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.
Hole In The Rain
John Martyn Lyrics
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Between the drizzle and the drop
Come on put your faith in beauty
Try to do love's duty, won't you help us carry on?
Offer every honor, and just honor every offer
Help us carry on
You make the sourest rain as sweet as sunshine?
Darling, don't you see by just standing here by me
You make it so much easier to find?
The hole in the rain, hole in the rain
The hole in the rain, hole in the rain
Put your heart and mind together
Manipulate this weather
Help us, carry on
With the love of one another
We can still be nature's mother
We can help her carry on
Darling, don't you know that everywhere you go
You make that sourest rain sweet as sunshine?
Darling, don't you see with your standing here by me
You make it so much easier to find?
The hole in the rain, hole in the rain
The hole in this rain, we got hole in the rain
The hole in the rain, hole in the rain
Hole in the rain, the hole in this rain
I know, there's a hole in the rain
There's a hole in that pouring rain
I can see it pouring down, there's a hole
There's a hole, there's a hole
There's a hole, there's a hole in the rain
There 's a hole, there's a hole outside
I can see it falling down
And I can see that little hole in the rain
Darling, with the help of my friends
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
Between the drizzle and the drop
The song "Hole In The Rain" by John Martyn is a beautiful composition about the power of love to bring hope and positivity to difficult circumstances. The lyrics revolve around the theme of finding hope in adversity and making it through dark times by holding onto the love and support of those around us.
The song's opening lines, "Between the drizzle and the drop," set the tone for the rest of the song, suggesting that life is full of small but significant moments where hope can be found even amidst the most challenging situations. The chorus, "Darling, don't you know that everywhere you go, You make the sourest rain as sweet as sunshine," highlights the idea that love has the power to transform negative emotions into positive ones, and that even a small act of kindness or support can make a significant difference to someone who is struggling.
The song's central message is encapsulated in the lines, "With the love of one another, we can still be nature's mother, we can help her carry on." Here, the lyrics suggest that by coming together and supporting one another, we can make a positive impact not only in our own lives but also in the world around us. In this way, the song becomes a call to action, urging listeners to be kind and compassionate to one another and to work towards creating a better world for all.
Line by Line Meaning
Between the drizzle and the drop
Amidst the small amounts of rain falling from the sky
Come on put your faith in beauty
Believe in the positive, lovely things in life.
Try to do love's duty, won't you help us carry on?
Spread love and positivity to help us all continue on.
Offer every honor, and just honor every offer
Give and receive respect from one another.
Help us carry on
Assist in ensuring positivity and progress continues.
Darling, don't you know that everywhere you go
My dear, do you realize that wherever you are
You make the sourest rain as sweet as sunshine?
Your presence is enough to make even the most unpleasant situations pleasant.
Darling, don't you see by just standing here by me
My dear, do you not understand that being near me
You make it so much easier to find?
Makes it easier to stay positive and hopeful.
The hole in the rain, hole in the rain
The break or gap in the dreary weather,
Put your heart and mind together
Focus and collaborate with love and positivity.
Manipulate this weather
Change the negative situation through force of will.
With the love of one another
By showing one another affection
We can still be nature's mother
We can still nurture and care for the earth.
We can help her carry on
We can help nature continue to thrive and prosper.
There's a hole in the rain
There is a break or gap in the unpleasant situation.
And I can see that little hole in the rain
I can see the small break in the negative situation.
Darling, with the help of my friends
My dear, with the assistance of my companions
Between the drizzle and the drop
Amidst the small amounts of rain falling from the sky
Between the drizzle and the drop
Amidst the small amounts of rain falling from the sky
Between the drizzle and the drop
Amidst the small amounts of rain falling from the sky
Between the drizzle and the drop
Amidst the small amounts of rain falling from the sky
Between the drizzle and the drop
Amidst the small amounts of rain falling from the sky
Between the drizzle and the drop
Amidst the small amounts of rain falling from the sky
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN MARTYN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind