“Song For Jainie” is one of the best songs on Tim Buckley’s debut album, and is certainly the most sincere. Containing Buckley’s most inspired vocal on the album, the song is addressing a lover, repeatedly telling her “Jainie don’t you know/Jainie don’t you know I’ve been trying”. The song is a simple statement of the narrator’s inadequacies, and a plea for acceptance. However, the arrangement does sound dated to modern ears, and Buckley’s vocal, whilst unique, can grate, especially in the vocal leaps he makes in the verses. Nevertheless, as a composition, it’s perhaps the most realised song on Buckley’s debut release, containing the tightest structure, and the song certainly emanates an endearing, modest charm.
(by Thomas Ward, allmusic.com)