If We Were Married (Reprise)

Song Meaning

This short reprise paints a stark, almost darkly comedic picture of marital commitment, where each character offers a twisted vow. Dudley promises to fight for rights, Carrie offers to sacrifice her work, and Doris declares her love will make her "legally dead." These aren't exactly romantic ideals, but rather a series of conditional, even grim, pledges. The central tension lies in the contrast between the idealized concept of marriage and the harsh, self-negating promises being made. Mollie's line, "you'd always exhaust me / But God, how I wish we could really be wed," perfectly encapsulates this. It's a desperate longing for the institution, even while acknowledging its potential toll. The most striking craft element is the subtle shift in the final lines. Dudley and Doris's "When we are married" interrupts Carrie and Mollie's "If we were married." This small change suggests a divergence: some are still in the hypothetical, while others seem to have a more determined, perhaps resigned, certainty about the future, even if that future is bleak. Ultimately, the lyrics land with a punch because they subvert expectations of wedding vows. Instead of promises of joy and partnership, we get a series of sacrifices and grim pronouncements, highlighting a profound, albeit unsettling, understanding of what marriage might truly entail for these characters.