Martha Wainwright (b. 1976 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian singer and so… Read Full Bio ↴Martha Wainwright (b. 1976 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian singer and songwriter.

Daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and the sister of Rufus Wainwright, she has frequently appeared on recordings by her family members, the McGarrigle Sisters and Family and has released several independent EPs. Wainwright released an independent cassette, Ground Floor, in 1997. The following year, her song "Year of the Dragon" appeared on The McGarrigle Hour, an album released by Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Shortly after this recording, Martha began singing backup vocals for her brother, and released the six-song EP Martha Wainwright in 1999.

Her full length self-titled first album was released in 2005, followed in 2008 by I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too, and in 2009 by Sans fusils, ni souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record. The Prosperpina Songfacts reports that her 4th album, Come Home To Mama, was recorded at Sean Lennon's studio in New York City. Speaking about the album, Wainwright said: "This record is a culmination of my life experiences so far. Everything changed for me a couple of years ago and this record is a representation of that and a return to the reason I started writing songs."

The George Song
Martha Wainwright Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You came over
And we, we made out on my tiny couch
We did not make love
But decided to make trust

You played the captain
And I will, I will never understand
Why you love the beef heart

More than you could love the common man

[Chorus: ]
You never made it
You never made it to the moon
We've all been waiting
Been waiting for you
Oh yes it's true
Everybody loved you

When they told me that you had
Finally committed the crime
I decided that you were
Fundamentally unkind

[Chorus: ]

And you call and you call and you call
Oh take me down
And make, and you make, hold me down
Oh it's true, everybody loved you

You never made it
You never made it to the moon
We've all been waiting
Been waiting for you

You never made it
You never made it to the moon
We've all been waiting

Been waiting for you
Oh yes it's true, it's true, it's true...

Overall Meaning

The George Song by Martha Wainwright is a deeply emotional and introspective song that reflects on the relationship between Martha and George. The first stanza describes an intimate moment when George and Martha made out on her couch. They didn't have sex but instead chose to create a strong emotional bond between each other. The second stanza references George being a captain, and Martha can't understand why he loves the beef heart more than a common man. The chorus talks about how George never made it to the moon, and everyone was waiting for him. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for George not being able to achieve his dreams and how everyone was rooting for him to succeed.

The third stanza talks about George committing a crime, which Martha views as a reflection of him being fundamentally unkind. The final stanza talks about how George continues to call Martha and she can't resist him, despite her reservations. The chorus repeats, emphasizing how everyone always loved George and how he could never live up to their expectations.

The song is a haunting portrait of the complex emotions that exist between people, and how difficult it can be to let someone go, even when they have hurt you deeply. Martha Wainwright's delicate and poignant vocals perfectly capture the mood of the song, making it a truly beautiful piece of music.

Line by Line Meaning

You came over
You arrived at my place

And we, we made out on my tiny couch
We kissed and cuddled on my small sofa

We did not make love
We did not have sex

But decided to make trust
But agreed to have faith in each other

You played the captain
You took charge of our relationship

And I will, I will never understand
And I will never comprehend

Why you love the beef heart
Why you have an affinity for something uncommon or peculiar like beef heart

More than you could love the common man
More than you could love a regular person

You never made it
You never achieved

You never made it to the moon
You never traveled to the moon

We've all been waiting
We have all been anticipating