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.
Nobody's Fault But Mine
Robben Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to save my soul tonight
It's nobody's fault but mine
Devil he told me to roll [Repeat: x 2]
How to roll the log tonight
Nobody's fault but mine
Brother he showed me the ding dong ding dong
How to roll, the log tonight
Oh, it's nobody's fault but mine
Got a monkey on my back. [Repeat: x 2]
Gonna change my ways tonight
Nobody's fault but mine
I will get down rollin' tonight
Nobody's fault
but mine
In Robben Ford's song Nobody's Fault But Mine, the singer depicts a personal struggle with his own soul. He acknowledges that it's nobody else's fault but his when it comes to his salvation. The lyrics suggest that the singer is trying to save his soul from the devil's grip, and he acknowledges that the devil is trying to deceive him, shown when he says "Devil he told me to roll, how to roll the log tonight." However, he realizes that the devil is not to be blamed for his actions as he is the one who chooses to follow his ways. The next verse, "Brother he showed me the gong, brother he showed me the ding dong ding dong," emphasizes that the singer's friends and mentors have tried to guide him towards the right path, but ultimately, it is up to him to make the decision. In the final verse, "Got a monkey on my back, gonna change my ways tonight," the singer acknowledges that he has been carrying a burden that he can no longer bear, and he is determined to change his ways and find redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody's fault but mine
Self-awareness of one's actions leading to negative consequences.
Trying to save my soul tonight
An attempt to correct one's past actions.
Devil he told me to roll
Being tempted by vices and not taking responsibility for the resulting actions.
How to roll the log tonight
Being influenced to participate in harmful behaviors.
Brother he showed me the gong?
Being taught harmful behavior by a peer.
Brother he showed me the ding dong ding dong
Being shown a negative behavior that was later copied.
Got a monkey on my back.
Being burdened by addiction or negative habits.
Gonna change my ways tonight
Making a commitment to correct actions that led to negative consequences.
I will get down rollin' tonight
Taking action to change one's behavior for the better.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NINA SIMONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind