Thursday, July 2, 2026

The Marriage - Billy Bragg

The Marriage - Billy Bragg
2:32
Talking with the Taxman About Poetry, 1986
Written by Billy Bragg

In this song, the narrator is trying to convince his girlfriend, and maybe himself, that he doesn't need to get married, that their relationship can stay as it is with no labels and legal commitments.  "How can it make that difference / If you and I are wearing / That bloody, bloody ring."  Near the end of the song, however, the narrator may be reconsidering his position.  Perhaps "marriage is when we admit / Our parents were probably right."  Unlike Bragg's very early works which feature his brash, heavily accented vocal and his electric guitar, here a trumpet and flugelhorn give the song a fuller and more serious, dare we say respectable, edge.

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