Mary
Robert Fripp Lyrics


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That a creature could be so lonely
It became my deepest wish
To give her my love
To embrace her forever
And to have her find some peace
She who was so lonely
Came with volumes of feeling I have never known
Except perhaps for Mary
And she was always my sister
And she was always my sister

That a creature could be so lonely
It became my deepest wish
To give her my love
To embrace her forever
And to have her find some peace
She who was so lonely
Came with volumes
Volumes of feeling
I have never known




Except perhaps for Mary
And she was always my sister

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Robert Fripp's song Mary paint a picture of a being that is deeply lonely and in need of love and companionship. The singer expresses a desire to offer this love and embrace the creature, wishing for them to find peace. The repeated line "She who was so lonely" emphasizes the profound isolation of the character described.


The lines "Except perhaps for Mary / And she was always my sister" add another layer of meaning to the song. Mary could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer's sister or another important female figure in his life that he feels a deep connection to. By comparing the creature's loneliness to his love for Mary, the singer is expressing the depth of his feeling for his sister and how it informs his empathy for others.


Overall, the lyrics of Mary are a meditation on the importance of love and connection in our lives, and how the absence of these things can lead to profound loneliness and longing.


Line by Line Meaning

That a creature could be so lonely
I am astonished that a being could feel so alone


It became my deepest wish
It became my ultimate desire


To give her my love
To express my affection towards her


To embrace her forever
To hold her close for eternity


And to have her find some peace
And to help her achieve a state of tranquility


She who was so lonely
The one who experienced immense isolation


Came with volumes of feeling I have never known
Arrived with an abundance of emotions that I have yet to experience


Except perhaps for Mary
With the exception of a person named Mary


And she was always my sister
And she was always someone I considered a sister




Contributed by Bailey B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

2001mimil

lyrics meaning everything to me... :

That a creature could be so lonely
It became my deepest wish
To give her my love
To embrace her forever
And to have her find some peace
She who was so lonely
Came with volumes of feeling I have never known
Except perhaps for Mary
And she was always my sister
And she was always my sister

That a creature could be so lonely
It became my deepest wish
To give her my love
To embrace her forever
And to have her find some peace
She who was so lonely
Came with volumes
Volumes of feeling
I have never known
Except perhaps for Mary
And she was always my sister



All comments from YouTube:

hortense234

Nothing could make this song any better. It's perfect, exactly as it is, with the singers it has and the music. That's all.

helmfer

All the tonalities she gives to this song (both Terre Roche and Fripp's guitar), absolute touching.

2001mimil

lyrics meaning everything to me... :

That a creature could be so lonely
It became my deepest wish
To give her my love
To embrace her forever
And to have her find some peace
She who was so lonely
Came with volumes of feeling I have never known
Except perhaps for Mary
And she was always my sister
And she was always my sister

That a creature could be so lonely
It became my deepest wish
To give her my love
To embrace her forever
And to have her find some peace
She who was so lonely
Came with volumes
Volumes of feeling
I have never known
Except perhaps for Mary
And she was always my sister

Lydia Wilson

touches my heart too and recalls emotions while assisting a dying friend last yr :( & <3

Jeffrey Sykes

Wow this is beautiful. Robert I just love you so much. My mom died a year ago yesterday. Her name was Mary and this song could easily be about her and my grandmother. Her name is Mary also.

23Torsten

i never knew that Terry Roche did that vocal... since along time ago i´m a big fan of them...I´m so glad!!!!

Keith Carlson

+23Torsten Yes, she sang on two songs on Fripp's album., "Exposure". Fripp produced and played guitar on their first two albums....

Ken Rubenstein

such a beautiful masterpiece....the fact that it's only received 35 comments via 68k some odd views since 2009 speaks volumes about where we are at right now in 2019.

ROSE FINN music, drama, arts

This is beautiful 🌹

Christian Bialy

25 ans en ces temps là.....tout le meilleur du monde musical tenait encore depuis les années soixante....quelles richesses quelles superbes quelle vie...

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