First Light EP

To Be Happier (Radio Edit) - Single

To Be Happier (Radio Edit)

Call me a stranger,
Call me your foe
You can come with a wager,
But I left long ago

You can stare with your daggers,
Or sulk at the side
Your words twist and swagger,
Like a buoy at high tide

(Chorus)
Take off all your disguises,
And bring your fears to the table
For there’s no use in hiding behind
A troubled mind

You can scream from the rooftops
Or bury your soul
In a world full of characters
That only you know

It might be forever, 
Or maybe an hour
But I’ll stick around here
‘Cause you’re worth waiting for
Yeah you’re worth waiting for

(Chorus)
Take off all your disguises,
And bring your fears to the table
For there’s no use in all these devices so -
Take off all your disguises,
And bring your fears to the table
For there’s no use in hiding behind
A troubled mind

A troubled mind…

A Troubled Mind

Come to sea, be at peace
We can make animals out of clouds
Come to sea, feel the spray
You can close your eyes, just for a while

And I will keep you safe from harm
Be your calm through the storm
And I will keep you...

Dip your toes, wet your face
Won't be long 'till I hold you
Come with me to the open space
You can close your eyes, just for a while

And I will keep you safe from harm
Be your calm through the storm
And I will keep you...

And I will keep you safe from harm
Be your calm through the storm
And I will keep you... 
down...

Song Of The Sea

Available for download from 16th March 2015. 

From the debut album 'When Shadows Return To The Sea', coming 6th April 2015.

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Slow are the days;
Come quickly, slowly
Melting in ways
We can't control

One day the same,
Then oh-so-suddenly
Everything changed
As my back was turned

Tell me who...
Tell me who changed the clocks?

Counting the hours
To final freedom
When will they come
To take you away?

Staring at death;
The highest kingdom
With your breath,
You find your way

Tell me who...
Tell me who changed the clocks?

Tell me who...

Who Changed The Clocks?

Don't Get Lost In The Dark - Martha Bean

Keep your head down
Refrain from a frown
An early rise,
Some exercise,
And it will come

The steps it takes to be a better man
Affects every inch of me, 'till I succumb

Never deceive
And never be deceived
These are the virtues of the pure

The steps it takes to be a better man
Affects every inch of me, 'till I succumb
Connect the dots to see, how you can
Collect some sympathy, 'till you become

A better man
A better man

What does it take to be a better man?
A little dignity, and a willing hand
Untie the untruths, open up your heart
And hold yourself accountable
Now that's the start
Of a better man

A Better Man - Single

You've fallen asleep live on air, again, while the world's listening
'Oh here comes the weather report' you thought you'd said, but you're dreaming

Sometimes life escapes our grasp when we're not looking
You've just arrived in slippers to a wedding

I'm locked out the house, with only seven hours to kill
'Oh here comes the snowstorm, perhaps I'll build a fire until
My knight in shimmering armour arrives, smiling'
It's all too much, can't keep myself from crying

We're trying

Sometimes life escapes our grasp when we're not looking
Where am I? I keep forgetting

Slippers To A Wedding

A song about our little baby bean, due February 2019

When I was fifteen, I had a temper
Slammed doors, told lies
I couldn't distinguish wrong from right
What good would it be to make new life like mine?

But now I am older, and hopefully wiser
I find you here, kicking my bladder
And I won't mind you making me fatter
As long as you are mine

(Chorus)
When I hold you in my arms
The puzzle piece lost in my heart
Will suddenly reveal
Itself to us
When I hold you in my arms

And when you are troubled, and life is a worry
I'll take your hand, so long as you let me
And I won't mind you throwing up on me
For you'll always be mine


Acoustic guitar, double bass, mandolins, piano, vocals - Martha Bean 
Mixing and mastering - Martha Bean & Joel Evans

Follow Martha Online:
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/user/marthabeanmusic
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Official - http://www.marthabean.com

(C) 2019 Martha Bean

When I Hold You In My Arms

“Is it all right to settle for someone who is ‘all right’, just so you aren’t lonely?”

from Here Comes The Snowstorm, track releases November 15, 2019
Martha Bean - electric guitar, voice, bass 
Joe Manger - drums 
Rob Rosa - violin 
Mirka Hoppari - viola 
John Bean - cello 
Joel Evans - Wurlitzer piano, synths and additional percussion 

Co-produced - Martha Bean & Joel Evans. All recorded in Martha's home studio.


Sing me a lullaby, and hold me close 
Take my hand, and I will love you most 

Kiss my forehead when I’m asleep 
Take me out to dine, and I won’t peep 
Yeah I won’t peep 

Cause you make me feel so good along the lonely 
Yeah you make me feel so good along the lonely 
Yeah you fill my cup right up, along the lonely 
Among the lonely 
Among the lonely 

Don’t forget the date that we first met 
I saw our future flash through my head 
I could be the one to save your seat 
Now the battle’s won, I won’t peep 
Yeah, I won’t peep... 

Among the lonely 
Among the lonely

Along The Lonely - Single

Along The Lonely (single)

from Here Comes The Snowstorm, single out now

Martha Bean - guitar, voice, double bass 
Joe Manger - drums 
Rob Rosa - violin 
Mirka Hoppari - viola 
John Bean - cello 
Joel Evans - Wurlitzer piano 

Co-produced - Martha Bean & Joel Evans


Hold her, tell her no lies 
Unfold her, while she closes her eyes 
Enrapture, carry her home 
Captured by the beat of your drum 

Therein lies a secret 
Will you be the one to keep it? 

Listen to the sound, 
Keep it going round and around and around and round 
Softly to the end, 
Keep it going round and around and around again 

Catch fireflies as they glow 
And never, ever let go 
Circling, they collide 
As your heart beat, close to mine 

Therein lies a secret 
Can you be the one to keep it? 

Listen to the sound, 
Keep it going round and around and around and round 
Softly to the end, 
Keep it going round and around and around again 

'Til it runs right out 
Until there's no doubt 
'Til it runs right out 
Go around and around and around and around and around again 
And around and around and around again

Circles (single)

Martha's new EP ‘First Light’ is out 16th September 2022, including the single ‘To Be Happier’, out 9th September.

Like the soundtrack to a classic spy film, UK-based songstress Martha Bean’s expansive soundscapes and soaring falsetto have earned her comparisons to artists Nick Drake, Laura Veirs, and Andy Shauf.

The songs on this EP explore Martha's battle with insomnia and postnatal depression (she became a first-time mother not long before the pandemic struck), and self-worth (A Troubled Mind). The EP closes on a lighter, more positive note with To Be Happier, reminiscent of Carole King or Randy Newman.

“There’s no doubting the talent on display. Sufjan Stevens meets Debussy. Beautiful.”
Acoustic Magazine 

“She has the talent, the voice and the imagination to stand out from the crowd. **** ”
R2 Magazine

“Full of charm, delicateness, and pure, unadulterated loveliness” - Fresh On The Net

Martha Bean

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