Thursday, January 29, 2009

John Martyn (1948-2009)



A great talent, a true bon viveur and a very sad loss.
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, indeed. A great loss. Despite the fact that, when I last saw him his words were completely unintelligible and he didn't play long, he was a unique and enormous talent. I thought he would be another Keef: no matter how much he abused his body, he'd be around for ever.

January 29, 2009 at 4:29 PM
Carole said...

60 is far too early an age to go, but he didn't just burn the candle at both ends, he melted it in the middle too.

I saw him a lot of times back in the '70s and early '80s. Fantastic player on his night, although sometimes he was pretty out of it.

Almost as grumpy an old git as Van Morrison but despite it all, worth seeing, there was always another dimension to the music on stage.


May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold
May you never make your bed out in the cold

Just like a great strong brother of mine, you know that I love
you true
You never talk dirty behind my back and I know that there's
those that do
Please, won't you please, won't you bear it in mind
Love is a lesson to learn in our time
Please, won't you please, won't you bear it in mind for me

You're just like a good close sister to me and you know that I
love you true
You hold no blade to stab me in my back and I know that there's
those that do
Please, won't you please, won't you bear it in mind
Love is a lesson to learn in our time
Please, won't you please, won't you bear it in mind for me

May you never lose your temper if you get hit in a bar-room
fight
May you never lose your woman overnight

January 29, 2009 at 7:26 PM
TatankaYotanka said...

Eternal is the warrior who finds beauty in his wounds.

How apt; love John's music and his human frailty, not to mention his humour .... "I've already got one foot in the grave". Fly on little wing.

January 29, 2009 at 10:13 PM
cauliflower said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
January 30, 2009 at 12:21 AM
cauliflower said...

I've been playing May You Never in my mind, all day long. Manchester student union, 1976. What a player...

January 30, 2009 at 12:40 AM

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