Ashley McBryde carries on the great country tradition of giving bad men what they deserve in her new song “Martha Divine.” Only in this case, he gets to live knowing his loose trousers led to a wanton woman’s demise.
Part Dixie Chicks‘ “Goodbye Earl” (as they were known then), part Carrie Underwood‘s ”Two Black Cadillacs,” “Martha Divine” smashes any peeping lightbulbs for a decidedly darker country-rock stomp. The story goes that her dad was sleeping around on her mother, so she seeks revenge.
Does Martha meet her maker? Fans never find out for sure, but come on, she surely does! There’s no scene later in this movie where the three are splitting a turkey dinner laughing about “that one time” when baby girl went crazy and bought a shovel. The song’s title is based on an old urban legend around Martha Divine’s Hole, but McBryde tells Taste of Country Nights the character is based on a real person.
Jeremy Spillman helped McBryde write this song from Never Will, her critically acclaimed album from 2020. Believe it or not, the song adds levity to a heavy project — one filled with nuanced emotion and real-life drama. With perhaps one exception (“Girl Goin’ Nowhere”), her team has stayed clear of those types of cathartic moments for radio consumption, thus allowing fans to truly “discover” McBryde. Think of “Martha Divine” as a gateway drug to a catalog that’s hooked many who seek something a little more satisfying.
WATCH: Ashley McBryde Talks About Killing People in a Song
Ashley McBryde’s “Martha Divine” Lyrics:
I’ve got this feeling / And I got this shovel / Between me and you and it / You’re in a little trouble / I saw you sneaking / And I know what happened / I think it’s kinda funny you got caught / Only, I ain’t laughing
Chorus:
Martha Divine, Martha Divine / You put your hands on the wrong damn man this time / Jezebel, you’re bound for Hell / But evidently, the devil was busy so I moved you up in line, Martha Divine
Well, you call him darling / And I call him daddy / And daddy says he’ll whup me if I don’t keep mama happy / Honor thy father / Honor thy mother / But the Bible doesn’t say a damn thing about your daddy’s lover
Repeat Chorus
Mama’s an angel / My daddy isn’t / Looks like a little more of him rubbed off on me than didn’t / Well, I’ll leave you to it / They’ll never prove it / And if they ever find out, I’ll say the devil made me do it
Martha Divine, Martha Divine / You put your hands on the wrong damn man this time / Martha Divine, your ass is mine / And it ain’t murder if I bury you alive / Martha Divine