"Hazard" tells the story of an implied friendship or relationship between Marx's character (usually considered the protagonist) and a woman named Mary. Mary is presumably murdered and Marx, shunned by many in the small town since his childhood, is immediately considered the main suspect. Marx, however, maintains his innocence throughout the song, and the question of such is left open to the listener's interpretation.
The music video opens with several older men teasing Marx's character as a child with his mother in the background. The video then shows Mary, who is depicted as having features very similar to Marx's mother. Various scenes in this sequence can cause the viewer to become unclear about the nature of their relationship. As the story continues, the town's sheriff is shown taking photographs of the couple and following one or both of them in his vehicle.
It is implied that Marx goes to see Mary but catches her making love to an unidentified person. Again, the video flashes back to his childhood, where Marx sees his mother committing adultery. In present time, the sheriff arrives and sees Marx, who then flees, leaving his scarf behind on the branch of a bush. Marx returns home and weeps about Mary.
Mary is then shown alone near the river spoken of in the song. She turns to face the camera with a look of surprise on her face, and it is then made to look as if she lay in water. The next morning (as the song states), several people assist in arresting Marx for Mary's murder.
While in the interrogation room, Marx is shown a white cloth, which the sheriff identifies as the item used to strangle Mary. Marx then denies that he and Mary were romantically involved, and the sheriff asks if Marx was jealous. At this point, the video reveals a larger picture of Marx's childhood: that after his mother's affair, his father leaves her for another woman. Marx is then shown as a child setting a house on fire, although it is unclear whose it is.
Locals are shown vandalizing Marx's home, breaking windows and setting fire to it. It is implied that Marx cannot be proven guilty when the sheriff drops him off at his ruined home. As the video ends, a woman walking by covers her young son's eyes, again implying Marx is an outcast or considered guilty of Mary's murder.
The Sheriff
The video seems to heavily imply that the Sheriff is guilty. He is seen following one or both of them, taking their pictures, and even keeping pictures of Mary in his squad car. Mary is also shown running away from the squad car on one occasion.
The sheriff identifies a white cloth as the murder weapon while interrogating Marx. It appears to be the same white scarf Marx lost on the branch of the bush the night Mary was killed, and the sheriff was the only other person visible at the scene. During an interrogation, another officer questions the sheriff for his obvious riding Marx to confess. The video suggests she was found with the scarf tied around Mary's neck, though earlier seen lost in the branches when Marx was running.
Motives could include the sheriff's possible jealousy of Marx and Mary, and the desire to exile Marx permanently from the town by framing him.
In the final chorus after the bridge of the song, in the video as he sings "I swear I left her by the river... I left her safe and sound..." we see final scene having Mary running from the sheriff's car (indicated by the car spotlight and apparent police equipment inside).
Mary's lover
It is also possible that Mary's unidentified lover could be the killer, perhaps because he may have seen Marx lingering outside Mary's house. However, the viewer is given little else to help them come to this conclusion.
Hazard
Richard Marx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even then the folks in town said with prejudiced eyes
That boy's not right
Three years ago when I came to know Mary
First time that someone looked beyond the rumors and the lies
And saw the man inside
We used to walk down by the river
We used to walk along the river
And dream our way out of this town
No one understood what I felt for Mary
No one cared until the night she went out walking alone
And never came home
Man with a badge came knocking next morning
Here was I surrounded by a thousand fingers suddenly
Pointed right at me
I swear I left her by the river
I swear I left her safe and sound
I need to make it to the river
And leave this old Nebraska town
I think about my life gone by
And how it's done me wrong
There's no escape for me this time
All of my rescuers are gone, long gone
I swear I left her by the river
I swear I left her safe and sound
(Wooah) I need to make it to the river
And leave this old Nebraska town
Ooh-hoo, hoo
The song "Hazard" by Richard Marx is a haunting story about a man named Hazard who is falsely accused of murder in his small town of Nebraska. The song starts with a flashback to Hazard's childhood when his mother moved them to town. From an early age, the town's people didn't accept him and made assumptions about him because he was different. This prejudice would follow him throughout his life, even when he falls in love with a girl named Mary.
Mary is the first person to look past the rumors and lies and see the real man inside of Hazard. They spend time walking by the river, dreaming of a life outside the confines of their small town. Unfortunately, their love story comes to an abrupt and tragic end when Mary goes missing. The town quickly puts the blame on Hazard, and he becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance.
