Ben Harper and Relentless7 are a Los Angeles, California-based rock band fo… Read Full Bio ↴Ben Harper and Relentless7 are a Los Angeles, California-based rock band formed in 2008 by Ben Harper.

The current lineup consists of Ben Harper (vocals, guitar/slide guitar), Jason Mozersky (lead guitar), Jesse Ingalls (bass and keyboards), and Jordan Richardson (drums).

Harper met Jason Mozersky in the late nineties when Mozersky was working for an Austin, Texas music promoter. Mozersky was chauffering Harper to a gig, and asked if he could play a demo for his band, Wan Santo Condo. Harper resisted initially, fearing the music would interfere with his mental preparation for the show, but then felt remorseful and agreed to hear the demo. He was "blown away," and the association led first to a record contract for Wan Santo Condo, and then to a collaboration between the two. He also recruited him to work on Harper's album Both Sides Of The Gun. Mozersky recommended Ingalls and Richardson to Harper, thus yielding the song Serve Your Soul.

In November 2008, the band debuted their new material on the Vote For Change Tour for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, where they also breathed new life into the Queen & David Bowie classic Under Pressure which has since become a staple of their live set. They ended the year cutting their teeth with a series of small club shows from famed venues such as Spaceland and The Mint in Los Angeles, to The Mercury Lounge and Kenny's Castaway in NYC. The band is scheduled to tour extensively across the world in 2009.

Their debut album White Lies For Dark Times released on May 5th, 2009.

http://relentless7.benharper.com

Serve Your Soul
Ben Harper and Relentless7 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Battles over which direction to kneel
People reaching out to touch
But forgetting to feel
Daily breath shouldn't be a daily penance
Is that what you believe
Or just a life sentence

I look into the mirror

And I see someone there I used to know
They all want you to serve them
But the only one you got to serve
Is your soul

So much time
And at such a cost
We spend looking for what we've lost
Now that you know
You can't find it from him
You're gonna have to find it within

I look into the mirror
And I see that life has taken its toll
They'll all want you to serve them
But the only one you got to serve
Is your soul

Listen to the wind it won't lie to you
If you love it let it go
And watch it fly to you
Every setting sun gently weeps

You can always hear it
Cause trust never sleeps

Overall Meaning

In "Serve Your Soul", Ben Harper sings about the struggles of life and how people often prioritize external expectations over their own wellbeing. The song starts with the line "Battles over which direction to kneel", which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the conflicts we face in deciding what to believe and how to live. The next line, "People reaching out to touch, but forgetting to feel", continues this theme as it highlights how we often prioritize physical experiences over emotional ones. The third line speaks about how daily life should be more than just a punishment, raising the question of whether we truly believe this or if we're just going through the motions.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of serving your own soul rather than serving others. Harper sings "They all want you to serve them, but the only one you got to serve is your soul", highlighting how others will often have expectations of you, but ultimately, you have to prioritize your own wellbeing. The song then talks about the high cost of searching for something that has been lost, suggesting that the answer isn't to be found externally, but within yourself.

Line by Line Meaning

Battles over which direction to kneel
There are disagreements over which posture to adopt before God

People reaching out to touch
People trying to connect with others or a higher power

But forgetting to feel
They are failing to let their emotions and senses guide them

Daily breath shouldn't be a daily penance
Living should not be a punishment but a cause to rejoice

Is that what you believe
Asks if one shares this negative sentiment about life

Or just a life sentence
Asks if one feels trapped in their present state

I look into the mirror
Reflecting on one's current state of being

And I see someone there I used to know
The person he used to be seems lost or changed

They all want you to serve them
Others expect one to do their bidding

But the only one you got to serve
One only needs to stay true to themselves

Is your soul
Serve the innermost part of one's being