Take a Message to Mary
The Everly Brothers Lyrics


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These are the words of a frontier lad
Who lost his love when he turned bad

Take a message to Mary but don't tell her where I am
Take a message to Mary but don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her I had to see the world or tell her that my ship set sail
You can say she'd better not wait for me but don't tell her I'm in jail
Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail

Take a message to Mary but don't tell her what I've done
Please don't mention the stagecoach and the shot from a careless gun
You can tell her I had to change my plans and cancel out the wedding day
But please don't mention my lonely cell where I'm gonna pine away
Until my dying day

Take a message to Mary but don't tell her all you know
My heart's achin' for Mary, Lord knows I miss her so
Just tell her I went to Timbuktu, tell her I'm searchin' for gold
You can say she'd better find someone new to cherish and to hold
Oh, Lord, this cell is cold





Mary, Mary
Oh, Lord this cell is cold

Overall Meaning

The Everly Brothers’ song “Take a Message to Mary” tells the story of a frontier lad who lost his love when he turned bad. He is asking for someone to take a message to Mary but to keep certain details from her. The lyrics reveal that the singer is in jail and does not want Mary to know. He asks for a message to be delivered to her without mentioning that he is incarcerated. He also suggests that Mary should move on and find someone new to cherish and to hold. The song ends on a melancholic note, with the singer lamenting about the coldness of his cell.


The song has an interesting plotline and raises questions about the circumstances that led to the singer’s imprisonment. The lyrics reveal that the singer took certain actions which caused him to fall out of favor with Mary. It could be interpreted that he might have been involved in a robbery or some other criminal activity.


The song was released in 1959 and became a hit for the Everly Brothers. It was written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant who also wrote many of the Everly Brothers’ other hit songs. The song has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including the Grateful Dead, Simon and Garfunkel, and Elvis Costello.


Line by Line Meaning

These are the words of a frontier lad
This is the story of a young man from the frontier


Who lost his love when he turned bad
He lost the love of his life after he made a bad decision


Take a message to Mary but don't tell her where I am
Please deliver a message to Mary without revealing my location


Take a message to Mary but don't say I'm in a jam
Please tell Mary I am not in trouble


You can tell her I had to see the world or tell her that my ship set sail
You can say that I had to travel or leave on a ship


You can say she'd better not wait for me but don't tell her I'm in jail
You can suggest that she finds someone else, but don't mention that I am in jail


Oh, don't tell her I'm in jail
Please, do not mention that I am in prison to Mary


Take a message to Mary but don't tell her what I've done
Please do not inform Mary of my actions


Please don't mention the stagecoach and the shot from a careless gun
Don't mention the stagecoach incident and the accidental shooting


You can tell her I had to change my plans and cancel out the wedding day
Mention that my plans changed and that the wedding is canceled


But please don't mention my lonely cell where I'm gonna pine away
Avoid mentioning the depressing prison cell where I will be alone


Until my dying day
For the rest of my life


Take a message to Mary but don't tell her all you know
Please keep some information from Mary


My heart's achin' for Mary, Lord knows I miss her so
I miss Mary deeply and my heart is filled with sorrow


Just tell her I went to Timbuktu, tell her I'm searchin' for gold
Say that I went to Timbuktu and searching for gold


You can say she'd better find someone new to cherish and to hold
Suggest that she should find someone else to love and cherish


Oh, Lord, this cell is cold
This prison cell is very cold and lonely


Mary, Mary
A plea to Mary




Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOUDLEAUX BRYANT, FELICE BRYANT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@chefjay328

Who again is here in 2023? 🔥🔥🔥♥️

@activeoffroadwesertal

I'am here - in 2024 !

@True_Justice

I’m Nigerian…growing up my elder sister would play this song over and over at first it was annoying but over time we all fell in love with it. It randomly pops in my head but today I decided to search for it on YouTube..brings back so many memories🥹 I miss home😔😔

@williamscott6406

Hello,how are you

@joanmathias6248

Same here...
Only that it was my uncle for me.

@toby9573

Sameeee

@True_Justice

@@williamscott6406 I’m fine…just saw this🤍

@JodieGreat

Awww... used to hear it over and over from the compound next to ours when I was a kid. #memories

31 More Replies...

@markmorgan3741

Here in China 🇨🇳 i can't stop playing this song. 2022 Who's still listening like me?

@oldskul60s66

Here in Nigeria I can't stop listening... 2020 who's still listening like me?

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