Martin got her start singing opera while attending Eastern Illinois University in the late '90s. Her father was a respected professor in the music department, and naturally Martin followed his footsteps. She began playing piano when she was a little girl and her childhood was surrounded by music.
While attending school, Martin experienced "real life," from living with her goth roommate and dealing with typical college-like drama to the tragic suicides of two close friends. Martin turned to music for solace. She desperately wanted to make music into a career; therefore, a whirlwind move to Los Angeles seemed like the right thing to do.
Martin eventually made a record, One Girl Army, with producer Tom Rothrock (Badly Drawn Boy, Beck, Elliott Smith), but it was never released. Before 2002 came to a close, Martin got her own studio and recorded a new batch of songs with Ken Andrews (Air, Pete Yorn). The melodic dreamscapes of In Parentheses arrived in August 2003 and Martin's bright voice drew comparisons to Fiona Apple and Kate Bush. Dates with Howie Day and Damien Rice also coincided with the release of the EP.
On Your Shore followed in 2004. Unfortunately, Martin's relationship with RCA proved creatively trying as the singer/songwriter continued writing and recording new material. A decision to leave the major label in 2005 allowed Martin to accomplish her creative goals, thus reconnecting with Test-Drive Records to issue the Veins and Darkest Hour EPs before the year's end. Additional support dates around North American followed into the fall, and Martin rounded out the Veins tour with her first DVD recording, the limited-edition Something Like a DVD.
She also married her long-time collaborator and co-producer, Ken Andrews (Pete Yorn, Year of the Rabbit, Failure), in the midst of recording her second album, Stromata. The album arrived on Martin and Andrews' own Dinosaur Fight label in September 2006.
In 2009, Martin released the instrumental album Piano Trees, a collection of improvised piano songs.
In 2011, Martin released her album, Dancing on Needles.
In 2014, Martin released Water Breaks Stone.
On October 5, 2018, Martin released the second of her instrumental piano albums (after Piano Trees), entitled Clear Blue Sky. The following year, in 2019, two more albums in a similar vein were released: Monotonous Night on March 8 and Dawn on December 27.
http://www.charlottemartin.com
The Last Song
Charlotte Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been a year, we got so much to say
Clear your conscience boy
Creatures and pictures and Wednesdays abroad
Was I too peculiar to let go of?
Bait the fish's mouth
You're tough as, tough as a gristle
I stay at home
That you're still missing me a little
Deep down we know
This is the last song
Out of the grey, safer in black and white
Maybe the stars won't remember that night
Maybe time could stop
I'm still as a stone
You're tough as, tough as gristle
I stay at home
Are you still needing me a little?
Deep down we know
This is the last song
You say goodbye but you're still standing right here
You said goodbye but we're not going anywhere
Singing the same song
Hearing my voice is alone
You're still as a stone
I'm tough as, tough as gristle
I stay at home
Are you still needing me a little?
Deep down we know
Deep down we know
Deep down we know
Deep down we know
Deep down we know
This is the last song
The lyrics in Charlotte Martin's song "The Last Song" are filled with pain and melancholy as the writer reflects on a past relationship. The opening lines, "I trace your outline and how it has changed, it's been a year, we got so much to say, clear your conscience boy," suggests how time has passed between the two people as they have been apart for a year. The line "Clear your conscience boy" seems to indicate that the singer wants her former lover to be honest with her about his feelings and intentions towards her.
The second verse, "Creatures and pictures and Wednesdays abroad, was I too peculiar to let go of? bait the fish's mouth" suggests that she is reflecting on the past times they had together, the memories, and how they might have acted towards each other. She wants to know if her peculiar ways and personality played a part in the end of their relationship. "Bait the fish's mouth" seems to indicate that the singer wants her ex to reveal his true feelings towards her and not waste time with meaningless words.
The chorus repeats throughout the song, "I'm still as a stone, you're tough as, tough as gristle, I stay at home, that you're still missing me a little, deep down we know, this is the last song." The repeated lines highlight the pain and isolation the singer is feeling. She is still as a stone, unyielding to emotions and the pain of the breakup, while her ex is tough as gristle, seemingly unaffected. And yet, they both know that this is the last song of their relationship, the end of the road.
Line by Line Meaning
I trace your outline and how it has changed
I can see how you've grown and evolved since we were last together
It's been a year, we got so much to say
We've been apart for a long time and there's a lot we want to catch up on
Clear your conscience boy
Admit your true feelings and intentions to yourself and to me
Creatures and pictures and Wednesdays abroad
Think back to our shared memories, the little things that made our relationship unique
Was I too peculiar to let go of?
Did my quirks and idiosyncrasies make it hard for you to move on?
Bait the fish's mouth
Try to get the other person to open up and reveal their true feelings
I'm still as a stone
I'm trying to remain calm and composed despite how I may really feel
You're tough as, tough as a gristle
You're putting up a tough exterior and not letting your true emotions show
I stay at home
I'm content with where I am and don't feel the need to constantly be on the go
That you're still missing me a little
Even though we've been apart, there's still a part of you that misses me
Deep down we know
We both know deep down inside that our relationship is over
This is the last song
This is our final chance to communicate our thoughts and feelings to each other
Out of the grey, safer in black and white
Maybe it's easier for us to see things in black and white, to simplify and make sense of our complicated emotions
Maybe the stars won't remember that night
Perhaps our memories of that night will fade away in time
Maybe time could stop
Maybe we both secretly wish we could freeze time in this moment and stay together forever
You say goodbye but you're still standing right here
You're physically present, but emotionally you're already gone and saying goodbye
You said goodbye but we're not going anywhere
Even though we're saying goodbye, we'll always have our shared memories together
Singing the same song
We're both on the same page and feeling the same emotions
Hearing my voice is alone
The sound of my voice is the only thing that brings you comfort in this moment
Are you still needing me a little?
Is there still a part of you that wishes we were together?
Deep down we know
Once again, we're reminded that we both know in our hearts that our time together has come to an end
Contributed by Asher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.