Steven Page is a singer-songwriter who was born in 1970 in Scarborough, Ont… Read Full Bio ↴Steven Page is a singer-songwriter who was born in 1970 in Scarborough, Ontario. Page was the co-frontman (along with Ed Robertson) for Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies from the group's inception in 1988 until February 2009, his work with the group receiving international critical acclaim. Steve left the band amicably to pursue other opportunities including solo projects and theatrical opportunities, a prominent example being the musical effort The Vanity Project.

In 2005, he released a solo album that involved collaborating with Lilac Time member and original Duran Duran singer Stephen "Tintin" Duffy under that name. In 2008, he also notably performed a concert of cover songs with "The Art of Time Ensemble" in Toronto. A studio album featuring the songs performed live with the ensemble came out in 2010. As well, Page wrote music for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the summer of 2009. Page has perhaps gotten the most attention under his own name for his solo album 'Page One', a 2010 release that earned acclaim from several music critics.

In 2012, he released an EP called A Different Sort of Solitude. In 2016, he released his first full length studio album since 2010, Heal Thyself, Part I: Instinct. He followed it in 2018 with a sequel-of-sorts, Discipline: Heal Thyself, Pt II. In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, he released a single called Isolation, and has been doing weekly "Live From Home" concerts streaming from his basement.

Marry Me
Steven Page Lyrics

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Marry me
I am a boy and you are a girl
Or so I've been told
I know it's the same all over the world
The story is old
I could stand to be your man
I could stand to be your man
From now on

Marry me
You are a woman I am a man
Bury me
I must die first, you understand
I couldn't stand to be your man
I couldn't stand to be your man
I couldn't stand to be your man
Alone

Marry me
You are a girl and I am a boy
Fair is she
Why must I love what I must destroy?
I was sent to be your man
I was sent to be your man
I was sent to be your man
From now on

Marry me
So we may snuff out everything we've ever cared about
I have no doubt
that this will sting; no one will be spared
Without our love,
We'd just be normal people
Marching forward
Normal people?
Who?
You and me?
No it can't be!

Marry me
I am a boy and you are a girl
Or so I've been told
I know it's the same

All over the world
The story is old

Overall Meaning

The first verse of "Marry Me" presents a simple and straightforward proposal. The singer, presented as a boy, asks the girl to marry him, acknowledging that they are both male and female respectively. However, in the second verse, the singer adds a dark twist -- he must die before they can be together. The third verse continues this somber tone, with the singer expressing his desire to destroy what he loves. The final verse echoes the first, as the singer asks the girl to marry him once more, but with a sense of resignation.

Overall, the song appears to be a commentary on society's expectations about gender and sexuality, as well as the pressures that many individuals face in trying to live up to those expectations. The singer's desire to destroy what he loves and his sense of resignation in the last verse suggest that he felt trapped and powerless in the face of these societal norms.

Line by Line Meaning

Marry me
I am asking for your hand in marriage

I am a boy and you are a girl
We conform to traditional gender roles

Or so I've been told
Our gender identities were assigned at birth

I know it's the same all over the world
The social construct of gender is ubiquitous

The story is old
The societal expectation of heterosexual marriage is centuries old

I could stand to be your man
I am willing to be in a committed, monogamous relationship with you

From now on
I am ready to make a lifelong commitment to you

Bury me
I would rather die than live without you

I must die first, you understand
I am expressing hyperbolic devotion to you

I couldn't stand to be your man alone
I am emotionally dependent on you

You are a girl and I am a boy
We are attracted to each other based on our biological sex