"You Cheated Me" by Martha Wainwright

You Cheated Me


So, those of you who know all about my obsession with all things Wainwright and McGarrigle, will most likely not be all that surprising. I was cruising around YouTube with some friends the other night when I noticed that I hadn’t really watch too many music videos recently. I also then started thinking about how in my writing class on visual culture, I have a day planned to talk about music videos. And I am excited about it. There was this awesome day in my pop culture class when I was a junior in undergrad when two friends came up with a music video theory. Awesome, right?

Well, I recently discovered that Martha Wainwright is going to covering some Edith Piaf songs, and I decided to check out some of her music videos. I found the one for “You Cheated Me” from her most recent CD, I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too. The video is so interesting, not to mention that the song is uber-awesome.

What I think is so awesome about the video is it how it uses the sofa. I mean, it is pretty hard not to miss, right? She sort of comes embedded in it, and I wonder if the sofa is a metaphor for how we become consumed by our emotions and anxiety after we discover some really bad news. The sofa is a place of comfort, and it is a place where we can get away and escape through a variety of means: conversation, TV, reading, avoiding work, sleeping.


Here are the lyrics:

I know you've got to go
And I wanted to be afraid to say
But I'm not
I'm scared to death of what you've become

You were my only ally
Now you're looking around for an alibi
Why don't you go ask your new set on the set of lies

Chorus: You cheated me and I can't believe it
I've been calling since four o'clock last night
You cheated me and I can't believe it
I saw you singing and dancing in the rain
All the way home

You left the keys in the door when you left that night
I don't wanna point the finger but I can't help it
Why don't you run your scared little ass down the block
I'll catch up to you when you come back and

Chorus

When all the bills have been unrolled
And your story has been untold
Tell me if it was worth it
To see the whole damn thing unfold

Chorus (2xs)

Martha Wainwright

My newfound love of all things Rufus Wainwright allowed me to make this new, brilliant discovery: his sister, Martha Wainwright.

For the little I have been able to devour about the Wainwright/McGarrigle clan, it seems that everyone is so musically and artistically inclined. Even though Martha Wainwright has several albums of her own, Martha sang "Stormy Weather" on her brothers album/concert, Rufus Does Judy, and before this, she had been featured on a number of McGarrigle albums.

I haven't had much time to listen to a number of songs, but one in particular that I have fallen in love with is "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole." My own proclivity for cursing is not the only reason that I like the song. I love how her voice combines this weird conflation of Alanis Morissette and Dar Williams vibes. Thanks to YouTube, I can share this video of a live performance of the song:






While I hesitate to label the song as a feminist one, I do love how the speaker of the song asserts her own presence to forcefully. I mean the lyric "I will not pretend / I will not put on a smile for you" stands out so much on the song. Also, the lyric, "Oh I wish I were born a man," makes me recall Beyonce's latest single, "If I Were a Boy."

I hope you enjoy this song. I look forward to listening to more Martha Wainwright and hopefully sharing some more about her and her music, too.

Lyrics:
Poetry is no place for a heart that's a whore
And I'm young & I'm strong
But I feel old & tired
Overfired
And I've been poked & stoked
It's all smoke, there's no more fire
Only desire
For you, whoever you are
For you, whoever you are
You say my time here has been some sort of joke
That I've been messing around
Some sort of incubating period
For when I really come around
I'm cracking up
And you have no idea
No idea how it feels to be on your own
In your own homewith the fucking phone
And the mother of gloom
In your bedroom
Standing over your head
With her hand in your head
With her hand in your head
I will not pretend
I will not put on a smile
I will not say I'm all right for you
When all I wanted was to be good
To do everything in truth
To do everything in truth
Oh I wish I wish I wish I was born a man
So I could learn how to stand up for myself
Like those guys with guitars
I've been watching in bars
Who've been stamping their feet to a different beat
To a different beat
To a different beat
I will not pretend
I will not put on a smile
I will not say I'm all right for you
When all I wanted was to be good
To do everything in truth
To do everything in truth
You bloody mother fucking asshole
Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole
Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole
Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole
Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole
Oh you bloody...
I will not pretend
I will not put on a smile
I will not say I'm all right for you
For you, whoever you are
For you, whoever you are
For you, whoever you are