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Walking along beneath the lights of that miracle mile
Me and Mary makin' our way into the night
You can hear the cries from the carnival rides
The pinball bells and the skeeball slides
Watchin' the summer sun fall out of sight
There's a warm wind comin' in
The mouth of the ocean makin' its way
Past the hotel walls to feel the street
Mary is holding both of her shoes in her hand
Says she likes to feel the sand beneath her feet
And in the morning, I'm leaving
Making my way back to Cleveland
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine
And I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine
There's a local band playin'
At the sea side pavilion
And I got just enough cash to get us in
And as we are dancing
Mary's wrappin' her arms around me
And I can feel the sting of summer on my skin
And in the midst of the music
I tell her I love her
And we both laugh
'Cause we know it isn't true
Ah, but Mary, there's a summer draw
With two in it tonight
And there's so much that I long to do to you
But in the morning, I'm leaving
Making my way back to Cleveland
So tonight, I hope that I will do just fine
And I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine
Mary, I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine
Me and Mary makin' our way into the night
You can hear the cries from the carnival rides
The pinball bells and the skeeball slides
Watchin' the summer sun fall out of sight
There's a warm wind comin' in
The mouth of the ocean makin' its way
Past the hotel walls to feel the street
Mary is holding both of her shoes in her hand
Says she likes to feel the sand beneath her feet
And in the morning, I'm leaving
Making my way back to Cleveland
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine
And I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine
There's a local band playin'
At the sea side pavilion
And I got just enough cash to get us in
And as we are dancing
Mary's wrappin' her arms around me
And I can feel the sting of summer on my skin
And in the midst of the music
I tell her I love her
And we both laugh
'Cause we know it isn't true
Ah, but Mary, there's a summer draw
With two in it tonight
And there's so much that I long to do to you
But in the morning, I'm leaving
Making my way back to Cleveland
So tonight, I hope that I will do just fine
And I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine
Mary, I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine
Lyrics submitted by indefeat
Track duration: 05:25
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You can interpret so much about this song, which is kinda the point of good songs, it makes you think and there are probably no "right" answers (I don't know, ask Kenny, or whoever it was who wrote the actual song!). But this is what I think:
I think he's spent the summer (or maybe even less than that) with a girl and he has to return home and this is his last night with her. He does want to have sex with her before he leaves ("there's so much I want to do to you" and "Tonight I hope I will do just fine" are quotes that seriously indicate that), but it is clear he really cares about her so while he wants to have sex with her, I believe one of the reasons is that he really wants to leave her with a good impression with her, which is why he hopes he will do just fine.
It does bother me when it says "In the midst of the music I tell her I love her but we both laugh cause we know it isn't true." But what I think it means is that they haven't spent enough time together to know if it is really "love," and they know they can't be together at the moment due to him having to go back to Cleveland, so "love" really isn't even a possibility at that point in time. I also think that telling her he loves her would create a heavy mood, and it seems like they are just trying to enjoy their last night together and have fun and not allow things to feel too serious or sad, although it seems he is very sad and trying to hide it. I think the music brought out an honest feeling out of him, so he says he loves her, but then they laugh because it was unexpected and with him leaving the next day, there's no point in saying it. He doesn't really know where things are going right now, so there is a lot of confusion. With him saying "I don't see how you could ever be anything but mine," alludes to the fact that there is a possibility he will see her again, or that they've made some sort of future plans, but he isn't 100 percent sure there will be a follow through.
Or maybe he was doing the typical guy-thing and telling he loves her so he can get laid, but cares about her too much to lie to her, so he laughs after... either way, he is being really honest with her which shows that he does have deep feelings.
I think the line "I hope I will do just fine," simply means he wants to leave a good impression on her or perhaps he is losing his virginity. It seems like a young romance.
Someone suggested that Mary has a boyfriend and that he's just her friend, so that's why he says "I don't see how you could ever be anything but mine." There's no mention of another guy in the picture, but who knows. I think he just can't picture her with anybody else or himself with anybody else.
I think "I don't see how you could ever be anything but mine" means that he can't picture her with anyone else, so he thinks that fate will somehow bring them back together again. It's like he has faith that they have found such a great connection that he trusts they will be able to connect again and I think him wanting to take their relationship to the physical level is part of that faith that they will somehow see each other again.
He believes what they have found is not easily replaceable and he can't picture anyone else entering the picture, so he is hopeful he will really get to see her again.
But the nostalgia is just SO intoxicating and it kind of makes me cry when I hear songs like these. Cause I was young and didn't think about anything but music and my friends. And now I think about too much. I didn't care about money, worry about my mom, I didn't come home from school every day miserable. I remember listening to this song in the car with my mom.
I used to love Gretchen Wilson :) (still kind of do but don't tell anyone)
Now, I love Radiohead, Nirvana, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Just like my life, my music tastes have completely changed.
"There's a warm wind comin' in, from off of the ocean." is correct and PrincessSara is also right on the wording of the summer drawing to an end.
Writer is: Scooter Carusoe
The key to this is that Mary's got a boyfriend already and it's not him. How are all you people missing this? So he and Mary have become really close friends (and maybe lovers but I think not) and would be a real couple except for her boyfriend (fiancée?). He and Mary are probably the same age and the boyfriend is older (sound familiar?) and she can't leave the boyfriend because he probably has a job and real prospects or whatever.
When he says "So tonight I hope that I will do just fine" he is hoping that he can be the same friend they have been in the short time they have been together.
But it sucks because he really, really wants her and he can't see her being with the real boyfriend.
Great song!
With two in it tonight" is actually "there's a summer drawing to an end tonight."
And yes, sincerely, I'll never get over it.