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
sweet chariot
Charlotte Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sky's bleeding gray
Now I pull my bag of prayers out
I hope to find one to save the day
And he judged my love, my lust, my taste
With the straightest face
As I crumple up inside a papier-mâché
Sweet chariot
Come, come take me away from my fear
Sweet chariot
Come, I have to get out of here
And he took me further than I wanted to go
Underneath his shoe
And it leaves me hungry for a touch I can't feel
A touch he won't do
And I thought the circle it had an end
I'm old enough to know
My denial is how we began
And how we will end
And now that I know
Sweet chariot
Come, come take me away from my fear
Sweet chariot
Come, I have to get out of here
Oh, the blood that's in my veins
So cold and frozen from the stings
Oh, he comes and goes in waves
Am I really here?
Sweet chariot
Come and take me away from my fear
Sweet chariot
Can we leave him a trail of my tears?
Sweet chariot
It's been, it's been the longest of years
Sweet chariot
Come, I have to get out of here
The song begins with the singer's lover speaking in tongues and the sky turning grey, suggesting that something is not right. In response, the singer pulls out a bag of prayers, hoping to find one to turn the situation around. However, her lover judges her love, lust, and taste, leaving her feeling crushed and hollow, a "shell with no name." The repeated refrain of "sweet chariot" suggests a desire to escape from the situation.
The second verse describes the lover taking the singer "further than I wanted to go" and leaving her "hungry for a touch I can't feel." Despite feeling used and desperate to escape, the singer is also in denial and realizes that this is how their relationship began and will likely end. She is left questioning her own existence and whether she is even really there.
In the final verse, the singer's veins run cold from the emotional pain and trauma she has experienced. She pleads for the sweet chariot to take her away from her fear and leave a trail of her tears, as she has been in this situation for far too long.
Line by Line Meaning
Ode to joy, my lover boy's speaking in tongues
The singer starts the song on a happy note praising her lover's ecstatic religious babble language.
And the sky's bleeding gray
It's a gloomy and depressing atmosphere and the sky appears dark and grey.
Now I pull my bag of prayers out
I hope to find one to save the day
The singer resorts to seeking divine help by reciting prayers to save herself from the situation.
And he judged my love, my lust, my taste
With the straightest face
As I crumple up inside a papier-mâché
A shell with no name, so
Her lover openly criticizes her, and her self-esteem is shattered - feeling worthless and nameless, thus, reduces to an empty papier-mâché shell.
Sweet chariot
Come, come take me away from my fear
Sweet chariot
Come, I have to get out of here
The artist wishes for a fresh start, far away from her distress and full of hope, that one day she can fly away to a better place.
And he took me further than I wanted to go
Underneath his shoe
And it leaves me hungry for a touch I can't feel
A touch he won't do
He takes advantage of her emotions and controls the relationship, which leaves her with a void that remains unfilled and wanting.
And I thought the circle it had an end
I'm old enough to know
My denial is how we began
And how we will end
And now that I know
She realizes that her denial about the situation and relationship was where it all began and now she knows that it will end there too.
Oh, the blood that's in my veins
So cold and frozen from the stings
Oh, he comes and goes in waves
Am I really here?
Her veins feel empty and her blood feels cold and frozen from the emotional hurt he caused her to suffer. His status of being in and out of her life frequently keeps her questioning her presence.
Sweet chariot
Come and take me away from my fear
Sweet chariot
Can we leave him a trail of my tears?
Sweet chariot
It's been, it's been the longest of years
Sweet chariot
Come, I have to get out of here
The artist desperately pleads for a future where she can leave a painful past behind and live without constant fear, and even if she has to leave a trail of tears behind, she wants to be on that Sweet Chariot because these were the longest years of her life and she has to get out of this state of mind.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: CHARLOTTE MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wyatt Afterglow
this is real talent
Daniela Kangnissoukpe
love this song<3
Christine A. Regan
It leaves me hungry for a touch I can't feel, a touch he won't do... Such a beautiful song.
Sara Ann Waller
Elijah, Song for a prophet
Yes, the good ones say
I have to get outta here
I have to save my soul
This isn’t right
I wasn’t invited
It’s not her plight.
Elijah traverses the world
Up and down
And all around
Dimensions galore.
He deserves to rest now
At Heaven’s door.
Meredith Lynn Burke
Yes, girl....YES!! <3 xoxo
Samantha Rivera
This is my winter guard show song