At first glance Martyn Joseph is (just) another gifted singer songwriter. First impressions are there to mislead of course: Joseph's ambition is broader than entertainment, deeper than commerce. Some musicians want to move your feet, some just want to move you: Martyn Joseph wants to move heaven and earth. Somewhere back in the middle distance Martyn Joseph emerged from the pack and we began to notice. For a moment there he might have been a pop-star, certainly a protest-singer, a balladeer now and then, a Celtic rock star before they were in vogue, a folk troubadour and then, just, Martyn Joseph. Darkness on the edge of Cardiff. If he has a reputation onstage as a raconteur, extemporizing lyrics to fit every occasion, his songs have always been infected with a discreet but defiant god bothering, music more interested in the forgotten than the remembered, the way things might be than the way they have become. It is less the ghost of Tom Jones than a Holy Ghost music, an aching and a longing for another way, another place, where you can treasure the questions that have no answers. Depending on where he was at the time, some of these songs have had a fortune spent on colouring them in while others are the second-take line drawings from the home studio or Polaroid's snapped live in the back of beyond.
The consistency is the voice the place where he stands, from where he chooses to look at life. This is music that articulates a yearning for another world that is yet to be born, songs of sorrow acquainted with grief but, nevertheless, melodies carried in sunlight, thunder and rainbows from the same sky. And as his 'Best Of' collection illustrates, Joseph's work matures with age. If these songs are already word-perfect to fans, in the future they will be covered by Britain's two leading contemporary music magazines Q, and, MoJo, respectively, describe Martyn Joseph as having 'a depth, resonance and emotional punch, which belies comparisons', and as being 'an artist of enduring worth'. Meanwhile The Guardian was transfixed by this gifted and gracious Welshman's 'burnished voice' whilst Tom Robinson of BBC 6 Music and iconic songwriter himself, regards Martyn as one of Britain's 'most charismatic and electrifying performers'. The Boston Globe concluded that the man was a 'profound experience'. Such press plaudits, and there are many more to choose from, would make any publicist purr with pleasure, but for Martyn Joseph, he regards them in a detached, almost incidental kind of way. For Martyn, 'it's the song that matters'. Yet such is Martyn's stature as an acoustic artist of almost hypnotic ability that BBC Radio 2, Britain's most listened to radio network, featured Martyn in their peak-time series on Singer/Songwriters. To be awarded the garland of your own programme on the Sony 'Station Of The Year', and placed alongside the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson and Mary Chapin Carpenter really says it all about Martyn's abilities.
Martyn's 20 year career has embraced some notable achievements including 5 Top 50 UK chart positions, with such songs as 'Dolphins Make Me Cry', 'Working Mother' and 'Let's Talk About It In The Morning', and appearances and tours with, amongst others, Suzanne Vega, Marc Cohn, Joan Armatrading, Clannad, Chris De Burgh, Jools Holland, Art Garfunkel, and even, Celine Dion. However, for Martyn, these various accomplishments, satisfying though they are, count as just part of the process, the necessary presentation aspect. As he says, 'Really what I do is try and write songs that might make a difference'.
His touring work and appearances over the years, on both sides of the Atlantic, have helped to establish this gifted and gracious Welshman as one of the foremost singer/songwriters of his generation. As Janis Ian said of sharing a stage with Martyn 'I loved working with him. I loved listening to him, I'd love to work with him again, anytime, anyplace'. Martyn's particular strength is in the lyrical narrative of his songs, be they contemporary protests against injustice and inhumanity, a musical psalm to the fulfillment and fragilities of love, or a piercing précis of social history, 'it's the song that can soothe, explain, and even in a small way save us'. In this manner he carries on in the tradition of the six string balladeer as both catalyst and interpreter of our raddled and rewarding times, our personal and communal stories sung out loud in the spirit of Woody Guthrie, Ewan MacColl, Hank Williams and Bruce Springsteen. That tradition, and sound, that thankfully still emerges from The Hallowed Hobo's Hall of Fame.
Across a 10 year cycle of albums from the Sony days of 'Being There' to his recent two volume live compilation 'Don't Talk About Love, Martyn's song catalogue is an awesomely impressive archive of our times, our tribulations, our wonder and our wounds. Amongst the considerable collection of positive reviews of Martyn's recording and live work, the two regularly recurring words describing, in particular, his performances are 'passion' and 'humour'. One observer after seeing Martyn in concert likened the experience and content to 'the beautiful business of being alive with all its jokes, absurdity and sadness, seared by music for the heart and head'. When you encounter Martyn Joseph, you'll hear likewise...
