Harper grew up listening to blues, folk, soul, RnB, and reggae. Harper's blend of groove-laden funky soul and folky handcrafted acoustics helped him to gain cult status during the course of the 1990s and widespread attention toward the end of the decade. Harper combines elements of classic folk singers, blues revivalists and jam bands and is embraced by critics and college kids alike. Harper's body of work sells consistently and he tours constantly, building a solid, dedicated fan base.
Harper began playing guitar as a child in his hometown of Claremont, California (in California's Inland Empire). He eventually specialized in the acoustic slide guitar (Weissenborn guitars). As a young man, he recorded an LP (Pleasure and Pain) with fellow folk guitarist Tom Freund. After this limited edition record, Harper got a record deal with Virgin Records, who released his debut album, Welcome to the Cruel World (1994).
This was followed by the incendiary Fight For Your Mind (1995) which became a college radio favorite and generated an abundance of songs which still fill his set list to this day.
In 1999 at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Harper met Jack Johnson, who was unknown at the time and had not recorded. Harper obtained a demo tape of 12 of Johnson's songs that he forwarded to his producer, J.P. Plunier, with whom Johnson recorded his first album.
From early on in his career, his music received more attention in Europe than it did in his home country. While he was a well-known and respected figure in the States, in countries like France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, and The Netherlands he was a star, receiving a great deal of airplay and critical acclaim. His popularity in Europe is such that he was French Rolling Stone Magazine's "Artist of the Year" (Artiste De L'Année) in 2003, and his tour that year for Diamonds on the Inside played to packed arenas across the continent.
In 2004, Harper recorded the album "There Will Be a Light " as the collaboration Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama.
In October 2004, Harper participated in the Vote for Change concert tour organised to benefit Moveon.org and encourage people in the swing states to vote during the 2004 U.S. presidential election.
Over the summer of 2005, when the Zooma tour scheduled with Trey Anastasio and various side stage performers was cancelled, Harper took on a tour of more private clubs/venues such as the Avalon Ballroom in Boston, the Tabernacle in Atlanta, and a full-band acoustic performance at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. This series of concerts saw the debut of a number of new Harper songs, such as "Get It Like You Like It" and "Dressed In Black."
In 2006, Harper released the double album Both Sides of the Gun which debuted at #7 on the Billboard charts.
Next Harper did a worldwide tour, with support from Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley on the North American leg.
In 2007, Harper released the album Lifeline, recorded in Paris just after his tour.
In 2009, Harper recorded the album "White Lies for Dark Times", as the collaboration Ben Harper and Relentless7.
In 2014, Harper recorded the album "Childhood Home" as the collaboration Ben & Ellen Harper.
In 2018, Harper recorded the album "No Mercy in This Land" as the collaboration Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite. At the 40th Blues Music Awards ceremony, Harper's joint composition with Charlie Musselwhite, "No Mercy In This Land", was named as 'Song of the Year'.
Ground On Down
Ben Harper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
God the devil and love
Cause I've looked up from the bottom
And I've stared down from above
I have faith in a few things
Divinity and grace
But even when I'm on my knees
And you're working your way
From the ground on down
I hate to say I love you
Because it means that I
Will be with you forever
Or will sadly say goodbye
I love to say I hate you
Because it means that I
Will live my life happily without you
Or will sadly live a lie
And you're working your way
From the ground on down
Life is short
And if your lookin' for extension
With your time
You had best do well
Cause there's good deeds
And there is good intention
They're as far apart
As heaven and hell
And you're working your way
From the ground on down
In the song Ground On Down, Ben Harper reflects on life, faith and love. He begins by stating his belief in a few things such as God, the devil and love. He admits that he has seen both the good and bad sides of life, having looked up from the bottom, and stared down from the top. Despite his faith in divinity and grace, he acknowledges the power of the devil, even while on his knees. The line “I know the devil prays” is a profound statement, indicating that even the darkest of things have a prayerful aspect to them. Harper sees life as a journey, and describes working his way from the ground on down. This can be interpreted in two ways, both as a recognition of his humble beginnings, and as a metaphor for his gradual progress towards reaching his goals.
