He grew up in Glasgow and attended Shawlands Academy. John Martyn moved to London from Glasgow in the mid 1960s. He made his initial recorded impact in 1967, at the age of 19, with his debut album London Conversation. He then quickly became an integral part of the British music scene, incorporating Folk, Blues, and Jazz into his unique sound.
In the late 60s to early 70s he was close friends with Nick Drake, for whom he wrote the song Solid Air. The album of the same name remains an extremely moving album, as does the later Grace and Danger which documents his divorce from his wife Beverley with whom he recorded several albums (as John & Beverley Martyn).
During the 70s John lived in Hastings on the South Coast of England. Whilst in Hastings he released, amongst others, the Live At Leeds album which he sold from his own house. Also during his time in Hastings John tried to help Paul Kossoff put his life back together.
A long held alcohol problem didn't prevent Martyn from releasing twenty-two albums. In 2003 he contracted an infection that resulted in the amputation of part of a leg, an episode documented in the 2004 BBC documentary "Johnny Too Bad". He recovered, however, and continued to play, record and tour. In 2008, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Folk Awards. He has influenced many songwriters and guitarists and is an artist whose stature only grows with time. He worked with artists such as Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, David Gilmour and Levon Helm.
Sadly, he passed away on 29th January 2009.
A tribute album entitled Johnny Boy Would Love this…a Tribute to John Martyn was released on 15 August 2011, comprising cover versions of his songs by various artists who he had worked with or influenced.
Cry Me A River
John Martyn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you cry the whole night through
You can cry me a river
Oh yes you're going to cry me a river
I cried a river over you.
Now you say you're sorry for being so untrue
You cry me a river
I cried a river over you
Yes I did child, yes I did my child.
You drove me nearly out of my head
You stood by and never shed a tear
I remember every word that was said
Oh yes, I remember, never fear.
You may cry me a river, c'mon now
Cry me a river
You cry me a river
I cried a river for you oh how I cried.
You nearly drove me out of my own sweet head
You stood by, you never shed a tear for me.
I remember every cruel word, everything that was said
Yes I remember, never you fear.
You cry me a river
I cried a river for you
I cried a river of tears for you.
Yes, I cried a river of tears for you.
Turn back the tide of life, I cried, salty water running down
I cried I love you
I cried I love you
I cried, I cried.
You may cry, oh, she may cry now, a river of tears
A river of tears for you
You may cry now, she may cry, oh, she may cry now
You may cry, oh, she may cry now a river of tears
A river of tears for you.
I cry you can cry me a river
Lord loves a cheerful giver
C'mon and cry me a river of tears
C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
C'mon now, c'mon down and cry me a river.
In this song, John Martyn talks about a relationship that has gone sour. The other person in the relationship tells him that they love him, but cry throughout the night. He asks them to cry him a river and continues to say that he cried a river for them before. They then say that they are sorry for being untrue and cry again. He tells them that they nearly drove him crazy without shedding a tear and that he remembers everything that was said. He doesn't seem to believe the other person's tears this time and says that he cried a river of tears for them before. He then says, "I cried I love you" and repeats "cry me a river of tears" multiple times.
The lyrics of the song are quite easy to follow and are very relatable to anyone who has been in a relationship that has gone bad. The phrase "cry me a river" is an interesting one as it means to cry for someone or to cry profusely. The phrase has been used in many songs, including Justin Timberlake's breakout hit.
Line by Line Meaning
Now you say you love me
You claim you love me now
But you cry the whole night through
However, you cry throughout the night
You can cry me a river
Your crying won't make a difference to me
Oh yes you're going to cry me a river
Inevitably, you'll cry a lot for me
I cried a river over you.
I shed a lot of tears over you
Now you say you're sorry for being so untrue
You apologize for your unfaithfulness
You cry me a river
You demonstrate your remorse with your tears
You may cry a river
You can cry as much as you want
I cried a river over you
I was very upset because of you
Yes I did child, yes I did my child.
I did cry a lot for you, my dear.
You drove me nearly out of my head
Your actions were almost too much for me to handle
You stood by and never shed a tear
You were indifferent to my pain
I remember every word that was said
I recall every hurtful thing you said
Oh yes, I remember, never fear.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten.
You may cry me a river, c'mon now
You can cry as much as you want now
I cried a river over you
I cried a lot because of you
I cried a river for you oh how I cried.
My tears were because of you, and there were many
You nearly drove me out of my own sweet head
You almost made me lose my mind
You stood by, you never shed a tear for me.
You were unsympathetic to my pain
You cry me a river
You express your feelings with your tears
I cried a river for you
I was very upset because of you
I cried a river of tears for you.
I shed a lot of tears because of you
Yes, I cried a river of tears for you.
I was very emotional because of you
Turn back the tide of life, I cried, salty water running down
I pleaded for a change in our situation, crying profusely
I cried I love you
I expressed my love through my tears
You may cry now, she may cry, oh, she may cry now
You or she can cry now
A river of tears for you
A lot of tears for you
I cry you can cry me a river
I'm unbothered by your tears
Lord loves a cheerful giver
God loves those who give joyfully
C'mon and cry me a river of tears
Feel free to cry a lot because of me
C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
Go ahead and cry a lot for me
C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
I want you to cry a lot for me
C'mon now, c'mon down and cry me a river.
Please cry a lot for me.
Contributed by Colton O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.