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.
This Time
John Martyn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't going to see you for quite some time
I'm fading away in the morning sun
Maybe behind it, I'll find someone.
Baby, why do you sneak into my mind
Why do you haunt me all the time
Why don't you go and leave me be
This time
Stop me if you think you can.
Oh, we had a love that lived and died
When it was over there was no one to cry
So now that it's gone without one tear
I reckon it's time that I was not here.
Baby, why do you sneak into my mind
Why do you haunt me all the time
Why don't you go and leave me be
Why don't you go and leave me free?
This time
Stop me if you think you can.
Been flitting around your scene too long
Reckon it's time I was travelling on
Oh baby, if you don't want me to go
Why are you whispering my name so low.
Baby, why do you sneak into my mind
Why do you haunt me all the time
Why don't you go and leave me be
Why don't you go and leave me free?
This time
Stop me if you think you can
The lyrics of John Martyn's song "This Time" depict a classic story of a person trying to let go of a love that has faded away. In the first verse, the singer proclaims that he is cutting ties with his lover and won't be seeing her for a while. He hopes to find someone new who can fill the void left in his heart.
The second verse of the song shows the singer's frustration with his ex-partner who has been persistently on his mind. He wonders why she keeps haunting him and why she won't let him move on. He seeks for her to leave him alone and free from the weight of their past relationship.
In the third verse, the singer asserts his decision to leave fully and move on. He has been hanging around this person's life for far too long, and it's time for him to step away to find a fresh start. However, the singer is thrown off balance when he receives a whisper of his name, and he wonders if his ex-lover is trying to convince him to stay.
Overall, "This Time" delves into the typical human experience of holding onto memories of past lovers, and the difficulty in letting go of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm putting you right out of my life
I am choosing to remove you from my life completely.
Ain't going to see you for quite some time
I will not be seeing you for an extended period of time.
I'm fading away in the morning sun
I am slowly disappearing in the light of day.
Maybe behind it, I'll find someone.
Perhaps I will find someone new behind the new day's light.
Baby, why do you sneak into my mind
Why are you constantly on my mind?
Why do you haunt me all the time
Why do you continue to burden me with your presence?
Why don't you go and leave me be
Why don't you simply disappear and cease to bother me?
Why don't you go and leave me free?
Why don't you allow me to be rid of you once and for all?
This time
This time, things will be different.
Stop me if you think you can.
Try to stop me if you believe you can.
Oh, we had a love that lived and died
We once had a love that had a beginning and an end.
When it was over there was no one to cry
When it ended, there was no one to mourn its loss.
So now that it's gone without one tear
Now that it's over, there are no tears left to shed.
I reckon it's time that I was not here.
It is time for me to go and disappear from your life.
Been flitting around your scene too long
I have been around you for too long without reason.
Reckon it's time I was travelling on
It is time for me to move on and leave this behind.
Oh baby, if you don't want me to go
If you do not want me to leave, my leaving is your responsibility.
Why are you whispering my name so low.
Why are you whispering my name so quietly - are you trying to make sure that I don't hear?
Contributed by Ian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Oded Fried-Gaon
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