I Searched for You
Martyn Joseph Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stumble out of bed each day and struggle to be free
Stood by an ocean raging blue
Big wave cracked the sidewalk and I fell down there with you
Fell in with you
I scoured the land and the sunset glow
You think you know my friend but you just don't know
Break it in two and you'll see things you couldn't see before
I searched for you
Found and lost you on the way
I searched for you
Over the hill of a better day
I searched for you
In every mile I couldn't comprehend
I searched for you
And I'll do it again
Should only frame you in a metaphor
Not cast you off in our own image anymore
Big questions etched across the sky
The weight and reason of everything we'd like to know
I searched for you
Found and lost you on the way
I searched for you
Over the hill of a better day
I searched for you
In every mile I couldn't comprehend
I searched for you
And I'll do it again
Saw the blessing saw the curse
I've seen my best and I've seen my worst
Seen a lot of beauty seen a little hate
The great indifference and a twist of fate
Seen a lot of passion and empathy
The power and greed of the me me me
Seen a lot of suffering seen a lot of good
Felt the big life love of a neighbourhood
A needle in the arm and the sadness grow
The holy and the hidden and the outcast soul
Seen a lot of surplus but in the wrong place
And in the eyes of the broken I thought I saw your face
I searched for you
Found and lost you on the way
I searched for you
Over the hill of a better day
I searched for you
Now I'm stranded here in a passion play
I searched for you
Give me a sign I'll be there straight away
I searched for you
Stood in line 'til I don't know when
I searched for you
In every mile I couldn't comprehend
I searched for you
And I'll do it again
The heart is a mystery
Stumble out of bed each day and struggle to be free
Stood by an ocean raging blue
And I searched for you
The song "I Searched for You" by Martyn Joseph explores the enigmatic nature of the human heart and the search for meaning and connection in life. The first stanza speaks to the struggles of everyday life, and how we can fall down and find ourselves amidst unexpected circumstances. The heart is then described as a mystery that cannot be easily understood, but instead must be searched for endlessly. As the song progresses, it talks about the different experiences one can have in life, from seeing beauty and passion to suffering and hate, and how amidst it all, we can still find the search for something greater. The chorus repeats the phrase "I searched for you", emphasizing the importance of continuing to seek out and find meaning in life, even if the search is difficult or takes a long time.
Through its poetic imagery and emotive lyrics, "I Searched for You" touches on universal themes of human experience and the search for purpose and connection in life. It speaks to the struggles of everyday life, but also the potential for beauty and meaning, and encourages listeners to keep searching for what they need in life, no matter how difficult or elusive it may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
The heart is a mystery
The human heart is complex and difficult to understand.
Stumble out of bed each day and struggle to be free
Every day is a challenge to find freedom and overcome obstacles.
Stood by an ocean raging blue
I stood in front of a vast and powerful ocean.
Big wave cracked the sidewalk and I fell down there with you
A overwhelming event caused me to fall with someone else.
Fell in with you
I became involved with that person.
I scoured the land and the sunset glow
I searched everywhere for something important.
You think you know my friend but you just don't know
You may think you understand me, but you do not truly know me.
That's why the heart is a mystery
This is why the complexities of the human heart are so difficult to comprehend.
Break it in two and you'll see things you couldn't see before
If you examine the heart's complexities more deeply, you will gain new insights.
I searched for you
I looked for you with great effort.
Found and lost you on the way
I found you and then lost you during my search.
Over the hill of a better day
I hoped that getting through difficulties would lead to a better tomorrow.
In every mile I couldn't comprehend
During my journey, there were things I could not understand.
Now I'm stranded here in a passion play
I am now in a difficult situation that is emotionally charged.
Give me a sign I'll be there straight away
If you let me know what you need, I will immediately respond.
Stood in line 'til I don't know when
I waited for a long time, unsure of when the wait would end.
Saw the blessing saw the curse
I saw both good and bad things.
I've seen my best and I've seen my worst
I have experienced both my highest highs and my lowest lows.
Seen a lot of beauty seen a little hate
I have witnessed many wonderful things as well as some negative emotions.
The great indifference and a twist of fate
Sometimes fate can be unpredictable and things happen that we cannot control.
Seen a lot of passion and empathy
I have witnessed emotional intensity and compassion for others.
The power and greed of the me me me
I have seen people with immense selfishness and hunger for power.
Seen a lot of suffering seen a lot of good
I have experienced both pain and joy in life.
Felt the big life love of a neighbourhood
I have experienced the love and connection that comes from being part of a community.
A needle in the arm and the sadness grow
I have witnessed drug addiction and its associated sorrow.
The holy and the hidden and the outcast soul
I have experienced religious and spiritual devotion, as well as meeting people who feel marginalized or excluded from society.
Seen a lot of surplus but in the wrong place
There is an abundance of resources, but they are often not used effectively or are misallocated.
And in the eyes of the broken I thought I saw your face
When looking at those who are hurting, I thought I saw something of you in them.
Contributed by Parker J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andy McKinney
MJ is an absolute legend. I have been going to see him live for over twenty years and he never disappoints.
Shaishannah Bennett
A beautiful meaningful song. My son came home today and said "I found a lovely song Mum", he played this song and asked "have you heard of Martyn Joseph?" Well I had indeed heard of him, a man very very dear to me, still in my heart <3 introduced me to his music and I grace my ears with his awesome talent and from today so does my 18 year old son! Good taste huh?! I think I did good :-) Thanks for sharing this song. Thanks Martyn for inspiring music/lyrics. Thanks Rob for introducing Martyns music to me x
MarvinandGentry
This is a visual/audio masterpiece.
Martin Joseph Rodriguez
Awesome song what a blessing searched my name to find. Thank God
becauseIcaved
Well, I found this unexpectedly and, my, it is ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS. So simple, clean, bright; energetic without being frenetic.... It's truly marvelous.
David Gaskell
I’ve found my new artist to relax to...great message and amazing voice
Kathy Murphy
I absolutely LOVE this man's voice! Another great song from Martyn and love the video too.
Lat Blaylock
My current favorite of many MJ songs. Marvellous.
Tammy Dunn
Absolutely love this guy! He has such a beautiful voice. He is so wonderful to see live too. Amazing man! Many contributions to the music industry and the wisdom of his lyrics. Heartfelt and feel good songs! This is one of my many favourites!
Sean Coppinger
2 weeks ago I asked the love of my life if she would be my wife. She said yes. This is one of our songs. I have heard this song many times live and always knew that I would find her eventually.