1. Martha Davis … Read Full Bio ↴There are two female vocalists named Martha Davis.
1. Martha Davis (December 14, 1917 – April 6, 1960) was an African-American singer and pianist whose musical comedy act, "Martha Davis & Spouse", was popular in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Davis was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. By the mid-1930s, she had met and been influenced by Fats Waller, and performed regularly as a singer and pianist in Chicago clubs. In 1939, she met, and later married, bass player Calvin Ponder (October 17, 1917 - December 26, 1970), who went on to play in Earl Hines' band.
In 1948, Davis and Ponder moved to California, and Davis developed her recording career on Jewel Records in Hollywood with a trio including Ponder, Ralph Williams (guitar) and Lee Young (drums). Their cover of Dick Haymes' pop hit "Little White Lies" reached # 11 on the Billboard R&B chart, followed by a duet with Louis Jordan, "Daddy-O", from the movie A Song Is Born, which reached the R&B top ten later that year.
Davis and Ponder also began performing together on stage, developing a musical and comedy routine as "Martha Davis & Spouse" which played on their physical characteristics (she was large, he was smaller). The act became hugely popular, touring and having a residency at the Blue Angel in New York. They appeared together in movies including Smart Politics (with Gene Krupa), and in the mid-1950s, variety films Rhythm & Blues Revue, Rock 'n' Roll Revue and Basin Street Revue. Several of their performances were filmed by Snader Telescriptions for video jukeboxes, and they also broadcast on network TV, particularly Garry Moore's CBS show.
In 1957, after a break of several years, they resumed recording for the ABC Paramount label, with whom they cut two LPs. Davis died from cancer in New York in 1960, aged only 42, and Ponder died ten years later, aged only 53.
2. Martha Davis is best known as the lead singer of The Motels, a new wave pop band that scored hits in the 80s with songs such as "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer."
Davis released her first solo album entitled Policy in November of 1987, and had a hit with "Don't Tell Me the Time" (#8 in Australia), but in the U.S. the song only went as far as #80. Soon afterwards, Davis asked to be released from her contract with Capitol.
After leaving Capitol Records, Davis focused on different music styles, and recorded songs for several movie soundtracks.
In 2005 Davis released her second solo project entitled So the Story Goes. She is still touring and recording as "Martha Davis and the Motels."
Don't Tell Me the Time
Martha Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A nervous hand reveals a watch
A sudden glance, a painful smile
And minutes slip away
Unsettled heart would skip a beat
A tired heart can find no peace
A lonely sound, the clock ticks on
Don't tell me the time
I don't want to know
Don't tell me the time
You spend with her
Can't hurt me it does
Don't tell me the time
'Cause time can be cruel
Every moment that I'm away from you
Where did you go, don't want to know
Why are you here is never clear
Make love just once, you're gone again
And I'm alone with time
Don't tell me the time
I don't want to know
Don't tell me the time
You spend with her
Can't hurt me it does
Don't tell me the time
'Cause time can be cruel
And I still can't believe how long
The night keeps me waiting here for you
Prisoner of time, no dream comes true
Waiting and watching
Lost in forever without you
Don't tell me the time
I don't want to know
Don't tell me the time
You spend with her
Can't hurt me it does
Don't tell me the time
'Cause time can be cruel
Every moment that I'm away from you
Martha Davis’s song, Don’t Tell Me The Time, is a poignant ballad that speaks to the agony of waiting for someone you love. The song opens with a vivid image of uneasy eyes resting on a clock, ready to track every passing minute. The lyrics go on to paint a picture of a restless heart that cannot find peace, as hours and minutes slip away. The chorus urges the listener not to reveal the amount of time spent with a third party, citing the cruelty of time and the pain of being away from the one they love.
The song’s lyrics are powerful and emotive, capturing the essence of heartbreak and loneliness. The repeated plea to “Don’t tell me the time” is a poignant reminder of the singer’s struggle to come to terms with their lover’s absence. The lyrics capture the feeling of being trapped, of being a prisoner of time, waiting and watching for someone who doesn’t seem to be coming back.
Overall, the song is a haunting meditation on the pain of love and the agony of absence. It speaks to anyone who has ever felt the loneliness of waiting for someone they love, and the longing and heartache that comes with it. Davis’s raw vocal delivery adds to the emotional impact of the song, making it a timeless classic that still resonates with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
Uneasy eyes rest on a clock
Anxiety is evident in their eyes as they stare at a clock
A nervous hand reveals a watch
A shaky hand exposes a watch, indicating unease
A sudden glance, a painful smile
A quick look followed by a forced smile that hides the pain
And minutes slip away
Time keeps moving forward, regardless of their emotional state
Unsettled heart would skip a beat
Their heart is uneasy and may even skip a beat
A tired heart can find no peace
Their heart is exhausted and finds no solace
A lonely sound, the clock ticks on
The sound of the clock ticking is a depressing reminder of time passing
And hours slip away
Time continues to pass, leaving them feeling more alone
Don't tell me the time
They can't bear to hear how long they've been apart
I don't want to know
The truth is too painful to hear
You spend with her
The time spent with someone else hurts deeply
Can't hurt me it does
Despite attempts to deny it, the pain is still present
'Cause time can be cruel
Time has a way of magnifying pain and making it worse
Every moment that I'm away from you
Being apart is unbearable and every second without them feels like an eternity
Where did you go, don't want to know
They can't handle the truth about where their love has gone
Why are you here is never clear
Their love's presence or absence is unpredictable
Make love just once, you're gone again
Their time together is fleeting and never lasts long enough
And I'm alone with time
They're left to suffer in the company of time
And I still can't believe how long
Time feels like it's dragging, making it hard to believe how much has passed
The night keeps me waiting here for you
Night after night they wait, hoping their love will return
Prisoner of time, no dream comes true
They're trapped by time, and their dreams may never be realized
Waiting and watching
Their love has become a painful waiting game
Lost in forever without you
They feel like they're lost, and life without their love feels eternal
Contributed by Skyler A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@benjaminparkinson5255
1987 what a great year for music
@neilsolomon9149
Masterpiece. ❤️
@jasonfarrugia7779
Martha Davis what a queen of pop
@christophersimons128
Motels were a criminally underrated band, and Martha Davis solo likewise. Loved this back in 1988, love it now. Along with No Myth by Michael Penn, a jewel that deserved much greater recognition than it ever received.
@llatmailliw
Spot on
@paulbradley705
australia loved this .
@FunConcertMama
This woman is AMAZINGLY talented. Not only does she have very unique vocal style, but her lyrics...WOW...very intelligent art in how she expresses herself.
@pinomiraglia8256
Bella Canzone
@benjaminparkinson5255
They don't make music like this now days how sad they had meaning
@signjoey
Most artists wish they had one video like this...Martha has many