Mary Queen of Arkansas
Encyclopedia
"Mary Queen of Arkansas" is a song by Bruce Springsteen
from the album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
, released in 1973. Springsteen played "Mary Queen of Arkansas" at his audition for John H. Hammond
at CBS Records
, who signed him to his first record contract on May 2, 1972, although Hammond was less impressed with this song than with "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
" or with "Growin' Up
". The day after signing the contract, Springsteen recorded "Mary Queen of Arkansas" as part of a 12 song demo for Hammond. The demo version of the song was released on Tracks in 1998.
. "Mary Queen Of Arkansas" is a slow, quiet acoustic song with a faint country
feel to it. The lyrics contain repeated references to the circus (a theme explored in deeper depth on his The Wild, the Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle) as in "Well I'm just a lonely acrobat, this live wire, she's my trade" and "The big top is for dreamers, we can take the circus all the way to the border." It is a love song, devoted to "Mary." Like most of Springsteen's songs, particularly the first album, the lyrics are evocative though not detailed. The song appears to be sung in the first person, by a slave in the antebellum American south, to his white mistress, with whom he is having a clandestine affair.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
from the album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. is the first studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1973. It only sold about 25,000 copies in the first year of its release, but had significant critical impact...
, released in 1973. Springsteen played "Mary Queen of Arkansas" at his audition for John H. Hammond
John H. Hammond
John Henry Hammond II was an American record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s...
at CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
, who signed him to his first record contract on May 2, 1972, although Hammond was less impressed with this song than with "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
"It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen on his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. in 1973. A 1975 live version can be found on the DVD of the Hammersmith Odeon concert that is included in the Born to Run and the Hammersmith Odeon London...
" or with "Growin' Up
Growin' Up
"Growin' Up" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from the album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. in 1973.It is a moderately-paced tune, concerning an adolescence as a rebellious New Jersey teen, with lyrics written in the first-person...
". The day after signing the contract, Springsteen recorded "Mary Queen of Arkansas" as part of a 12 song demo for Hammond. The demo version of the song was released on Tracks in 1998.
Themes
The song is one of the slower tracks on Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., played on acoustic guitar, and the lyrics of the song may be about a drag queen. The lyrics are dense and reminiscent of Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. "Mary Queen Of Arkansas" is a slow, quiet acoustic song with a faint country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
feel to it. The lyrics contain repeated references to the circus (a theme explored in deeper depth on his The Wild, the Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle) as in "Well I'm just a lonely acrobat, this live wire, she's my trade" and "The big top is for dreamers, we can take the circus all the way to the border." It is a love song, devoted to "Mary." Like most of Springsteen's songs, particularly the first album, the lyrics are evocative though not detailed. The song appears to be sung in the first person, by a slave in the antebellum American south, to his white mistress, with whom he is having a clandestine affair.