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Mary Rogers

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*Had to bring this one back. Like my Poe poem, this one follows me wherever I go. It is my favorite lyric that I've written thus far. It is loosely based on a real person and deals with the issues of mental illness and homelessness. To bring it up to date, a fresh audio was recorded this evening by none other than Thomas Woodward, who will readily admit that he can't bloody sing, though he takes a stab at it during the last stanza. Couldn't pay the rent, could you Mary? Back out on the street, dearest Mary. Winter's in the air/once a girl with pretty hair, And the days are shorter now, my sweet Mary. Where will you go, Mary Rogers? Parks can be so cold, Mary Rogers. Out into the night/shadows everywhere a fright, (Tell me) where will you go, Mary Rogers? Store clerk turned her head, will you Mary? Run fast as you can, dearest Mary. Cops are on the way/daddy's calling you to play, And the gun you dropped they found, my sweet Mary. What will you do, Mary Rogers? Jail can be so cold, Mary Rogers. Throw away the key/pray to God on bended knee, (Tell me) what will you do Mary Rogers? Stranger took you in, did he Mary? Promised you the moon, dearest Mary. Black eyes gave away/what an awful price to pay, And nobody held your hand, my sweet Mary. When will it end, Mary Rogers? Men can be so cold, Mary Rogers. Needles always lie/mommy's back home baking pie, (Tell me) when will it end, Mary Rogers? Slept under the bridge, did you Mary? Zero Fahrenheit, dearest Mary. Peaceful dreams hold sway/fly across the Milky Way, No more worries for the pain, my sweet Mary. When will we learn, Mary Rogers? People can be cold, Mary Rogers. Turn our heads away/it may be our child someday, (Tell me) when will we learn, Mary Rogers? Time to wake up now, won't you Mary? Paradise is here, dearest Mary. Old world passed away/it's a bright and lovely day, And the sun shines just for you, my sweet Mary.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2023




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Date: 8/10/2024 9:12:00 PM
Just listened to it again,,,(for about the 12th time),, Its the best thing I have ever heard on Soup. It should be somewhere where thousands can enjoy it. Its proffessional, gripping and way too good to be hidden here.
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Tom Woody
Date: 8/11/2024 3:25:00 AM
I actually tried to have it recorded a few times by some non professionals and they butchered it. Thx for being a believer
Date: 7/6/2024 5:05:00 AM
Woohoo!!!!! Congrats Tom! :)
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Tom Woody
Date: 7/6/2024 5:18:00 AM
Mary rules for a day!
Date: 7/5/2024 12:36:00 PM
Congratulations on your win. Sad, but gripping.
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Tom Woody
Date: 7/5/2024 1:12:00 PM
Much thx David
Date: 7/4/2024 11:08:00 AM
Powerful, sad, poem, Tom. I like how each verse begins with a question.
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Tom Woody
Date: 7/4/2024 11:31:00 AM
Muchos gracias amigo
Date: 7/4/2024 8:54:00 AM
Tom Congrats on your win! You bring the homeless home in your beautiful poem!! I cannot understand how we have learnt to be so heartless!
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Tom Woody
Date: 7/4/2024 9:51:00 AM
And yet it just gets worse. Still, there's hope
Date: 7/4/2024 7:41:00 AM
Dear Tom, your lyrical pen is rich with somber emotion and imagery. I adore the structure of this sad song. The repetition of "Mary" is intimate and deeply moving. Life's disappointments, strife and hardships leave their black marks upon her. Your last stanza is a brilliant bittersweet finale and the last two lines brings it home (and brings her home..) with poignant finesse. "Old world passed away/it's a bright and lovely day,/ And the sun shines just for you, my sweet Mary." That last striking line really hit me hard and deep. A soulful, emotional reading from you, Tom, and I loved the gentle lilt of the last stanza. Congrats for your win in Mark's contest. Warmest wishes my friend.. ~Suze .. Sorry for being long-winded lol!
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Tom Woody
Date: 7/4/2024 9:51:00 AM
Such a generous review. Have a great day!
Date: 6/11/2024 10:40:00 PM
I like the way her name Mary is emphasized/stressed 3 times at the end of each line of each 4 lined verse, if her story was not bad enough, we cannot forget you Mary Rogers, it is great rendition, and it is indeed a poem worthy of more than just one read . . .