Despite his innocence, Hazard finds himself surrounded by suspicion and accusations. He clings to his alibi, that he left her safe and sound by the river. But the town's people are not convinced, and he is left with no choice but to flee.
The song highlights the themes of prejudice and judgement from a small town's perspective. It also reveals the harsh reality of being falsely accused and the loss of hope when there is no one left to help. Hazard's story is one that we can all relate to in one way or another, a reminder to never judge a book by its cover.
Line by Line Meaning
My mother came to Hazard when I was just seven
I have lived in Hazard, a place plagued by gossip and judgment since childhood.
Even then the folks in town said with prejudiced eyes
Despite my young age, the inhabitants of the town were quick to stigmatize me and ostracize me simply for being different.
That boy's not right
They judged me as mentally unstable without taking the time to speak with me first.
Three years ago when I came to know Mary
About three years ago, I met Mary, the first person to take an interest in me.
First time that someone looked beyond the rumors and the lies
She was the first person to look beyond the town's slander.
And saw the man inside
She looked beyond the town's rumors and slurs to see the person that I truly am.
We used to walk down by the river
We used to walk alongside the river.
She loved to watch the sun go down
One of her favorite things was to sit and observe the sun setting.
We used to walk along the river
We would stroll down by the river, taking in the scenery and dreaming of a life beyond Hazard.
And dream our way out of this town
We would fantasize about leaving this place and starting anew elsewhere.
No one understood what I felt for Mary
None of the people in town understood how much I cared for Mary.
No one cared until the night she went out walking alone
The townspeople only began to take notice of her when she disappeared while walking alone one night.
And never came home
After that night, she was never seen again.
Man with a badge came knocking next morning
The following morning, a man with a badge came to my door inquiring about Mary's whereabouts.
Here was I surrounded by a thousand fingers suddenly
All of a sudden, it felt as though everyone in town was pointing at me accusingly. I was the immediate suspect, the only plausible culprit.
Pointed right at me
They immediately accused me of being responsible for her disappearance.
I swear I left her by the river
I swear that I left her safely by the river before she went off on her own.
I swear I left her safe and sound
I genuinely believed she was in a safe place when I parted from her by the river.
I need to make it to the river
I need to go to the river to search for any clues of her disappearance.
And leave this old Nebraska town
I need to get out of this town and start anew.
I think about my life gone by
I contemplate my life and how it's been fraught with misfortune.
And how it's done me wrong
I feel as though everything that has happened to me was unjust.
There's no escape for me this time
I fear that this situation has no feasible solution.
All of my rescuers are gone, long gone
All of the people who have tried to help me in the past have since left or given up on me.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Richard Marx
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jahangirchowdhury516
"Hazard"
My mother came to Hazard when I was just seven
Even then the folks in town would say with prejudiced eyes
"That boy's not right"
Three years ago when I came to know Mary
First time that someone looked beyond the rumors and the lies
And saw the man inside
We used to walk down by the river
She loved to watch the sun go down
We used to walk along the river
And dream our way out of this town
No one understood what I felt for Mary
No one cared until the night she went out walking all alone
And never came home
Men with a badge came knocking next morning
Here was I surrounded by a thousand fingers suddenly
Pointed right at me
I swear I left her by the river
I swear I left her safe and sound
I need to make it to the river
And leave this old Nebraska town
I think about my life gone by
And how it's done me wrong
There's no escape for me this time
All of my rescues are gone, long gone
I swear I left her by the river
I swear I left her safe and sound
I need to make it to the river
And leave this old Nebraska town
@alaidelima8730
How many listening to this in 2024 ?
@waynewayne4007
Uno .... me
@wanidawanida2604
+๑😊
@douglasguimaraes3872
24, 25, 26, ....❤
@sandrahealy1512
From Ireland 🇮🇪 30th March 2024
@barbaranewton3578
Me@@waynewayne4007
@Brad-0212
Anyone listening to this tune in 2024 surely someone 😁👍
@nanceejay3507
YOU BET I'm listening...such a haunting melody and arrangement. Richard Marx has an amazing voice and this song really shows that off!!
@luzcontreras8807
Yooooo, 08-febrero-2024. Escuchando a Richard Marx.
@01Clancey
Well I’m listening, guess I’m someone! lol, I love about an hour from Hazard, NE