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
Skin Thin
Ben Harper and Relentless7 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can finally learn to be a child
We made it to the end of the world
But we'll never make it out alive
Skin thin
I breathe out, you breathe in
But the day seems so long
Blood again
It's all I can do to hold on
We're just skin thin
Always knew if we didn't have each other
We'd have nothing at all
But you were always brave enough
To live like you can never fall
Skin thin
I breathe out, you breathe in
But the day seems so long
Skin thin
Blood again
It's all I can do to hold on
Now that we've grown up
You can finally learn to be a child
Good friends behind me
But ghosts up ahead for miles and miles
Skin thin
I breathe out, you breathe in
But the days they seem so long
Skin thin
Blood again
It's all I can do to hold on
Life's just skin thin
The lyrics to Ben Harper and Relentless7's song Skin Thin can be interpreted in many ways, but one central interpretation is that life is delicate and fragile. The idea of 'skin thin' suggests that we are easily wounded, and that our skin is a metaphor for our emotions and the fragility of life itself. The idea that 'we made it to the end of the world but we'll never make it out alive' suggests that we have overcome challenges and discovered a sense of resilience, but we will never be able to escape the inevitability of death.
The idea that 'now that you've grown up, you can finally learn to be a child' suggests that as adults we often lose sight of the joy and innocence of childhood, and that we need to relearn how to look at the world through childlike eyes. The notion that 'good friends are behind me, but ghosts are up ahead for miles and miles' suggests that there is both hope and fear in looking forward, and that we need to find strength in our friendships as we move forward into an uncertain future.
Overall, the lyrics to Skin Thin are powerful and thought-provoking, urging us to confront the fragility of life and find strength in our relationships as we face an uncertain future.
Line by Line Meaning
Now that you've grown up
Now that you've matured
You can finally learn to be a child
You can finally learn to enjoy life freely without any constraints.
We made it to the end of the world
We've survived all hardships that came our way.
But we'll never make it out alive
But we will not live forever, we will eventually die.
Skin thin
Emotions are starting to show and are close to the surface
I breathe out, you breathe in
We share experiences and emotions together; we rely on each other for support.
But the day seems so long
Time seems to be passing so slowly
Blood again
Another wound causing pain or distress.
It's all I can do to hold on
It's difficult to keep going, but we have to hold on.
Always knew if we didn't have each other
We were always aware that if we don't have each other, we would have nothing at all.
We'd have nothing at all
We wouldn't have anything, it would just be emptiness and meaningless existence.
But you were always brave enough
You have always had the courage to face your fears, overcoming obstacles and challenges.
To live like you can never fall
To live life without hesitation, taking risks and knowing even if you fall, you will get up again
Good friends behind me
I have great friends who support me
But ghosts up ahead for miles and miles
But there are challenges and obstacles that we have to face in the future that we may not be able to overcome easily.
The days they seem so long
Time appears to be going by so slowly
Life's just skin thin
Life is fleeting, it can be gone in an instant. It's just the surface, and everything beneath it is what truly matters.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BEN HARPER, JASON MOZERSKY, JESSE INGALLS, JORDAN RICHARDSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Whitney Lail
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. It speaks to me on so many levels and of course his voice is perfect
Opheliaismykitty
I love this song and the video went along so well. One of my favorite R7 songs on their White Lies for Dark Times album. I am excited for the next one!!
Brad Sittloh
...not surprisingly, a great job done on this video. The story, characters, cinematography, and OF COURSE the song I've heard a million times and never thought of in that way. It's just sad to imagine how many times I've done just what they did though. :-( Thanks so much to all involved from Ben and the band all the way to YouTube. ;-}
Adam Grann
Great job. Concise and conveys an unbelieveable feeling. The cliffhanging of the two meeting and then just brushing paths was executed with perfection. Props to the whole crew that worked on this video. And to Ben for providing, as always, such visionary music and lyrics.
Julio Cezar Silva
I still don't understand this song's lyrics, but... it reaches deep.
jstep1973
A beautiful song. One of Ben's many.
Jacob Glazer
Mikey Powell is awesome, I just wish we could see more of him on the field rather than in the studio.
hopiewh13
great video and much love to Ben for throwing props to CNY - and yes Mike Powell can do anything...
Roberto Lantadilla
One of the best videos ever. Love it!
Anette Goodwin
My 2009 song.... LOVE IT!