McBryde told Spillman that she wanted a song similar in theme to that of Dolly Parton's "Jolene".

"This is going to be a song that hopefully, someday, when you are playing it live, two measures of that drum introduction and people will start cheering," Joyce told her.

Only in this case, he gets to live knowing his loose trousers led to a wanton woman's demise.

[5] Stephen Thompson of NPR commented that "What 'Martha Divine' lacks in healthy boundaries, appropriately placed anger or clarity about the proper legal definition of "murder," however, it more than makes up for in raucous, hooky, fist-pumping catharsis.

[8] The song spent two weeks on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, peaking at number 59 in April 2021.