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.
Suzanne
John Martyn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A long time since I met love at my door
Sometimes I thought I knew you
Sometimes I saw straight through you
Lord I hope I never see you no more.
Where are you now, Suzanne?
Sometime I think I dreamed it from the start
Tell me how to run to your heart.
I was holding on to my imagination
Imagining you'd be the only one
Seemed like every time I kissed you
Just another way to miss you
I should have known that love was on the run.
Where are you now, Suzanne?
Sometimes I think I dreamed you from the start
Where are you now, Suzanne
Tell me what you've done
Tell me what you do this time,
Tell me what you do to my heart.
Well I know you could have loved the man that I could never be
You know you never loved me like I am
Well I tried so hard to hold you
And never even told you
I knew inside you loved some other man.
Where are you now, Suzanne?
Sometimes I think I dreamed you from the start
Where are you now, Suzanne?
Where are you now, Suzanne
Where are you now, tell me.
The lyrics of John Martyn's song "Suzanne" portray a man who is reflecting on the absence of love in his life. He has not experienced love in a long time, and despite believing that he knew Suzanne, he now hopes to never see her again. He yearns for her presence and asks her where she is and how he can run to her heart. He once held onto the idea that she was the only one for him, but now realizes that love was never truly rooted between them. Every kiss was another way to miss her, and he should have known that love was on the run. He acknowledges that he could never be the man that Suzanne could have loved as he never felt that she loved him as he was. He tried hard to hold onto her but never shared his knowledge that she loved someone else.
The lyrics to "Suzanne" have a melancholic tone attributed to the realization of failed love. The song depicts a sense of longing and internal grief. The imagery of the garden and the door represents the hope of finding love and the disappointment of losing it. The use of the name Suzanne adds a personal touch, making the song relatable to those who've experienced unrequited love. The lyrical content of the song is complemented by John Martyn's emotive and soulful bluesy voice. The melody is simple and repetitive, bringing focus to the lyrics, making "Suzanne" a classic ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
A long time since I saw love in my garden
It's been a while since I've associated love with being in a peaceful, natural setting.
A long time since I met love at my door
It's been a while since I've experienced love with someone who was essentially a stranger at that point in time.
Sometimes I thought I knew you
At times, I felt like I had a good understanding of who you were as a person.
Sometimes I saw straight through you
At times, I felt like I could clearly see right through you and your intentions.
Lord I hope I never see you no more.
I strongly wish to avoid any further interactions with you.
Where are you now, Suzanne?
I'm curious about your current whereabouts, Suzanne.
Sometime I think I dreamed it from the start
Sometimes I feel like the beginning of our relationship may have only occurred in my imagination.
Tell me how to run to your heart.
I'm asking for guidance on how to become closer to you emotionally.
I was holding on to my imagination
I was clinging to an idea that existed in my mind rather than the reality of our relationship.
Imagining you'd be the only one
I had convinced myself that you would be the only person who could make me feel complete.
Seemed like every time I kissed you
It felt like every time I kissed you, the feeling of longing for you only intensified.
Just another way to miss you
Every kiss on its own was just another reminder that I missed you even more when we weren't together.
I should have known that love was on the run.
In hindsight, I should have realized that our love wasn't going to last forever.
Tell me what you've done
I'm asking for an update on what you've been doing since we were last in touch.
Tell me what you do this time,
I'm curious about how you're going to act or what you're going to do this time around.
Tell me what you do to my heart.
I'm asking how you plan to affect my emotional state or how you think you'll impact me.
Well I know you could have loved the man that I could never be
I'm aware that you may have been able to love a version of me that I couldn't become.
You know you never loved me like I am
I understand that you never loved me the way that I truly am, flaws and all.
Well I tried so hard to hold you
I put in a lot of effort to try and keep us together.
And never even told you
However, I never expressed my feelings adequately enough to you.
I knew inside you loved some other man.
Deep down, I always had a sneaking suspicion that you were in love with someone else.
Where are you now, Suzanne?
Again, I'm wondering where you are these days, Suzanne.
Where are you now, tell me.
I'm asking you to share with me your current location and/or situation.
Contributed by Anna D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tomhamilton5261
Johnny Boy never gave in -the show went on despite his ill health… as does Phil. Very talented musicians and artists.
@thomastrentanove9740
RIP John. U brought me much food for my soul.
@rorycanavan14
I can't get this album on Spotify so its great to find it here. I agree fully.
@alessandrosermenghi2416
Great pop song,❤love!!!
@johnwood9087
Martyn piece on you RIP
@iMertin90
piece is what you eat.. peace on him bud haha
@oldgreybeard2507
57 likes and 6 comments WTF!
@popozz
Phil Collins