Harper then moves on to talk about love. He expresses a fear of saying “I love you” because it means committing to the person for a long time, or facing the possibility of a painful goodbye. Conversely, he enjoys saying “I hate you” because it frees him from the burden of attachment. Harper ends the song by reflecting on the nature of life, and the importance of doing well with the time one has. He believes that there is a significant difference between good deeds and good intention, which are as far apart as heaven and hell. He encourages listeners to work their way from the ground on down, meaning to always strive to improve and grow.
Line by Line Meaning
I believe in a few things
I have faith in certain things
God the devil and love
Specifically, divinity, and also evil and love
Cause I've looked up from the bottom
Because I've been at a low point in my life
And I've stared down from above
And I've also experienced high points
I have faith in a few things
I continue to have faith in certain things
Divinity and grace
Namely, divine power and benevolence
But even when I'm on my knees
Despite times of desperation
I know the devil prays
I know that even evil has its moments of prayer
And you're working your way
And things are slowly progressing
From the ground on down
Starting from humble beginnings
I hate to say I love you
Expressing love carries a weighty implication
Because it means that I
Namely, it means that I'm bonded to you forever
Will be with you forever
Without hope of leaving
Or will sadly say goodbye
Or eventually part ways with sadness
I love to say I hate you
Expressing hate feels liberating
Because it means that I
Namely, it means that I can live without you
Will live my life happily without you
Free from the burdens of a relationship
Or will sadly live a lie
Alternatively, I may be deceiving myself
Life is short
We only have a limited amount of time
And if your lookin' for extension
So if you're seeking to prolong your life
With your time
With the time you have
You had best do well
You better make the most of it
Cause there's good deeds
Doing good actions
And there is good intention
Versus having good intentions
They're as far apart
These can be quite different things
As heaven and hell
As distant as heaven and hell
And you're working your way
And you're still making progress
From the ground on down
Starting from the bottom and working your way up
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: BEN C HARPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ShaneRedBeard
I believe in a few things
God, the devil and love
But I looked from the bottom
And I've stared down from above
And I have faith in a few things
Divinity and grace
But even when I'm on my knees
I know the devil prays
And you're workin' your way
From the ground on down
I hate to say I love you
Because it means that I will be
With your forever
Or we'll sadly say goodbye
And I love to say I hate you
Because it means that I will live
My life happily without ya
Or we'll sadly live a lie
And you're working your way
From the ground on down
On down
Your way from the ground on down
On... (check it out)
Life is short and if you're looking for extension
With your time you had best do well
Cause there's good deeds
And there's good intention
They're as far apart as heaven and hell
I said you're working your way
From the ground on down
Bill Loman
I heard this song for the first time yesterday during a soundcheck for another band. The sound guy played it to test the PA and it sounded amazing. I had never even heard of Ben Harper. I have found a new favorite...
ibelieveicansoar
“By the time I put out my second record called Fight for Your Mind in 1995, we had an actual video budget in the contract! When we found this out, JP and I looked at each other and said, ‘Skateboarding!’ As a kid who grew up obsessed with skating and music, for me to be able to bring those two together, and with skating legends Lance Mountain, Salba, and Jeff Grosso all skating in my f—king video, for me it couldn’t get much better. I can never thank those guys enough for laying it down the way they did in that video. With Lance Accord filming, it was nuts.” - Ben in an interview with Transworld Skateboarding
Sam Watson
I fucken love this! Thanks for the education bro! 🙏
asmir asko
I9⁸9 1170 Ich weiß
AK_HAZE
The bassist and drummer have a sickeningly awesome groove going on there
Fla Gaeta
why ben harper is so underrated??? He's a genius!
Jay
I don’t think I would consider him very underrated. He’s amazingly awesome and has a humongous amount of fans because of it
M
Lmao. He's awesome, but the word genius gets thrown around wayyyyy too much, and this is a prime example. He's not a genius.
willeed808
Lmao, he is far away from being unrated !
Findlay Mangan
@Lisha Canter New Zealand