The song is sung from the point of view of a man who moved to the town at the age of seven but has been treated as an outcast his entire life. Three years prior to the events, he meets "Mary", the one person who has accepted him as he is. When Mary disappears while walking along the river, the local law enforcement has already decided the narrator is the culprit; though he professes his innocence, he recognizes that he will never convince anyone and realizes that he needs to leave town immediately (the lyrics imply that he plans to drown himself in the river, thus joining Mary in some form). | The song is sung from the point of view of a man who moved to the town at the age of seven but has been treated as an outcast his entire life. Three years prior to the events, he meets "Mary", the one person who has accepted him as he is. When Mary disappears while walking along the river, the local law enforcement has already decided the narrator is the culprit; though he professes his innocence, he recognizes that he will never convince anyone and realizes that he needs to leave town immediately (the lyrics imply that he plans to drown himself in the river, thus joining Mary in some form). |