"I Was Married" Song Analysis

I married in the sun
Against the stone of buildings built before you and I were born
Into my heart confusion grows against
The muscles fought so long
To control against the pull of one magnet to another

Now we look up in
Into the eyes of bullies breaking backs
They seem so very tough
They seem so very scared of us

I look into the mirror for evil that just does not exist
I don't see what they see

Try to control the pull of one magnet to another


Tegan and Sara have always strayed away from the typical, never falling into any specific genre or category and keeping their music diverse and unique. The two sisters have always written separately, putting their own style and passions into the songs they each write, and rarely collaborating in the process. Tegan's style is more forthright, with lyrics that evoke raw emotion and tell the listener exactly what she is feeling. Sara, on the other hand, generally writes more elaborate, complex songs whose meanings are sometimes ambiguous or more profound. Her song "I Was Married" illustrates Sara's style of writing and the way in which she expresses her feelings through her music.

"I Was Married" is a track from Tegan and Sara's latest album, The Con. This track sticks out from the rest for its subject matter: it is about struggling with homosexuality. Tegan and Sara Quin are both lesbians, although they rarely allude to this in their lyrics (and when they do, it is normally in a very subtle way). "I Was Married", however, deals with homosexuality more directly. The song starts off with a reference to Sara's marriage to her partner. The following lines are, "Into my heart confusion grows against; The muscles fought so long to control against the pull of one magnet to another". The confusion stems from society's intolerance toward homosexuality, and Sara tries to fight her feelings. The two magnets pulling together represent Sara's attraction to women. The next lines are, "Now we look up in, into the eyes of bullies breaking backs; They seem so very tough; They seem so very scared of us". These lines reference homophobia; people are afraid of Sara because she is gay, and they act "tough" or violent toward her. "I look into the mirror, for evil that just does not exist; I don't see what they see". Sara does not understand homophobia, and she doesn't see anything wrong with herself. The song ends with "try to control the pull of one magnet to another". In general, the song is about the struggles of being gay, and being pushed to believe that homosexuality is wrong. Sara is struggling between who she is, and who society wants her to be. But in the end, she can't fight what is in her heart.