Somewhere over the rainbow,
Birds fly high.
There's a land that I dreamed of once
In a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
Skies are blue,
And all the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Away, across the chimney tops,
Where troubles melt like lemon drops:
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
Way up high,
Birds fly over the rainbow;
Why, why can't I.

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Away, across the chimney tops,
Where troubles melt like lemon drops:
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
Way up high,
There's a land that I dreamed of once,
In a lullaby.

sitenotes:
Classic song from The Wizard of Oz (1939) written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. It was the most famous song of the 537 that Harburg (1896-1981) wrote. He might seem a strange choice for John Martyn but apparently John knew the film. Also they both share left wing views for which Harburg was blacklisted by senator Joseph McCarthy's committee during the early fifties.

Number 17
John's version of the Judy Garland standard started out as a sort of joke on a keyboard riff. Ironically it went to number 17 in the British charts and even number two in Sweden. Although...
Colin Larkin raises an interesting point. Several publications claim that the Over The Rainbow single made it to number 17 in the UK charts. But where's the proof of that?
Colin calls it an urban myth. "It is mentioned six times in Chris Nicksons book. There is no record anywhere, or any chart anywhere that it reached the top 100, 75, 40 and certainly not number 17. Only his work with Sister Bliss made the charts."
Let's do some digging.
1 Oct 1992 Lahri Bond, The Triumphant Return of John Martyn. "A version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow set against a sparse and bubbly synth tape loop. This little experiment went to number 17 in the British charts and number two in Sweden."
1 Nov 1996, Chris Nickson, article in Electric Folk. "A quirky version of 'Over the Rainbow' which reached #2 in Sweden as a single."
July 2006, Lee Barry in Grace & Danger: "It went on to become Martyn's biggest selling single reaching a modest number 17 at home and a staggering number 2 in Sweden."
October 2007, John Neil Munro's biography does not mention the single but there is a claim that the album Sapphire "peaked at number 57 in the UK charts."
July 2011, Nicksons Book Solid Air repeats Lahri Bond's claim "And to everyone's amazement, it went to seventeen in the British charts (the first and only time John had managed that feat) and climbed to the number two spot in Sweden."
John Hillarby's book that went with The Island Years box set (September 2013) also contains a mention. "John's enchanting vocal on his cover of Over The Rainbow gained him a new audience reaching number seventeen in the charts."
So the main culprit seems to be Lahri Bond... The rest seems to adhere to the formula 'Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.'