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Tom Woody
Date: 6/12/2024 5:38:00 AM
Much thx. I'm rather proud of my little ditty
Date: 5/16/2024 5:15:00 PM
And...(ok, not so speechless after all)... Your reading was superb! Loved the voice! Reminded me of Dick Van Dyke! The way you sang the last Refrain was so touching.
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Tom Woody
Date: 6/12/2024 5:37:00 AM
Awwww
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Crystol Woods
Date: 5/20/2024 5:00:00 PM
Wow...poor Mary. I think this is the best lyric I've heard in alooong time. I'm obsessed lol... I've been showing my family and friends! Bragging on you Tom! ;)
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Tom Woody
Date: 5/16/2024 6:42:00 PM
Thank you so much. This song is special to me and is loosely based on a real person
Date: 5/16/2024 5:11:00 PM
OmgTom!!! I'm bawling my eyes out... speechless. I loved every letter, every stanza, every lilt of your voice, the story, Mary, and the final stanza I could only hear, for my eyes were full of tears, sweet Mary Rogers. XOXOXO! BRAVO!
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Date: 3/7/2024 1:53:00 AM
Well, that has to be the strangest Ohioan accent I’ve ever heard. :) (So says I who has never knowingly ever heard a true Ohioan accent) It was interesting Tom to read through your lyrics and then listen to the recital. I never had a quasi Dick Van Dyke / Mary Poppins type recital in the back of my mind. I wasn’t sure about it on first listening but another listen and yes S. O. added an extra layer to your very poignant words. It works so well. The approach was so clever. Kudos to all. Cheers - Gary
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Tom Woody
Date: 3/11/2024 6:48:00 PM
He did a narration on a different story that directly involved this character I created, Thomas Woodward. It's a five part story. Maybe I'll repost one day
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Gary Radice
Date: 3/8/2024 9:04:00 PM
Tom, apologies, I thought that you said in your comments to SV below that Silent One did the narration. I took that to be the recital. It's your voice we hear? I've read and listened a few times now and really enjoyed doing so. Cheers - Gary
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Tom Woody
Date: 3/8/2024 4:28:00 PM
It's supposed to be an English accent and Thomas Woodward is a character I created some time ago. He has his own 5 part story. S.O.?
Date: 1/20/2024 10:24:00 PM
Ok I don't usually come back to hear something for the second time. This must have magnetic powers. Well that's not true, I listen to my favourite songs again and again. Well it deserves a fave so I know where to find it when I wanna play it. Sorry no royalties. .. Wen ..............Yup even better the third time. :)
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Tom Woody
Date: 1/21/2024 9:38:00 AM
Way cool!
Date: 1/14/2024 6:34:00 PM
11 out of 10 for the rendition. I had to scroll up to check if you were from the UK. ( I thought I had remembered you being a yank). Well it was most entertaining Tom. I didn't spoil the ambiance by reading it. It was superb listening to you read it. You really do have talent. Thanks for this, it was whole heartedly enjoyed.
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Tom Woody
Date: 1/14/2024 7:06:00 PM
I'm really proud of my little song so thx for the appreciation. The voice improv is a character I created some time ago, Thomas Woodward. He has his own five part story I may repost someday. Silent one did the final narration
Date: 1/11/2024 3:45:00 PM
Wow absolutely heart felt many blessings really enjoyed reading your exquisite work.
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Tom Woody
Date: 1/11/2024 7:02:00 PM
Appreciated. I enjoy doing voice work
Date: 12/23/2023 10:26:00 PM
It's heartbreaking that there are many like Mary, with no place to lay their heads. Your heartfelt poem is very well written, and conveys so much compassion. Also, I thought your reading was exceptional! Blessings.
