After releasing several singles and three albums within the Detroit independent music underground, The White Stripes rose to prominence in 2002, as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their successful albums White Blood Cells and Elephant drew them attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The White Stripes used a low-fidelity, do-it-yourself approach to writing and recording. Their music features a melding of punk and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo is also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which features a simple color scheme of red, white, and black.
The White Stripes' discography consists of six studio albums, two extended plays (EP), one video album, 26 singles and fourteen music videos. The band has sold approximately 12 million albums worldwide, 2 million in the US alone, and their latest three albums have each won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
On February 2, 2011, the band announced on their website that they had disbanded.
Official band website: www.whitestripes.com
A Martyr for My Love for You
The White Stripes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She stumbled, started to slip and fall, teeter-tottered on the top of patent leather shoes
I happened to catch her and said: "Maybe these ruby shoes are a little cumbersome for you."
Maybe for you, now
But not as shaky as I must have seemed talkin' junk through her giggle, little teenage dream
And on the phone I could not compete; my dumb-luck fake competence was getting weak
And for a sec' I thought I sounded sweet
But sure enough in a gruff, faint voice, I heard myself speak
[Chorus:]
I could stay a while
But sooner or later I'll break your smile
And I can tell a joke
But one of these days I'm bound to choke
And we could share a kiss
But I feel like I can't go through with this
And I bet we could build a home
But I know the right thing for me to do... is to leave you alone
Leave you alone, now
I'm beginning to like you, so you probably won't get what I'm going to do
I'm walkin' away from you; it probably don't make much sense to you
But I'm trying to save you from all of the things that I'll probably say or do
I'll probably do
[Chorus]
You'll probably call me a fool and say I'm doin' exactly what a coward would do
And I'm beginning to like you
It's a shame, what a lame way to live, but what can I do?
I hope you appreciate what I do
I'm a martyr for my love for you
A martyr for my love for you, now...
A martyr for my love for you...
A martyr for my love for you...
The White Stripes' song "A Martyr for My Love for You" tells the story of a young man who falls for a tall and clumsy girl he meets at the zoo. Although he is attracted to her, he is also insecure and doesn't know how to act around her. He acknowledges his feelings, but also expresses his fear of potentially hurting her or ruining the connection they share.
The chorus emphasizes his inner conflict as he considers various hypothetical scenarios that could occur if they pursue a relationship together. He recognizes that they could experience moments of happiness and intimacy, but ultimately concludes that he is not ready for the commitment and responsibility that come with building a life together. He decides that the best thing he can do for her and for himself is to walk away and let her find someone who can love her fully.
The title of the song reflects the singer's self-perception as a martyr, someone who sacrifices his own desires and happiness for the sake of someone else's well-being. However, the irony lies in the fact that his martyrdom is self-imposed and rooted in his own anxiety and insecurity. The song speaks to the common experience of wanting love but fearing the vulnerability and risk that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
She was sixteen and six feet tall in a crowd of teenagers comin' out of the zoo
She stood out from the other teenagers because of her height.
She stumbled, started to slip and fall, teeter-tottered on the top of patent leather shoes
She almost fell but recovered herself.
I happened to catch her and said: "Maybe these ruby shoes are a little cumbersome for you."
I helped her and suggested that her shoes might be uncomfortable.
But not as shaky as I must have seemed talkin' junk through her giggle, little teenage dream
I wasn't as confident as I sounded while talking to her.
And on the phone I could not compete; my dumb-luck fake competence was getting weak
I was struggling to keep up the façade of confidence while talking on the phone.
And for a sec' I thought I sounded sweet
For a moment, I thought I had impressed her.
But sure enough in a gruff, faint voice, I heard myself speak
But soon after, I realized that I didn't sound as good as I thought.
I could stay a while
But sooner or later I'll break your smile
And I can tell a joke
But one of these days I'm bound to choke
And we could share a kiss
But I feel like I can't go through with this
And I bet we could build a home
But I know the right thing for me to do... is to leave you alone
Leave you alone, now
I like you, but I don't think I'm good enough for you. I don't want to disappoint you, so it's better if I leave.
I'm beginning to like you, so you probably won't get what I'm going to do
I'm starting to like you, which is why it might be hard for you to understand my decision.
I'm walkin' away from you; it probably don't make much sense to you
But I'm trying to save you from all of the things that I'll probably say or do
I'll probably do
I'm leaving you because I don't want to hurt you with my words or actions.
You'll probably call me a fool and say I'm doin' exactly what a coward would do
And I'm beginning to like you
You might think I'm a coward for leaving, but I'm doing it because I care for you.
It's a shame, what a lame way to live, but what can I do?
It's unfortunate that I have to leave, but I feel like it's necessary.
I hope you appreciate what I do
I hope you understand my intentions and appreciate my decision.
I'm a martyr for my love for you
A martyr for my love for you, now...
A martyr for my love for you...
A martyr for my love for you...
I'm sacrificing my own desires and emotions for your well-being.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACK WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@b3nje989
"I'm beginning to like you
So you probably won't get what I'm going to do
I'm walkin' away from you
It probably don't make much sense to you
But I'm trying to save you
From all of the things that I'll probably say or do"
I was with someone once, just starting to know each other, and I broke it off, cause I thought like that above...
Now I miss her like you would never believe...
Greatest mistake of my life...
@arcadefireNan1
I do not understand why they kept this as an album only song. It's fucking beautiful. One of the best songs by them in my opinion.
@doesitreallymatter9832
777 nation army couldn't hold him back
@Nonno272
This song os so under-appreciated... I've listened to it hundreds of times, and I will listen to it hundreds more.
@itsalongbeachthing
Actually very perverted. Gross. Did you understand the lyrics at all Michal?
@davem859
@Mike Manion well when you look at the lyrics you might find its actually nothing to do with perversion, age, or as you say "gross"ness
@nomoreluke
@Davem It actually IS I'm afraid mate. Not too sure how you can misconstrue what are some pretty specific, clear lyrics. He begins to have affection for a girl who is (as he clearly states) 16 years old. It's obvious from the lyrics that they have at least SOME contact going forwards. He reluctantly decides to break the "relationship" off because he doesn't want to do the wrong thing. So yeah, it specifically IS about having "affectionate" feelings for a girl who is a ridiculously inappropriate age. Jack White has commented on the lyrics to this song on many occasions, stating that he "Didn't know" and "Maybe the character singing is 16, like the girl" when asked whether it was his contribution to the "jailbate" genre of songs. Not a massively reassuring set of answers but hey... So yeah, sorry!! But the song demonstrably IS about a relationship with a 16yo girl.
@davem859
@nomoreluke alright
@hendrixphish420
until tonight, the only 2 songs from this album i had heard were "catch hell blues" (my fave WS song) and "Icky thump" . it is now after hearing the rest that my conclusion is - this album is pretty much flawless. My hat goes off to Meg & Jack for this masterpiece of human expression.
@unreal1257
this is pure emotions, not like rap where they need hundreds of words to say what this band is saying in lot less words
just listen to what jack white says and understand that this is being broken because of the feeling of love
@assmane999
What an amazing intro. Sets the perfect mood, and then I love how the mood changes up in the chorus to more upbeat and positive. Great balance.