Mad Martins
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Just an Inoffensive Wife
Lyrics
Do you take his name, his song?
As he walks through heavenly dreamtime,
You sew on.
The mother of all true invention,
Never touched this dreamer’s life:
Misguided truths, a blinding passion;
But not for you, his humble wife.
Did he take this inoffensive woman?
Did he take your name, your song?
As you struggle in the real world,
He dreams on.
No dress coats hang on gallery walls,
No bodices of fine brocade:
The greatest work you ever stitched,
Received no artists’ accolade.
Do you take this man, William Martin?
Do you take his name, his song?
As he walks through heavenly dreamtime,
You sew on.
The world will mock creative dreamers,
The cost was high you paid the price:
Pick up the pieces, sew them together;
Just an inoffensive wife.
Did he take this inoffensive woman?
Did he take your name, your song?
When you left him with the real world,
He dreamed on.
(Lyrics: Jane Miller / Music: Gary Miller)
© 2017 Whippet Records
Copyright Control MCPS/PRS
Recording Credits
Gary Miller - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
iain Petrie - Piano, Organ, Bass Guitar, Drums
Additional Text
Despite his 'genius', William found difficulty in attending to the practical things of life and relied increasingly on his wife's devotion to feed and clothe him from the proceeds of her dressmaking. Thus released, William devoted himself with great energy to his own peculiar philosophy, and the list of his inventions grew longer and longer.
William Martin wrote of his wife that she was "an inoffensive woman, respected both by rich and poor, and a celebrated dress-maker who had upwards of sixty apprentices during the time she was in business". She was "A jewel of a woman with a love amounting to devotion for her eccentric husband, who may be said to have been for years mainly fed and clad by the produce of her industriously-plied needle. On her deathbed the only concern she felt was who would take care of William, for she knew he could not take care of himself, as clever as he was."
Video Clips
'Just an Inoffensive Wife' live at the Premiere of
'Mad Martins: The Story of the Martin Brothers'
The City Theatre, Durham, England, 5th October 2019
'Mad Martins: The Story of the Martin Brothers'
The City Theatre, Durham, England, 5th October 2019