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/24/2023 4:44:00 AM
Thx Evelyn. One of my characters that I've created along the way
Date: 12/20/2023 8:48:00 AM
Tom, your poem is a gut punch, a haunting ballad that echoes down the ages. Mary's plight, woven with raw emotion and stark detail, leaves me breathless. You've given voice to her vulnerability, her resilience, and the brutal hand of fate she faces. It's a necessary cry, a reminder of the Marias lost in the shadows, and a plea to open our eyes. Thank you for this powerful, heartbreaking tribute. It lingers long after the last stanza. - Daniel
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/20/2023 9:05:00 AM
I'm chuffed you like this one. It's always been special to me
Date: 12/13/2023 10:35:00 PM
Great message in this dramatic reading of your poem, Tommy. I enjoyed it, though it touched my heart a hurt a bit. Sad that this is a real-life experience for many in our world today. When I was younger, I sang and acted in plays and read poetry aloud. It was so moving to experience the emotions as I read. Now that is all gone away. The singing, the solos and the plays, just a passing memory. I liked hearing this one read. The reader here on PS is too monotone for me. Blessings my friend
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/14/2023 5:50:00 AM
Much thx Bill. I enjoy recording voice improvs
Date: 12/11/2023 2:36:00 AM
I remember this one from your Instagram page.. and another narrative with spoken word about that Unloavle Man, if my memory is not failing me.. sigh, such pieces really hit hard. People can be cold.. ahhh what a cruel cold world! Your style draws your readers and listeners in with every piece you write and deliver. Honesty and hard emotions can be felt in each and every word here. A saddening poem yet filled with harsh realities of this world. Brilliantly inked and delivered Tom!!
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/11/2023 6:20:00 AM
Hard emotions indeed. Anyone with a friend or relative who suffers mental illness can relate. Yet, hope in the end. Thx much
Date: 12/10/2023 8:40:00 AM
Enjoyed reading your poem and listening to your audio. A Charles Dickens flavour nicely presented during the Holiday season. Have a wonderful Christmas. Take care.
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/10/2023 9:38:00 AM
Charles Dickens? Best compliment ever. Thx Dennis
Date: 12/10/2023 12:37:00 AM
Very sad story Tom. She was probably abused like most mentally ill. Thats another story. Yes, mummy was probably making pie, but she can always be the abuser she ran from. Anyway, cant speak for all, everyone has a different story. Well written her whole life in a moment. Its the pain that no one understands.
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/10/2023 5:41:00 AM
The references to mommy and daddy were deliberate to show that she came from a loving family. Sometimes diseases like schizophrenia and bipolar just happen. Thx so much for visit and comment
Date: 12/9/2023 11:40:00 PM
This is such a heartrending story Tom... so brilliant, beautiful as well as sad. I didn't know about Mary Rogers, and searched in google. Loved the ending lines. God bless... ~ Ani
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/10/2023 9:37:00 AM
She's someone I knew personally, not a celeb. Thx Ani
Date: 12/9/2023 6:55:00 PM
You did a good job with this. I don't know Mary Rogers, but I could get a sense of her in this poem. Such a gloomy feel to this, like a ghost... a pleasure!
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/10/2023 5:41:00 AM
Too many Mary Rogers in the world. Sadly. Thx much
Date: 12/9/2023 6:26:00 PM
Definitely a fave. So amazingly written, trembles along my thoughts where it will continue for a long while, a long long while. Love it. God bless you always, YES, surely a FAVE. Love and prayers. God bless you always, love, Gina
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/9/2023 6:42:00 PM
Thx Gina. This sad song is special to me
Date: 12/9/2023 3:45:00 PM
Interesting, sad and thought-provoking piece. We are often the decisions we make. I gathered that Mary had died (as one tends to freeze to death in your sleep if you're homeless). A number of people mentioned hearing this performed by you but I was unable to experience it. Thank you for sharing. Stay inspired. :-)
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/9/2023 4:00:00 PM
Ps I checked the audio still seems to work so idk
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/9/2023 3:59:00 PM
Yes, she froze to death but in the new world to come she'll be back, sans her mental illness
Date: 12/9/2023 10:45:00 AM
She had a gun implied to me she had murdered someone but then her going to paradise kind of confused me.regardless of all that, I can see why this work is precious to you.
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/9/2023 10:47:00 AM
I think the gun was just a threat. Apparently she lost it in the frenzy of her flight. Thx much
Date: 12/9/2023 10:42:00 AM
Wow your voice doesn't match up at all with the voice I envisioned you having too bad you didn't sing it. But at least it had a sing song quality. Sad poem, reminding me of the Little Match Girl.
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Tom Woody
Date: 12/9/2023 10:49:00 AM
Lol that's not my real voice but that of a character I created years ago. Eventually I'll post one with my real voice. And I can't bloody sing either, at least not beyond competence
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