For Rick Seibold, New York isn’t just the name of his n… Read Full Bio ↴RICK SEIBOLD
For Rick Seibold, New York isn’t just the name of his new EP, it’s also the city that represents a pivotal time in the singer-songwriter’s life. His sound has been shaped by struggle, and his passion for his craft permeates through every note.
Raised on the East Coast in Wilmington, NC, Seibold’s creativity began budding by the age of 10 when, at the suggestion of his parents, he began acting in films produced out of Wilmington’s burgeoning film scene, including a part as one of Sir Anthony Hopkins’ children in the 1994 film “The Road To Wellville”. Spending many of his childhood summers on the North Carolina beaches, Seibold took up surfing and the guitar around age 15 where the sights and sounds of beach life quickly settled into his songs.
In winter of 2005, Seibold moved to New York City to take an internship at MTV. Over the course of following three years, he experienced more than his share of the requisite ebbs and flows that quite often characterize the life of a focused and passionate musician living out their dream on the mean streets of New York City. The bright lights and big city that first lured him soon gave way to a nomadic lifestyle that often found him without a place to live. When he was short on cash, you could find him performing in a nearby subway or park, playing and singing until he was hoarse. While his days would be spent working at MTV and BET, his nights were often filled with spot gigs at various bars and clubs, playing until the sun came up.
“Looking back, I’m not even sure how I made it,” says Seibold, reflecting on this time in his life. “A friend of mine once said that the best songs are written from just living life, so that’s what I was trying to do.” And live he did.
Seibold channeled his struggles into a passionate pursuit of his music and, at the insistence of a friend, ultimately released his first collection of songs in EP form in 2007. His debut, That’s The Day, would spend an impressive four months in the iTunes Top Pop Albums chart in 2008. Led by the first single, “Mary”, his music found an audience with both Canadian and UK listeners, garnering him an unexpected fan base north of the border and across the pond.
A 2008 move to Nashville has yielded a second collection of songs that marks not only the next chapter of Seibold’s life, but also a stark stylistic departure from the acoustic simplicity of his previous release. The new project, New York, was written and largely produced by Seibold himself, and finds him settling firmly into a wildly hooky pop music sound. He has been compared sonically to that of One Republic, Chris Brown, and even the Jonas Brothers. When asked about the marked difference between the two discs, Seibold replied "I wanted to make a record that captured my experience of living in the bustling city of New York".
Mary
Rick Seibold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She got everything she needs
Got a four door sports car, house of her dreams
Got white picket fences
Give her diamond rings
But she don't need them
She don't need them
Head stuck in a pipe dream
Well she gets everything she sees
Claims shop-a-holic as a disease
Thinks that plastic and paper are both gonna save her
Money can't buy your way out of danger
Mary's gonna find out one day
That all these things will fade away
Well Mary, you're very confused
Got a lot of issues you need to go through
You got a one track mind when you take your time
You find everything you need your cash can't buy
You're gonna find
Everything's gonna be alright
She got all that money can buy
But she got nothing left inside
Tries to find God sipping on a bottle
Little marijuanna gets a bit harder
Try to put her down it'll come back stronger
Mary's gonna find out one day
That all these things are gonna change
Well Mary, you're very confused
Got a lot of issues you need to go through
You got a one track mind when you take your time
You find everything you need your cash can't buy
You're gonna find
Everything's gonna be alright
Well Mary, you're very confused
Got a lot of issues you need to go through
You got a one track mind when you take your time
You find everything you need your cash can't buy
Well Mary, you're very confused
Got a lot of issues you need to go through
You got a one track mind when you take your time
You find everything you need your cash can't buy
Your cash can't buy
You're gonna find
Everything's gonna be alright
Everything's gonna be alright
The song "Mary" by Rick Seibold delves into the life of a woman named Mary who seems to have everything, from material possessions down to her physical desires. She has a four-door sports car, a house of her dreams, and white picket fences. When it comes to things money can buy, she has given herself access to all of them. However, the issue this song attempts to highlight is that Mary is in a state of disillusionment. She has a head stuck in a pipe dream and is trying to find fulfillment through material wealth.
The song seems to suggest that Mary's youthful recklessness and indulgent lifestyle lead to continuous dissatisfaction with life. Although she gets everything she wants and needs, she is still quite unhappy on the inside. The more she acquires, the emptier she feels. The lyrics indicate Mary's vulnerability, confusion, and addiction, but also imply that a change in her life's direction and values can bring about hope, redemption, and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
She got everything she wants
Mary has acquired all the material possessions she desires
She got everything she needs
Mary has everything she needs to survive, but not necessarily thrive
Got a four door sports car, house of her dreams
Mary has attained the luxury items she fantasized about
Got white picket fences
Mary has created the image of a perfect life, the American Dream
Give her diamond rings
Mary values material goods as symbols of success and happiness
But she don't need them
Mary recognizes that despite wanting them, material possessions are not necessary for her well-being
She don't need them
Mary is content with her life, but her priorities are not in order
Head stuck in a pipe dream
Mary is living in a fantasy and is not grounded in reality
Well she gets everything she sees
Mary has a problem with impulse shopping and cannot resist buying anything she desires
Claims shop-a-holic as a disease
Mary recognizes that she has a problem with excessive and compulsive shopping
Thinks that plastic and paper are both gonna save her
Mary believes that money and credit cards are the solution to all of life's problems
Money can't buy your way out of danger
Mary will learn that having money cannot solve all of life's problems and cannot prevent danger
Mary's gonna find out one day
Mary will eventually learn that material possessions cannot bring long-lasting happiness
That all these things will fade away
Mary will realize that material possessions are temporary and will not endure
Well Mary, you're very confused
Mary is conflicted about the value of material possessions and money
Got a lot of issues you need to go through
Mary has personal issues that she needs to confront in order to find true happiness
You got a one track mind when you take your time
Mary's focus is singularly on obtaining and enjoying material possessions, and she is not living in the moment
You find everything you need your cash can't buy
Mary will eventually discover that true joy and contentment cannot be bought with money
You're gonna find
Mary will discover
Everything's gonna be alright
Mary will be okay once she learns the true value of happiness and fulfillment, beyond material possessions
Contributed by Isabelle L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.