Blind Faith formed in London, England, in late 1968 when Eric Clapton (ex-Cream) and Steve Winwood (ex-Traffic) were at loose ends following the demise of their former bands and began to spend time together again, jamming and working on new material at Clapton's house in Surrey (they had previously collaborated on a Clapton project called Eric Clapton & The Powerhouse. At Winwood's instigation, Cream's former drummer Ginger Baker was invited along, and they subsequently spent some time recording in the studio. Rick Grech, bassist with Family, was invited to join them...and he left Family, mid-tour! Record producer Jimmy Miller came in to bring some focus to the recording of further material.
News of the formation of the group created a buzz of excitement among the public, and a free concert was scheduled for London's Hyde Park on June 7, 1969. Their small repertoire was reported by the music press as having disappointed the crowd of 100,000 who were also expecting to hear songs from the days of Cream and Traffic. The recording of their album continued; followed by a short tour of Scandinavia, then a U.S. tour from July 11 (Newport) to August 24 (Hawaii), supported by Free and Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.
Audience reaction in the USA was similar to that in the UK, and the band was forced to appease them by playing a couple of Cream and Traffic songs. The management pressure to cash in on the hyperbole (the Press dubbed them a supergroup), and Baker's view that the group was a continuation of Cream soured feelings within the band, and they disbanded immediately after completing the U.S. tour.
An expanded, deluxe edition of the album was released in 2001, with previously unreleased tracks and jams included. Two live tracks from the Hyde Park concert, "Sleeping in the Ground" by Sam Myers and the Rolling Stones song "Under My Thumb" are also available on Winwood's 4-CD retrospective The Finer Things.
The band dissolved in 1969 after only a year together. Winwood reformed Traffic, and later, a solo career. Clapton stepped out of the spotlight, first to sit in with the Plastic Ono Band, and then to tour as a sideman for Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.
Upon its release, Blind Faith topped Billboard's Pop Albums chart in America (as it did the UK charts) and peaked at #40 on the Black Albums chart, an impressive feat for a British rock quartet.
Sleeping In The Ground
Blind Faith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would rather see you sleeping in the ground
Than to stay around here if you're gonna put me down.
Well, I give you all my money, everything I own.
Well, I give you all my money, everything I own.
Well, some day I'm gonna get lucky, and down the road you know I'm goin'.
Well, I would rather see you sleeping in the ground,
Than to stay around here if you're gonna put me down.
You know I give you all my money, yeah little girl, everything I own.
Well, I give you all my money, everything I own.
Well, today I'm gonna get lucky, and down the road you know I'm goin'.
The lyrics of Blind Faith's song "Sleeping In The Ground" tell a story of a man who has had enough of his lover's mistreatment and decides that he would rather see her dead and buried than stay with her any longer. The first verse begins with the strong statement "I would rather see you sleeping in the ground" being repeated twice, emphasizing the man's anger and frustration. He then goes on to explain that he has given her everything he has, but she still puts him down. In the second verse, the man expresses hope for his future, saying that someday he will get lucky and move on down the road. The chorus repeats the desire to see the woman gone and the man driving away, indicating a sense of finality to the relationship.
The lyrics of "Sleeping In The Ground" are dark and intense, but they are also relatable. Many people have been in relationships that were toxic, and the lyrics capture the anger and bitterness that can come with that experience. The repetition of the line "I would rather see you sleeping in the ground" drives home the intensity of the man's feelings and the complete rejection of his partner. The song is a powerful expression of the desire to move on from an abusive or damaging relationship and find a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
I would rather see you sleeping in the ground,
I prefer that you be dead than to stay with you if you're going to insult me.
I would rather see you sleeping in the ground
I'd rather you were dead than that I stay with you if you're going to criticize me.
Than to stay around here if you're gonna put me down.
I won't stay here if you're going to belittle me.
Well, I give you all my money, everything I own.
I gave you all my cash and possessions.
Well, I give you all my money, everything I own.
I bequeathed all my funds and possessions to you.
Well, some day I'm gonna get lucky, and down the road you know I'm goin'.
I'll be fortunate one day and I'll have to move on.
Well, I would rather see you sleeping in the ground,
I prefer that you be dead than to stay with you if you're going to insult me.
Well, I would rather see you sleeping in the ground
I'd rather you were dead than that I stay with you if you're going to criticize me.
Than to stay around here if you're gonna put me down.
I won't stay here if you're going to belittle me.
You know I give you all my money, yeah little girl, everything I own.
You know I gave you all my money and everything that I owned, little girl.
Well, I give you all my money, everything I own.
I gave you all my cash and possessions.
Well, today I'm gonna get lucky, and down the road you know I'm goin'.
Today I'll be fortunate and I'll have to leave someday.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: SAM MYERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Pad
yes, i am aware the nature of this song.
however, i waz in an ongoing conversation
with someone that had referred me to
this song and well, the conversation waz
regarding relationships and whether or
not i would be content with lifes bare
necessities or settle for someone that
would be desirous of all the wealth equal
to that which could be offered by someone
as wealthy as say anyone from BLIND FAITH.
but, there are women that would enter a
relationship just because of celebrity and/or
wealth. to the point of this song is that the
offerer doesn't want to be abandoned to that
end if the money offered doesn't work then
the grave is where the offerer wants his "little girl"
therefore he leaves before her if offers fail.
i understand that this waz a convoluted way
to explain, i just hope the recipient of the previous
statement understood there waz no desire on
my part as to any either social or economic
advantage that either could or could not be offered.
thanx, tho for your input and might i suggest you
view ERIC CLAPTON LIVE at FILLMORE WEST 1989.
IT IS AN AWESOME BLUEZ NIGHT AND THE LAST
SONG IS VERY RELEVANT TO WHAT HAD PREVIOUSLY
GONE ON IN THE WORLD IN REGARD TO HIS PERSONAL
LIFE.
BEYOND THAT, HAVE A HAPPY, SAFE & PROSPEROUS
NEW 2017 YEAR!!!
LATER MAN,
THE 📒PAD🏡 SLD😆
this 🐇's outta
here
↘picked theze↙
↘for you↙
🌾🌺🌾
jimih1953
Great band,great musicians,great times
Jorge Ramirez Camarena
The Great Steve Winwood, The soul and leader of Blind Faith
claptongroupie
I've got the dvd of this concert. its great to watch and see the pure talent from these guys even when they are young.
ricardo rodriguez isidoro
Maravilloso concierto, con este genial grupo, alineacion épica... Patrimonio cultural de la humanidad!
Finne Guitar Player
Eric Clapton, the best Blues Guitarist - for me 👏👏👏
Eric Hinds
Blind faith was such a great band and they made beautiful music 🎶🎶🎶🎶
kirk von Nordstrom
The undiscovered GEM (song) of Blind Faith. They should have added this to the lone SUPER ALBUM that they made..!!!! GREAT Song......
lovermanowherecanube
written and originally sung by Mississippi bluesman Sam Myers, who played drums with Elmore James and sung with Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets. Sam said he never performed the song himself because he never saw a penny of royalties from other artists recording it.
tippimail1
@lovermanowherecanube First time i've heard it.And i got their album when it came out.
sam arts
fantastic,lovely blues,why nobody performs like this now?---very sad!