Nov. 20, 2020

EP 3:The story behind the song | Marfa

In SONGBIRD's third episode, a stalker's email evolves into the song MARFA from Martin Ruby's debut album HEAVEN GET BEHIND ME. As usual, we talk through the specific challenges this track presented to the songwriting process.

The demo as well as the final mastered version are included.

LYRICS:

Marfa

Marfa, you ain’t guilty

Tell you the truth about me

Spent some time in jail

I stole money because I was hungry

Met murderers and gamblers

Met dealers and weak men

 

No Marfa, you ain’t guilty

Because nobody is

And there is no reason

But there is a wall

On it’s written “rejection”

Now I feel so cold

 

And this is all a movie

I learned how to lie

Martin is my third name

I just lost my eyes

 

Oh, I think of my mama

Why don’t she come and take me

Well that rooster never crows

Every failure was a knife

But that was long ago

 

This is all a movie

I just learned to lie

Martin is my third name

I just lost my eyes

 

This is all a movie

I just learned to lie

Martin is my third name

I just lost my eyes

 

Marfa, you ain’t guilty

Tell you the truth about me

 

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN/Devils and Dust

 

GLEN CAMPBELL + JIMMY WEBB/Wichita Lineman