He was born in Woodlake, California and raised in Ukiah. He taught himself guitar when he was 13 and considered his first influence to be Mike Bloomfield. At 18 he moved to San Francisco to form the Charles Ford Blues Band (named after his father, who was also a guitarist) featuring his brothers Mark (mouth harp) and Patrick (drums).
Robben was soon hired to play with Charles Musselwhite for nine months. Robben Ford played with Jimmy Witherspoon (1972-1973), the L.A. Express with Tom Scott (1974), George Harrison and Joni Mitchell. In 1977 he was a founding member of the Yellowjackets, which he stayed with until 1983, simultaneously having a solo career and working as a session guitarist.
In 1986, Ford toured with Miles Davis and he had two separate periods (1985 and 1987) with Sadao Watanabe, but he seemed to really find himself in 1992 when he returned to his roots: the blues. Ford formed a new group, the Blue Line, and subsequently recorded a couple of blues-rock dates for Stretch that are among the finest of his career. In 1999, he released Sunrise on Rhino and Supernatural on Blue Thumb. Ford signed to the Concord Jazz label in 2002 and released Blue Moon that same year, followed by Keep on Running in 2003 and Truth in 2007. Robben Ford whilst continuing to record solo albums has been touring in 2007 with guitar legend Larry Carlton.
Help the Poor
Robben Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't you help poor me?
I need help from you, baby,
Need it desperately.
I need you so much, I need your care,
Need all the loving, baby, you can spare.
Help the poor,
Oh baby, won't you help poor me?
Say you will,
Say you'll help me on.
I can't make it no longer
In this world alone.
Baby, I'm begging with tears in my eyes
For your love, don't you realize
I need help.
Oh baby, help poor me.
You are my inspiration,
Baby, that make me be a king,
But if you don't come to my rescue,
I couldn't ever be anything.
Help the poor,
Won't you help poor me?
Have a heart, won't you baby?
Listen to my plea.
Oh, I lost my courage till I found you.
You've got what it takes, baby, to pull me through.
Help the poor,
Oh baby, won't you help poor me?
Chorus
Repeat Third Verse
The lyrics of Robben Ford's Help the Poor are a desperate plea for help from a person in need of emotional support and love. The opening lines "Help the poor, won't you help poor me?" immediately set the tone of the song conveying the sense of desperation and vulnerability. The singer is asking someone, most likely a lover, to help them through their hard times. The repetition of the phrase "help poor me" throughout the song emphasizes the feeling of despair of the singer.
The lines "You are my inspiration, baby, that make me be a king, but if you don't come to my rescue, I couldn't ever be anything" further illustrate the sense of reliance that the singer has on their lover. The song portrays the idea that love and emotional support can provide strength and confidence to an individual, highlighting the importance of human connection.
Overall, Help the Poor is a powerful and emotional song that speaks to the universal need for love and support in times of struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
Help the poor,
Asking for assistance from those who are more fortunate
Won't you help poor me?
Requesting for personal aid and support
I need help from you, baby,
Addressing the person in a vulnerable manner being in need of help
Need it desperately.
Emphasizing the urgent requirement for help
I need you so much, I need your care,
Expressing the extent of neediness for the person's attention and care
Need all the loving, baby, you can spare.
Asking for affection and love from the person
Say you will,
Asking the person to agree to provide help
Say you'll help me on.
Requesting for continuous help from the person
I can't make it no longer
Admitting the inability to cope without help
In this world alone.
Acknowledging the difficulty to navigate through life without assistance
Baby, I'm begging with tears in my eyes
Appealing with strong emotions and vulnerability
For your love, don't you realize
Stating that love is the primary requirement
I need help.
Emphasizing the need for assistance
You are my inspiration,
Acknowledging the positive influence of the person
Baby, that make me be a king,
Implying the person's impact on the singer's self-esteem and confidence
But if you don't come to my rescue,
Stating that without the person's help, there won't be progress
I couldn't ever be anything.
Expressing the artist's lack of potential without help
Have a heart, won't you baby?
Requesting for compassion from the person
Listen to my plea.
Urging the person to pay attention to the request
Oh, I lost my courage till I found you.
Implying that the person is a source of courage, importance, and comfort
You've got what it takes, baby, to pull me through.
Implying that the person has the qualities and resources to help
Chorus
Repeating the main message of the song
Repeat Third Verse
Repeating the section that emphasizes the person's importance
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES SINGLETON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ángela Vargas
Lyrics
Intro Teclado
A
Help the poor, won’t you help poor me?
Have a heart, won’t you baby, listening to my plea?
I need all your love, I need your care
I need all of your love, you can spare
Help the poor, help the poor, won’t you help poor me?
A2
Say you will, say you’ll help me on
I can’t make it no further in this world alone
I lost all my courage till I found you
Got what I need, to see me through
Help the poor, help the poor, won’t you help poor me?
B
You’re my inspiration, you could make me a king
You don’t come to my rescue, I’ll never be anything
C
Help the poor, help the poor, won’t you help poor me?
Have a heart, won’t you baby, listening to my plea
I’m begging with tears in my eyes, something you must realize
Help the poor, help the poor, won’t you help poor me?
D solos de Guitar
E
You’re my inspiration, you could make me a king
You don’t come to my rescue, I’ll never be anything
E2 solo guitar
F
Help the poor, help the poor, won’t you help poor me?
Have a heart, won’t you baby, listening to my plea
I lost all my courage till I found you, got what I need, to see me through
Help the poor, to help poor me, help the poor, help the poor
Help the poor won't you help poor me
Help the poor, help the poor
G solos
Gina G
"Help The Poor"
Help the poor
Won't you help poor me
Have a heart baby, won't you, baby
Listen to my plea
Need all your love
I need your care
I need all of the love
You can spare
Help the poor
Help poor me
Say you will
Say you'll help me on
I can't make it no further
This way alone
Lost all my courage
When I found you
Got what I needed
To see me through
Help the poor
Help poor me
You're my inspiration
You can make me a king
If you don't come to my rescue
I'll never be anything
Help the poor
Help poor me
Have a heart baby, won't you, baby
Listen to my plea
Need all your love
I need your care
I need all of the love
You can spare
Help the poor
Help poor me
Help the poor
Won't you help poor me
Have a heart baby, won't you, baby
Listen to my plea
Need all your love
I need your care
I need all of the love
You can spare
Help the poor
Help poor me
Stratagem271
the lick at 2:55 is great and super interesting but i have to say the phrase that starts at 3:27 and ends at 3:46 is one of the most savage and amazing phrases i ever heard in blues hands down. Robben is a hell of a player
Bernardo Cardoso
@Stratosaurus Rex you guys sound so pretentious lmao. Feel isnt real
Frank Zappa
I cant stop putting this song on repeat, what a track!
Nicolas Nisnik
Really awesome.
Steam8859 All chill
Zappa ditto
TEG Knox
Over hear in TEG land, we just moved him in to the top 3
wormtownpaul
For my tastes, this solo and Larry Carlton's Kid Charlemagne solo are the two best broadly rock/pop/blues guitar solos ever recorded.
Georgia May
Mine too!!
Ranger
Plus, this features Roscoe Beck and Vinnie Colaiuta... two of my favorites for certain!
1970borntorun
Not to mention being an excellent CD to test new Audiophile equipment! :)