Robben Ford (born December 16, 1951) is a blues, jazz and rock guitarist wi… Read Full Bio ↴Robben Ford (born December 16, 1951) is a blues, jazz and rock guitarist with a diverse career.

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.

It's My Own Fault
Robben Ford Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's my own fault, baby
Treat me the way you wanna do
It's my own fault, baby
Treat me the way you wanna do
Yes when you were loving me, baby (woman)
At that time, little girl, I didn't love you

She used to make her own pay checks

And bring them all home to me
I would go out on the hillside, you know
And make every woman look I see

T's my own fault, baby
Treat me the way you wanna do
Yes when you were loving me, baby (woman)
At that time, little girl, I didn't love you

She said she was gonna leave me
She'd been running around with the boys
She said she was gonna leave me
Gonna be over in Illinois

It's my own fault, baby

Treat me the way you wanna do
Yes when you were loving me, baby (woman) At that time, little girl, I didn't love you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Robben Ford's song "It's My Own Fault" convey a sense of regret and self-blame for a failed relationship. The singer acknowledges that the way they were treated by their partner, who could "treat me the way you wanna do," is a result of their own actions. Essentially, the singer is taking accountability for their behavior and the consequences that followed. The line "At that time, little girl, I didn't love you" suggests that the singer may have taken their partner's love for granted, leading to the eventual breakdown of the relationship.

The second verse provides additional context for the relationship's breakdown. The singer's partner used to bring home their own paychecks, suggesting that she was independent and self-sufficient. However, the singer engaged in infidelity ("I would go out on the hillside, you know/And make every woman look I see"), potentially leading to his partner's decision to leave him. The final verse confirms this suspicion, with the partner stating that she's "been running around with the boys" and is leaving for Illinois.

Overall, "It's My Own Fault" is a reflection on the consequences of one's actions in a relationship. The singer is able to acknowledge their own faults in the situation, indicating a level of self-awareness and accountability.

Line by Line Meaning

It's my own fault, baby
I am fully responsible for my current situation and can't blame anyone else.

Treat me the way you wanna do
You have the freedom to act as you please towards me, without any guilt or hesitation.

Yes when you were loving me, baby (woman)
During the time when you had feelings of affection towards me, baby (woman).

At that time, little girl, I didn't love you
I didn't feel the same way towards you when you were showing me love and affection as I do now.

She used to make her own pay checks
She was self-sufficient and earned her own income.

And bring them all home to me
She would give me all the money she earned.

I would go out on the hillside, you know
I would wander aimlessly in search of something, as you might be aware.

And make every woman look I see
I would flirt with every woman I came across.

She said she was gonna leave me
She told me she was going to end our relationship.

She'd been running around with the boys
She had been spending time and potentially cheating with other men.

Gonna be over in Illinois
She's going to be leaving for Illinois to end things between us.