Clark has sold more than 68 million records. She has also enjoyed success in the musical film Finian's Rainbow and in the stage musicals The Sound of Music, Blood Brothers, Sunset Boulevard, and Mary Poppins.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petula_Clark
Discography
Petula Clark Sings (1956)
A Date with Pet (1956)
You Are My Lucky Star (1957)
À Musicorama (1958)
Petula Clark in Hollywood / Pet Clark (1959)
Prends mon coeur (1959)
Tête à tête avec Petula Clark (1961)
Rendez-vous avec Petula Clark (1962)
In Other Words (1962)
Petula (1962)
Le soleil dans les yeux (1963)
Ceux qui ont un coeur (1964)
Hello Paris (1964)
Petula au Canada (1964)
Downtown (1965)
I Know a Place (1965)
The World's Greatest International Hits (1965)
Petula '65 (1965)
My Love (1966)
I Couldn't Live Without Your Love (1966)
Petula Clark '66 (1966)
Colour My World (1967)
These Are My Songs (1967)
C'est ma chanson (1967)
Petula Italiana (1967)
The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener (1968)
Petula (1968)
Portrait of Petula (1969)
Just Pet (1969)
Memphis (1970)
Warm and Tender / The Song of My Life (1971)
Comme une prière (1972)
La chanson de Marie-Madeleine (1972)
Now (1972)
Come On Home (1974)
I'm The Woman You Need (1975)
Je reviens (1977)
Destiny (1978)
Where The Heart Is (1998)
Here For You (1998)
Solitude & Sunshine: The Songs of Rod McKuen (2007)
Lost in You (2013)
From Now On (2016)
Living For Today (2017)
Vu d'ici (2018)
The Card
Petula Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The print is black and clear
Saying Mary please write
Please don't drop out of site
Mary, we love you dear
Mary, we want you here
Oh, Mary, why did you disappear?
Her tears won't cease to flow
Praying Mary will call
But there's no call at all
Mary, where did you go?
That's all we want to know
Oh, Mary, call us and say hello
Meanwhile in the city
Mary looks pretty
eating an ice cream cone
With her childhood past
She's free at last
And making it on her own Jimmy puts an ad on the personal page
He can't believe they're through
Darling, I was so blind
But I'm changing my mind
Mary I'll marry you
Just like you want me to
We'll do whatever you want to do
When the ads are in and the type is set
The printer makes a plate
Then it goes off to press
Will the ad bring success?
Jimmy can hardly wait
Mother is in a state
They still don't know that it's much too late
Mary, the escaper, picks up a paper
Reads what the columns say
Walking through a crowd she laughs out loud
And tosses the sheet away
(laughter)
The song "The Card" by Petula Clark is a touching ballad about Mary, who has disappeared without any explanation. Her father places an ad in the newspaper, pleading with her to get in touch with them and assuring her how much her family loves and wants her back. Her mother is desperate for information and spends her days waiting near the phone, hoping that Mary will soon call. Meanwhile, Mary is enjoying the freedom of living in the city, far from home. The chorus repeats the haunting question, "Oh Mary, why did you disappear?"
As the song progresses, Mary's ex-boyfriend Jimmy puts an ad in the newspaper asking her to marry him, explaining that he has recognized his mistakes and is now willing to do anything she wishes. Meanwhile, Mary is out and about, reading the newspaper, and she ultimately tosses it aside with a laugh. The use of different perspectives in the song allows the listeners to empathize with each character's perspective and their intense emotions. Central to the song's message is the idea that we may not always know why someone leaves or chooses to disappear from our lives, but we miss them deeply and want them to know they are loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Father puts an ad on the personal page
Mary's father posted a public notice asking her to return home
The print is black and clear
The words written in the ad are easy to read and understand
Saying Mary please write
The ad requested Mary to write back
Please don't drop out of site
Mary's family wants her to stay in touch and not disappear again
Mary, we love you dear
Mary's family expresses their love for her
Mary, we want you here
Mary's family wants her to come back home
Oh, Mary, why did you disappear?
Mary's family questions why she left without any warning
Mother sits at home by the telephone
Mary's mother is waiting by the phone at home
Her tears won't cease to flow
Mary's mother can't stop crying
Praying Mary will call
Mary's mother is praying for her daughter to call
But there's no call at all
Mary hasn't called yet
Mary, where did you go?
Mary's family doesn't know where she went
That's all we want to know
Mary's family just wants to know where she is
Oh, Mary, call us and say hello
Mary's family wants her to call them and say hello
Meanwhile in the city
In the meantime, Mary is in the city
Mary looks pretty
Mary is looking pretty
Eating an ice cream cone
Mary is enjoying an ice cream cone
With her childhood past
Mary left behind her childhood days
She's free at last
Mary is free from her past and enjoying her freedom
And making it on her own
Mary is independent and making it on her own
Jimmy puts an ad on the personal page
Jimmy posted an ad asking Mary to marry him
He can't believe they're through
Jimmy can't believe that Mary left him
Darling, I was so blind
Jimmy admits that he was blind to Mary's feelings
But I'm changing my mind
Jimmy now wants to be with Mary and is changing his mind
Mary I'll marry you
Jimmy proposes to Mary, saying he'll marry her
Just like you want me to
Jimmy agrees to marry Mary on her terms
We'll do whatever you want to do
Jimmy is willing to do whatever Mary wants to do
When the ads are in and the type is set
The ad is finalized and ready to print
The printer makes a plate
The printer creates a plate to print the ad
Then it goes off to press
The plate is taken to the press to print the ad
Will the ad bring success?
Mary's family hopes that the ad will help them find her
Jimmy can hardly wait
Jimmy is excited and can't wait for the ad to be printed
Mother is in a state
Mary's mother is worried and anxious
They still don't know that it's much too late
Mary's family doesn't realize that Mary has moved on and it's too late to bring her back
Mary, the escaper, picks up a paper
Mary, who ran away, picks up a newspaper
Reads what the columns say
Mary reads the columns in the newspaper
Walking through a crowd she laughs out loud
Mary walks through a crowd and laughs
And tosses the sheet away
Mary throws away the newspaper and doesn't care about the ad or her family
(laughter)
Mary is laughing and carefree, having moved on from her past and family
Contributed by Aiden D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@giuseppinatomasini3795
❤grazie
@delanasmith1111
Such a delightfully charming film. Thank you for sharing it with us!
@heatherbowlan1961
Thank you for sharing these fine Gems ,also keeping then alive for a younger generation ,God Bless
@dkclassicsiii3806
Thanks for listening
@Bluedog4712
At 100 years old Glynis Johns is still with us….and wasn’t she…and still is….beautiful!
@elmagodelmaryahoo
What an absolutely D E L I G H T F U L film, DK = Sincere Thanks yet again..... 👌
Titled The Promoter in its American release, this film is another "well selected" production by the heralded Arthur Rank, and an always welcome performance by ever-talented and wonderfully unique Glynis Johns. As always too, a very "specialized" performance by one of THE True Screen Masters, Sir Alec Guinness...!!! 🤜🤛
@lisaloo715
What a perfectly enjoyable film! Definitely, one to see again.
@cattymajiv
Yes! Alec Guiness is always just priceless!
@damianranger6910
I'm here in Oregon making my way through all of the movies of the great Alec Guinness. What a pleasure!
@cattymajiv
What a great actor! Drama or comedy, he's always perfect.