Mara and Me

Album: Say Anything (2009)
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Songfacts®:

  • Lead singer and primary lyricist Max Bemis explained this track to Alternative Press: "This is kind of a funny song and a little schizophrenic because it was written very organically. When I was writing it, I had no idea what was going to come out of me. I told myself I wanted to write one song on the record that had a million different parts, kind of like our old records as we had so many streamlined songs. The ideas would be more alike and would come in the same way as they evolve and start in one place and end in another. This song is a turning point on the record. I start out feeling sorry for myself, alienated as usual. Then I have this realization that it's not really doing anything for me. I see what's wrong with the world and that I want to change. I see the things that make me feel inadequate and realize that I can't let that consume me just because those things make me feel different. I start to pull myself out of the riot and examine my life and empower myself. I start to throw a middle finger up at the things I can't change. The song really talks about accepting the things you can change and letting go of the things you cannot. There are certain things in my past - whether it's my bipolar disorder or how I grew up or how things were done wrong to me by other people - which I had to accept as not my fault. There were other things that I was doing to myself and other things that were my doing and my responsibility. I had to differentiate between those things. I had to take responsibility and move on and do things differently when I can."

Comments: 1

  • Shreya from Princeton, NjDuring a live chat, Max Bemis also mentioned the use of "The Kings of Leons" and "Mara". He finds it ironic that The Kings of Leon (who write happier, unjaded songs) are on the same record label as Say Anything (which mentions many controversial, mundane, and crazy things). "Mara" is a gang. "There are babies with guns beheading their friends in shopping malls around the world.
    Yet somehow the kings of leon, still have time to write songs about girls" is used in the song to amplify the point Bemis is trying to make about Say Anything's type of songs in general. "Those dudes" that are mentioned as having "no illusions of angst and hopelessness" are The Kings of Leon.
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