Ben Hammond #1 spl… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists with the name Ben Hammond.
Ben Hammond #1 splits his time on the East Coast of the USA between Maine and Florida. For more details and free tracks visit www.benhammondmusic.com.
Ben Hammond #2 lives and plays in Chicago. More info at http://www.myspace.com/benhammondrock
BEN HAMMOND #1:
Bio: Born in the tiny town of Hiram, Maine and graduated in 2006 with a degree in Music Technology from McGill University in Montreal, Ben Hammond has since been touring and playing festivals (including the Montreal Jazz Festival) and venues (Montreal's Sala Rossa and Metropolis, Living Room in New York City, many more). Recent appearances and activities have ranged from tours of his home in rural New England to across the world in New Zealand, composing original songs, and completing his full length studio album "[Reasonably] Honest" with full band and Downbeat Magazine award winning mixer Reuben Ghose. Most recently he recorded a sold out live solo concert at the Stone Mountain Arts Center, which will soon be released on DVD. He was also a recent winner in the Sarasota Creative Loafing's "Best of the Suncoast" Contest. Schooled in jazz, raised on rock, immersed in soul, and fascinated with music the world over, Ben can just as easily be found strumming and singing a ballad as he can live looping an a cappella improvisation of singing, beatboxing, and harmonized scatting. When performing his composed material, either as a soloist or with his quartet, the music features Ben's engaging, soulful vocals weaved within a framework of genre-shifting instrumentation which provides a platform for contemplative, understated lyrics.
BEN HAMMOND #2:
Another Friend
Ben Hammond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you turned, we cried and left
crying never feels as good when you're alone
if there's something you've been hiding
something you've been hiding
you were probably talking at me
you used to act so happy
is there something you've been hiding
something you've been hiding
just another friend i didn't know i didn't have
it's just another friend i didn't know
if these walls could talk
if we had ears to listen
they'd probably tell you why you feel alone
cause there's something you've been hiding
something you've been hiding
chorus
why didn't i go?
why didn't i go?
why'd we have to cry alone?
it's just another friend
In Ben Hammond's song "Another Friend," the singer is reflecting on a past friendship that ended abruptly. The lyrics suggest that the friend they had wasn't as close as they once thought, as they describe the friend as "just another friend I didn't know I didn't have." The singer remembers a moment where they were with this friend, perhaps looking up at a statue of a "green stone queen," and something went wrong. The friend turned away from them and left, leaving the singer crying alone. The singer reflects on the fact that crying doesn't feel as good when you're by yourself. The singer wonders if there was something the friend was hiding that caused the breakdown in their friendship. They remember how the friend used to be happy, but then "gray clouds came up under your eyes." The singer then addresses the friend directly, asking if there was something they were hiding that caused the end of their friendship. The chorus repeats the message that the friend was "just another friend" they didn't know they had.
Overall, the lyrics of "Another Friend" explore the pain of losing a friendship and the sense of confusion that can come with trying to understand why it ended. The song suggests that at least part of the reason for the end of the friendship may have been the result of something one person was hiding. The song has a reflective, melancholic tone that fits well with the feelings of loss and confusion it explores.
Line by Line Meaning
looking up at green stone queen
The singer gazes up at someone or something important and powerful, represented by the 'green stone queen.'
you turned, we cried and left
The subject of the song turned away or left, causing the singer and others to cry, feeling upset or betrayed.
crying never feels as good when you're alone
Crying alone never provides the same relief or support as crying with someone else present.
if there's something you've been hiding something you've been hiding
There is something the subject is keeping secret or not disclosing.
you were probably talking at me
The subject was likely speaking to the artist, possibly negatively.
you used to act so happy
In the past, the subject appeared joyful and content.
and then those gray clouds came up under your eyes
Recently, the subject's demeanor changed, affecting their facial expression and outlook.
just another friend i didn't know i didn't have
The artist believed the subject was a friend but eventually discovered they weren't as close as previously thought.
if these walls could talk
The artist wonders what a space could tell them, perhaps reflecting on past conversations or interactions that occurred there.
if we had ears to listen they'd probably tell you why you feel alone
If the artist and others could listen closely enough to the space, they might gain insight into why the subject feels isolated or secluded.
cause there's something you've been hiding something you've been hiding
The subject continues to conceal something important.
why didn't i go? why didn't i go? why'd we have to cry alone?
The artist regrets not going somewhere with the subject, and laments crying alone.
it's just another friend
The subject is seen as just another person, not someone special or close to the singer.
Contributed by Kennedy D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.