{title: Mari-Mac (Mairi's Wedding)}
{artist: Traditional Scottish (sometimes attributed: Sir Hugh S. Roberton arrangement)}
{album: 19th-century Scottish Gaelic wedding song "Mairi's Wedding"; the breakneck-English "Mari-Mac" patter version is the Great Big Sea revival (1995)}
{key: G}
{tempo: 180}
{difficulty: advanced}
{phase: 3}
{strand: R}
{feel: drive}
{lead_voice: any}
{lead_mode: unison}
{lead_demand: showpiece}
{harmony: M}
{a_cappella: no}
{kit: gtr,bod,fdl,mnd}
{set_role: romp}
{lang: en}
{country_tags: SCO}
{copyright: pd}
{tags: chorus,pub,public-domain,scottish,shanty,showpiece,singalong,tongue-twister,traditional}

{c: The tongue-twister sprint — pure showpiece. A near-impossible patter song where the verses get progressively faster and more breathless. The audience comes for the spectacle of one singer not collapsing. Built on the traditional Scottish "Mairi's Wedding" melody (PD); the rapid-fire English-text variant is the popular version (Great Big Sea's recording is the modern reference).}
{c: Three chords (G, C, D). VERY fast — 170-200 BPM. Strong-singer lead requires real breath control (see Voice as Instrument chapter).}

{start_of_verse}
There's a [G]girl called Mari-[C]Mac, makes me [G]heart go clickety-[D]clack
Says I [G]love her better [C]than her cat
[G]Mari [C]has a [G]brother, just like [C]any other
[G]Goes by the [D]name of Mister [G]Mac
{end_of_verse}

{start_of_chorus}
[G]Mari Mac's mother's [C]making Mari [G]Mac marry [D]me
My [G]mother's making [C]me marry Mari [G]Mac
Well [G]I'm going to marry [C]Mari for my [G]Mari's going to [D]take care of me
We'll [G]all be feeling [C]merry when I [G]marry Mari [D]Mac
{end_of_chorus}

{start_of_verse}
The [G]wedding's on Wednes[C]day, everything's [G]ready you [D]see
Ring's [G]ordered, table's set, [C]carriage hired
Mari [G]and her father, ad[C]dressing every[G]body
Pictures will be [D]taken at half past [G]three
{end_of_verse}

{start_of_chorus}
[G]Mari Mac's mother's [C]making Mari [G]Mac marry [D]me
My [G]mother's making [C]me marry Mari [G]Mac
Well [G]I'm going to marry [C]Mari for my [G]Mari's going to [D]take care of me
We'll [G]all be feeling [C]merry when I [G]marry Mari [D]Mac
{end_of_chorus}

{start_of_verse}
Well [G]up and down the [C]country I've [G]travelled many a [D]mile
[G]Met a lot of [C]girls, some bold, some shy
But [G]Mari was the [C]only one to [G]catch my eye
She had a [G]twinkle and a [D]wink in every [G]smile
{end_of_verse}

{start_of_chorus}
[G]Mari Mac's mother's [C]making Mari [G]Mac marry [D]me
My [G]mother's making [C]me marry Mari [G]Mac
Well [G]I'm going to marry [C]Mari for my [G]Mari's going to [D]take care of me
We'll [G]all be feeling [C]merry when I [G]marry Mari [D]Mac
{end_of_chorus}

{c: ===== HOW TO PLAY IT =====}
{c: The chorus is a tongue-twister. Every singer has to memorise it cold — reading it off a page at this tempo is impossible.}
{c: Start the song slightly slower than performance tempo on the first verse. Build into the chorus. By the third chorus you're at full speed.}
{c: The audience does NOT sing along on the chorus — it's too fast. They sing along on "Mari Mac" only when they catch the rhythm. Their job is to watch you not die.}
{c: Reference recording: Great Big Sea on "Up" (1995). They take it at ferocious speed. The traditional Scottish "Mairi's Wedding" (e.g. The Corries) is the slower, more melodic version — an entirely different song, sharing only the melody.}

{c: ===== PERFORMANCE NOTES =====}
{c: This is THE showpiece. Save it for moments when the room is high and you want to detonate it.}
{c: Breath strategy: take huge breaths on the rest beats. The chorus has approximately three breath-windows; learn where they are.}
{c: If the lead loses the lyrics mid-chorus, the band keeps strumming and lands the next chorus together — the song survives a fluffed verse if the chorus stays tight.}