For Martha

"For Martha"
Song by The Smashing Pumpkins
Album Lyrics Tabs Spotify
Released	1998
Studio sessions	Fall 1994 – Pumpkinland February 1997 – Chicago Recording Company November 1997-March 1998 – Sunset Sound
Length	8:18
Songwriter(s)	Billy Corgan
Adore To Sheila Ava Adore Perfect Daphne Descends Once Upon a Time Tear Crestfallen Appels + Oranjes Pug The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete Annie-Dog Shame Behold! The Night Mare For Martha Blank Page 17

"For Martha" is a song from The Smashing Pumpkins' fourth studio album, Adore. It was written as a tribute to Corgan's mother who had recently passed. The piano and drums were recorded in one live take, with everything else overdubbed later. It is the only song on Adore to feature Matt Cameron on drums.

“ 7 minute or so opus with lots of parts, stops and starts, and even tempo changes…I play the piano live in an “iso” room, while James and D’arcy are out on the floor with him in the main…we do many, many takes to get the whole piece just right (so the master can be just one whole piece), and it turns out beautifully as everyone plays with a lot of passion and soul (a real highlight of the record) ” — Billy Corgan, Billy Corgan, "Coming Down The Mountain" LiveJournal, April 14, 2005

The song evolved out of an early instrumental demo called "The Other Side".

Videos

Live on August 4, 1998 in Atlanta. Kenny Aronoff plays drums with Mike Garson on piano.

Lyric

whenever I run
wherever I run to you lost
it's never done
just hanging on

the past has let me be
returning as if dream
shattered as belief

if you have to go, don't say goodbye
if you have to go, don't you cry
if you have to go, I will get by
someday I'll follow you and see you on the other side

but for the grace of love
I'd will the meaning of
heaven from above

but for the grace of love
I'd will the meaning of
heaven from above

your picture out of time
left aching in my mind
shadows kept alive

if you have to go, don't say goodbye
if you have to go, don't you cry
if you have to go, I will get by
I will follow you and see you on the other side

but for the grace of love
who'd will the meaning of
heaven from above

long horses we are born
creatures more than torn
mourning our way home

Personnel

• Matt Cameron – drums
• Bon Harris – additional vocals

Availability

Title	Notes	Type
Adore Demos I		Bootleg
Adore	Main release	Studio
MCIS Demos II		Bootleg

Tour stats

• Total plays: 132 plays (130 full, 1 tease, 1 abandoned, 3 soundcheck), 1 acoustic, 10 piano, 2 artists
• First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1998-05-16 at Piazza Delle Feste, Genova, IT (soundcheck)
• First full performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1998-05-16 at Piazza Delle Feste, Genova, IT
• Last performance: Billy Corgan 2019-11-13 at Gillioz Theatre, Springfield, MO, US
• Longest performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1998-05-26 at Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, DK [14:20]
• Shortest performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1998-08-05 at Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, US [7:21]

External links

• "For Martha" at SPFC