working. Songs about faith and love, joy and anger, comfort and chaos. New music coming very soon. - TJ Zindle
Mary
Last Conservative Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mary kiss me again
This hazy mood I'm in
Hovering over me
Give me your lips again
The kings and the queens
Are all powerless now
My conscience would allow
Everyone's asleep
But you're wide awake now
Life is so bewildering
Either you're breaking or you're building
Or you're lying to yourself all the time
Watching the world go by
Up until six a.m.
Mary touch me again
This beautiful state we're in
Washing over me
To feel this way again
The kings and the queens
Are all powerless now
I've done all the things
That my conscience would allow
Everyone's asleep
But you're wide awake now
Life is so bewildering
Either you're breaking or you're building
Or you're lying to yourself all the time
Sometimes it's hard to decide
Up until six a.m.
Mary hurt me again
This fading mood I'm in
You roll right over me
I'm over and out again
The kings and the queens
Are all powerless now
I've done all the things
That my conscience would allow
Everyone's asleep
But you're wide awake now
Life is so bewildering
Either you're breaking or I'm building
Or I'm lying to myself all the time
Watching the world go by
The lyrics to "Mary" by the Last Conservative are quite ambiguous and lend themselves to multiple interpretations. The first verse begins with the singer recounting a night that stretches into early morning, during which he implores Mary to kiss him again. He describes feeling hazy and overwhelmed ("this hazy mood I'm in, hovering over me") and asks for her to give him her lips again. The second verse is similar to the first, with the singer asking Mary to touch him again and describing the beautiful state they're in. However, it is the third verse that shifts the tone of the song. The singer asks Mary to hurt him again and describes himself as being in a "fading mood". The imagery of her rolling right over him suggests that Mary is not quite as invested in the relationship as the singer is.
The repetition of the lines "the kings and the queens are all powerless now/I've done all the things my conscience would allow" suggests a certain resignation on the part of the singer. He seems to have reached a point where he has done everything he can, morally speaking, and is now at the mercy of forces beyond his control. This feeling is compounded by the line "either you're breaking or I'm building/or I'm lying to myself all the time". The singer is unsure whether he is making progress or merely deluding himself, and is resigned to the fact that he can only watch the world go by.
Overall, "Mary" is a song about uncertainty and resignation, with a hint of desperation. The singer is in a relationship that seems to be on the brink of collapse, and he is powerless to stop it. The repetition of certain lines and the hazy, dreamlike quality of the lyrics suggest that the singer is lost in his own thoughts, unable to process the reality of the situation he finds himself in.
Line by Line Meaning
Up until six a.m.
I've been awake all night
Mary kiss me again
I want Mary to kiss me again
This hazy mood I'm in
I'm not thinking clearly
Hovering over me
A feeling of uncertainty is present
Give me your lips again
I want Mary to kiss me again
The kings and the queens
Those in power
Are all powerless now
They no longer hold influence
I've done all the things
I've done everything I feel comfortable with
My conscience would allow
What I feel morally and ethically okay with
Everyone's asleep
Everyone else is unaware
But you're wide awake now
But Mary is aware of what's happening
Life is so bewildering
Life is confusing
Either you're breaking or you're building
You're either making progress or falling apart
Or you're lying to yourself all the time
Or you're not being honest with yourself
Watching the world go by
Observing what's happening around us
Mary touch me again
I want Mary to touch me again
This beautiful state we're in
I'm enjoying the moment with Mary
Washing over me
Emotions are overwhelming me
To feel this way again
I want to feel this way again
Mary hurt me again
Mary has hurt me
This fading mood I'm in
My emotions are beginning to dim
You roll right over me
Mary has control over me
I'm over and out again
I'm feeling overwhelmed and defeated
Either you're breaking or I'm building
Either I'm falling apart or making progress
Sometimes it's hard to decide
I can't always figure out what's happening
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Benito Skinner
FUCKING LEGEND!!!!
John Heng
Sounds like something you would say!
Josiah Joy Greer
She's hilarious, love the dry humour.
affenket
@Tulipな - are you an idiot? Deadpan or dry humour has been a thing since the 20’s
Tulipな
That literally doesn't make sense 😹 dry and humor are the opposite
Beth Slade
She’s fabulous, you must have her back on the show!
CiaoKakao
I couldn't even see her back!
Jo Montanee
Love love her jokes. Especially “the love for self”. And “40’s guy is at the death door”. 🤣🤣🤣 (Jimmy and the Roots were choking inside. 😄😄😄)
Kelsey K.
she didn't get enough laughs for "the guy who ran marathons or the guy whose favorite band was the beatles" joke lmao
showercurtainyo
I didn’t get that one. Care to explain?