Solid Air

Written by: 
J. Martyn
1 Feb 1973

You've been taking your time
And you've been living on solid air
You've been walking the line
You've been living on solid air
Don't know what's going wrong inside
And I can tell you that it's hard to hide when you're living on
Solid air

You've been painting it blue
You've been looking through solid air
You've been seeing it through
And you've been looking through solid air
Don't know what's going wrong in your mind
And I can tell you don't like what you find
When you're moving through
Solid air

I know you, I love you
And I can be your friend
I could follow you - anywhere
Even through solid air

You've been stoning it cold
You've been living on solid air
You've been finding it cold
You've been living on solid air
I don't know what's going wrong inside
I can tell you that it's hard to hide
When your living on
Solid air - solid air

You've been cutting too deep
You've been living on solid air
You've been missing your sleep
And you've been moving through solid air
I don't know what's going on in your mind
But I know you don't like what you find
When you're moving through
Solid air

I know you, I love you
I'll be your friend
I could follow you - anywhere
Even through solid air

You've been walking your line
You've been walking on solid air
You've been taking your time
'Cause you've been walking on solid air
Don't know what's going wrong inside
But I can tell you that it's hard to hide
When your living on
Solid air - solid air

You've been painting it blue
You've been living on solid air
You've been seeing it through
And you've been living on solid air
I don't know what's going on in your mind
But I can tell you don't like what you find
When your living on
Solid air - solid air

I know you, I love you
And I'll be your friend
I could follow you - anywhere
Even through solid air

I see solid air

sitenotes:
This signature song was written for John's friend Nick Drake, who suffered heavily from depressions.

The Wire-editor Rob Young claimed as late as 1998 that the song Solid Air were based on the spectral chord shifts and tremolo-Fender Rhodes licks in Pharoah Sanders' Astral Traveling, from Thembi (1971).

Martyn denies knowing the Sanders tune, and seems genuinely amazed at the comparison: 'I never thought of that. You could be right. That's interesting - I'd like to know which came first, the chicken or the egg? I probably just beat him to it [in fact, Thembi predates Solid Air by at least two years]. Is it in C minor? I'll kill him!'

Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks talked to Owen Bailey of the guitar.com website about this track (April 2020):
"It was almost like a big jam session. Everybody would get to their instruments and he’d start playing, then we’d just all join in, until all of this stuff just started to gel. John didn’t ask anyone to play a certain thing. It was like there was already a spot for you to play in. He would smile every time he heard somebody do a lick that he liked."

First release: