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.

Lateral Climb
Robben Ford Lyrics

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The sun heats up another working day
Coffee, tea, and I'm on my way
Try to beat the traffic
And maybe yesterdays time
Try to make a little progress
In what's lookin' like a lateral climb

Put behind me, my spendthrift ways

And I've made more money than I did in those days
Used to carry a debt of twenty grand
(bankin kind?)
And I've still got nothin'
It's lookin like a lateral climb

Our leader's addicted
To oil and war
Says it's freedom that we're fightin' for
Applause, applause
For bald face white collar crime
And they leave you stranded
Believin' in a lateral climb

The sun heats up another working day
Coffee, tea, and I'm on my way
What once was a dollar
Is lookin' more like a dime
Heads up people

It's nothin' but a lateral climb
A lateral climb

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Robben Ford's song "Lateral Climb" describe the monotonous routine of a common man, who tries to advance in life step by step but seems to be stuck in a lateral dimension. The singer starts his working day, sipping coffee or tea, and battling the traffic to reach his workplace. He declares his intention to surpass his last day's work, as if he is racing in a never-ending competition with himself. However, despite his efforts, the progress he makes appears limited and slow. He compares his struggles to a lateral climb, where he moves horizontally but not vertically, and his attempts of self-improvement are a reflection of this unfruitful struggle.

The next stanza points to our system's corrupt leadership, addicted to oil and war, seeking praise for their crimes that have affected the masses. The misplaced applause is yet another proof of the lateral climb that we encounter. As we continue fighting for freedom, we remain stranded, relentlessly participating in the cycle of the lateral climb, where progress is a mirage.

The singer concludes the song by declaring that we must remember how insignificant our efforts are in comparison to the world's current structure. All these battles for economic prosperity, power, or peace are futile in the grand scheme of things, where we are nothing more than ants on a stack of rocks.

Line by Line Meaning

The sun heats up another working day
Starting a new day for work under the burning sun

Coffee, tea, and I'm on my way
Having a routine morning drink and getting prepared to go to work

Try to beat the traffic
Attempting to avoid the rush hour

And maybe yesterdays time
Wishing to be more productive than previous days

Try to make a little progress
Hoping to accomplish something small at work

In what's lookin' like a lateral climb
Feeling stuck in a situation with no real advancement

Put behind me, my spendthrift ways
Leaving behind a wasteful past

And I've made more money than I did in those days
Earning more than in the past

Used to carry a debt of twenty grand
Having owed a significant amount of money in the past

And I've still got nothin'
Despite earning more, not feeling fulfilled

It's lookin like a lateral climb
Continuing to feel stuck with no real progress