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Sweet Little Mystery

from Visitors by Howard Simon

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about

Why John Martyn never made it in the States is one of the great musical mysteries. The guy was fantastic (he died in 2009). He got his start in the British folk scene in the late 60s (his long-time bassist was Danny Thompson of Fairport Convention) as a breathtaking finger-style player, but expanded his sound into amazing places (he was the first guy to play an acoustic guitar through an Echoplex and developed a percussive playing style that influenced everyone up through Michael Hedges). He also had one of the greatest, most soulful voices you’ll ever hear and wrote absolutely perfect songs that have been covered by Clapton and lots of others. This song is from the 1980 album “Grace and Danger” that most people consider one of his two masterpieces (along with "Solid Air" from 1973). If these notes do nothing else, I hope they encourage you to check out those two albums. In my book, they're every bit as good as “Blood on the Tracks” and “For the Roses,” and better than almost everything else.

lyrics

Sweet Little Mystery

My friends all tell me that I look so sad
They don't need to ask me why
They know the reason that I feel so bad
Since the night you said goodbye
It's not the letters that you just don't write
It's not the arms of some new friend
It's not the crying in the dead of night
That keeps me hanging on, just waiting for the end

It’s that sweet little mystery that's in your heart
Just that sweet little mystery makes me try
It’s that sweet little mystery that's in your heart
Just that sweet little mystery makes me cry

I watch the street, I watch the radio
I don't need to turn it on
Another friend comes by and tries to say hello
Another weekend's almost gone
It's not the letters that you just don't write
It's not the arms of some new friend
It's not the crying in the dead of night
That keeps me hanging on, just waiting for the end

Chorus

Time is flying fast and I don't care
To spend another night alone
I want to see you, but I don't know where
'Til then I'm walking on my own
It's not the letters that you just don't write
It's not the arms of some new friend
It's not the crying in the dead of night
That keeps me hanging on, just waiting for the end

Chorus

credits

from Visitors, released June 27, 2016

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Howard Simon image

Howard Simon San Francisco, California

I am a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter. My songs are about love (romantic and otherwise), family, morality and mortality. If there is a common thread to my songs, it is the people we love, the desire to do right, and the hope and fear, the peace and the struggle that constitute life bring wonder in addition to its joy and sadness, and sometimes loss. ... more

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