Sutherland Brothers member Iain Sutherland wrote the ballad about reminiscing about a girl with whom there was a first intimate encounter. He would recall writing "Arms of Mary" at the family farmhouse in the Stoke-on-Trent village of Stockton Brook. "Arms of Mary" featured on the September 1975 album release Reach for the Sky. Released as a single in March 1976, it reached #5 in the UK singles charts.
Arms Of Mary
Sutherland Brothers & Quiver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The wind blows up the alley, oh
Well I wish I was lying in the arms of Mary
She took the pains of boyhood
And turned them in to feel good, oh
How I wish I was lying in the arms of Mary
She put me right on my first mistake
Summer wasn't good when I learned all she had to show
She really gave all a boy could take, oh
So now when I get lonely
Still looking for the one and only
That's when I wish was lying in the arms of Mary
Mary was the girl who taught me all I had to know
She put me right on my first mistake
Summer wasn't good when I learned all she had to show
She really gave all a boy could take
The lights shine down the valley
The wind blows up the alley, oh
Well I wish I was lying in the arms of Mary
Lying in the arms of Mary, Lying in the arms of Mary
Lying in the arms of Mary
The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver's "Arms of Mary" is a song that talks about the longing for love and comfort. The lyrics describe a specific desire to be in the arms of a former lover named Mary. The lights shining down the valley and the wind blowing up the alley create a vivid imagery of a peaceful and calm setting. The first verse immediately sets the tone for the song and the emotions that the singer is feeling. He wishes he was lying in Mary's arms because she was the one who "took the pains of boyhood and turned them into feel good". The second verse reveals that Mary was the one who taught the singer everything he needed to know and corrected him when he made mistakes. The line "Summer wasn't good when I learned all she had to show" hints at a past relationship that was probably passionate but also ended badly.
The chorus repeats the same lines as the first verse, emphasizing the singer's longing for Mary's comfort. The last verse reveals that the singer is still searching for "the one and only" and that's when he wishes he was lying in the arms of Mary. Overall, the song is a poignant expression of unrequited love and the desire to be held and comforted by someone who is no longer present.
Line by Line Meaning
The lights shine down the valley
The valley is lit up by the bright lights.
The wind blows up the alley, oh
The wind is flowing through the alley.
Well I wish I was lying in the arms of Mary
The singer wishes that he was in Mary's embrace.
She took the pains of boyhood
Mary helped the singer get through the struggles of his childhood.
And turned them in to feel good, oh
Mary helped the singer turn his struggles into something positive.
How I wish I was lying in the arms of Mary
The singer repeats his wish to be held by Mary.
Mary was the girl who taught me all I had to know
Mary was the one who taught the singer everything he needed to learn.
She put me right on my first mistake
Mary corrected the singer's first mistake.
Summer wasn't good when I learned all she had to show
The summer wasn't enjoyable for the singer when he learned from Mary.
She really gave all a boy could take, oh
Mary taught the singer everything he was capable of learning and more.
So now when I get lonely
The singer feels lonely at times.
Still looking for the one and only
The singer is still searching for his true love.
That's when I wish was lying in the arms of Mary
During his lonely moments, the singer wishes he could be in Mary's embrace.
Lying in the arms of Mary
The singer repeats his desire to be held by Mary.
Lying in the arms of Mary
The singer repeats his desire to be held by Mary.
Lying in the arms of Mary
The singer repeats his desire to be held by Mary.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAIN GEORGE SUTHERLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@steve998
...it’s 1976. I’m at the church hall disco, it’s the last song of the night before lights up. I’m slow dancing with the boy with the soft brown eyes that shyly looked at me from the other side of the English class last Friday. I can smell spearmint chewing gum on his breath...we are dancing closer and closer and I know he's going to kiss me. I'm so happy I can hardly breathe. I’m just in seventh heaven. Oh for those days back again. We who were having the time of our young lives in the seventies and eighties were surely the luckiest of all
@N1611n
Really miss these days, when life was normal!
@myoldmate
I get you.
Those halcyon days fondly remembered.
@N1611n
@@myoldmate Halcyon days indeed. 👍🍻
@johnmccann1960
amen to that.
@rajivradha
You can’t recreate the past, it’s gone. I know how you feel. Keep moving forward…
@martinbrian6583
Spot on there mate
@djpetrov3668
In 1983 - 1992, when I was driving to worke as a nurse at cardiological care unit, I always heard this song on radio! It brings me back in good and careless time!😊
@colinritchie8570
Gavin and Ian Sutherland were so underrated as songwriters, wrote" Sailing", and give Rod Stewart one of his biggest hits.
@jason75
I was 7 in 76, 76 was a great year for music and movies. 70s was a great decade, ever forgotten