Mary Gauthier (born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1962) is an American count… Read Full Bio ↴Mary Gauthier (born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1962) is an American country and folk singer/songwriter. Given up at birth by a mother she never knew, Mary was adopted. At age 15, she ran away from home and stole her parents' car, and spent the next several years in detox, halfway houses, and living with friends; she spent her 18th birthday in jail. These experiences provided fodder for her songwriting later on (particularly her song "Drag Queens in Limousines"). Later on, she enrolled at Louisiana State University as a philosophy major, but after five years there, dropped out due to drug problems and moved to Boston. After working waitress jobs and eventually being promoted to manager of the restaurant where she worked, financial backers paid her way to attend the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and she opened a Cajun restaurant in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, "Dixie Kitchen" (also the title of her first album). She wrote her first song at age 35. After the release of her first album, she sold her share in the restaurant to finance her second album, Drag Queens in Limousines. Gauthier is an out lesbian and two of the songs on her first album, "Goddamn HIV" and "Skeleton Town", dealt with AIDS.

Her surname is pronounced "go-chay."

Coda
Mary Gauthier Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Foundling, a foundling
Looking for home
Wanders through darkness
And travels alone

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mary Gauthier's song "Coda" describe the experience of a foundling, a child who has been abandoned and left to fend for themselves. This child is searching for a home, wandering through darkness and traveling alone. The use of the word "foundling" emphasizes the child's sense of abandonment and lack of belonging. The child's journey is one of isolation and loneliness, as they have no one to turn to for support or guidance.

The theme of abandonment and searching for a sense of home is a recurring one in Gauthier's music. In "Coda," she uses simple but evocative language to convey the emotional depth of the foundling's experience. The use of the word "wanders" emphasizes the aimlessness of the child's journey, while the phrase "through darkness" suggests a sense of danger and uncertainty. As the foundling travels alone, they are forced to confront their own vulnerability and reliance on their instincts.

Overall, "Coda" is a haunting and poignant reflection on the human experience of abandonment and the search for a sense of belonging. Through her masterful use of language and imagery, Gauthier captures the loneliness and longing of the foundling's journey.

Line by Line Meaning

Foundling, a foundling
A person abandoned as a child, with no knowledge of their origins or roots

Looking for home
Searching for a place to belong and call home, a feeling of safety and acceptance

Wanders through darkness
Navigating through the unknown, the uncertain and the difficult parts of life with little guidance or light

And travels alone
Embarking on this journey of life without a companion, without someone to share experiences and challenges with

Contributed by Landon G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS