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.
Up The Line
Robben Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said I was your one desire
You're actin' funny lately
Tryin' to drive my love away
But I'm cuttin' out on you baby
And I'm movin' on up the line
'Cause if I stay another day
You took me away from home
When I was just a little child
You made me all kind o'promises
It all was a line of jive
So, I'm cuttin' out on you baby
Yeah, yeah, I'm movin' on up the line
And if I stay another day
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
Yeah, I'm movin' on up the line
The train is at the station
And I'm all packed up to go
There ain't no use in worryin'
I won't be back no more
I'm cuttin' out on you baby
Yes, I'm movin' on up the line
'Cause if I stay another day
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
If I stay another day
Drive me out of my mind
Movin' on up, movin' on up the line
The lyrics of "Up the Line" by Robben Ford portray a man who's in a problematic relationship, and he has finally decided to leave. The first verse speaks about the man's partner who was once in love with him but has now turned mean and vindictive, trying to push him away. However, the singer is resolute in his decision and is going to leave her. The second verse highlights the fact that he has been with her for long, and she made a lot of promises that turned out to be false.
In the chorus, the singer talks about moving on up the line, which means that he is leaving this place and advancing towards something better. He also mentions that if he were to stay another day, he would go mad. Finally, the last verse paints a picture of him packing his things, about to leave her for good, and claiming that he won't come back. In summary, "Up the Line" is a song about a man who's freeing himself from a deteriorating relationship that was built on false promises and emotional abuse.
Line by Line Meaning
You used to love me
In the past, you had romantic feelings for me
Said I was your one desire
You expressed that I was your ultimate romantic interest
You're actin' funny lately
Your behavior towards me has changed and seems odd
Tryin' to drive my love away
You're intentionally attempting to push me away from loving you
But I'm cuttin' out on you baby
I am ending our relationship
And I'm movin' on up the line
I am leaving and moving forward with my life
'Cause if I stay another day
If I remain in this relationship any longer
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
It will cause me to lose my sanity or mental stability
You took me away from home
You removed me from my place of origin
When I was just a little child
During my early years of development
You made me all kind o'promises
You made various commitments or declarations
It all was a line of jive
It turned out to be empty and meaningless talk
The train is at the station
The locomotive transportation mode has arrived
And I'm all packed up to go
I have prepared and gathered my belongings to leave
There ain't no use in worryin'
There is no point in being anxious or fearful
I won't be back no more
I will not return again
Movin' on up, movin' on up the line
I am progressing and advancing in my journey to a better place
Contributed by Madison Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
임르
You used to love me
Said I was your one desire
You're actin' funny lately
Tryin' to drive my love away
But I'm cuttin' out on you baby
And I'm movin' on up the line
'Cause if I stay another day
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
You took me away from home
When I was just a little child
You made me all kind o'promises
It all was a line of jive
So, I'm cuttin' out on you baby
Yeah, yeah, I'm movin' on up the line
And if I stay another day
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
Yeah, I'm movin' on up the line
The train is at the station
And I'm all packed up to go
There ain't no use in worryin'
I won't be back no more
I'm cuttin' out on you baby
Yes, I'm movin' on up the line
'Cause if I stay another day
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
If I stay another day
Drive me out of my mind
Movin' on up, movin' on up the line
Noah Liberman
Good lord. The whole thing, but I could listen to that solo 1,000 times. Love how he kicks it off as the keys are winding down, sneaking in stage right without stepping on the keys.
John H. Blevins
Love Robben’s picking style, and that Bari sax with the guitar just kills it!
임르
You used to love me
Said I was your one desire
You're actin' funny lately
Tryin' to drive my love away
But I'm cuttin' out on you baby
And I'm movin' on up the line
'Cause if I stay another day
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
You took me away from home
When I was just a little child
You made me all kind o'promises
It all was a line of jive
So, I'm cuttin' out on you baby
Yeah, yeah, I'm movin' on up the line
And if I stay another day
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
Yeah, I'm movin' on up the line
The train is at the station
And I'm all packed up to go
There ain't no use in worryin'
I won't be back no more
I'm cuttin' out on you baby
Yes, I'm movin' on up the line
'Cause if I stay another day
(It's) gonna drive me out of my mind
If I stay another day
Drive me out of my mind
Movin' on up, movin' on up the line
Gary Hoffman
Very good cover of a Little Walter classic. Only regret is that this would've been a perfect vehicle for brother Mark's idiomatic harp work.
mr. moto
Delicious guitar tone coming from Telecaster
Good phrasing and playing style
Thank you from CLT NC USA
maazvdo
Really good ! Thanks for posting, pia .
wichitazen
Damn he's good!!
Gerald Pribula
Absolutely love Robben Ford!!! Makes me sad sometimes that artist such as Robben don't even get recognized for the musical genius that they share with us. I fear for American culture when a multitude of people devoid of any musical talent...(Cardi B) are held up as examples of current American exports to the world artistic diaspora. So sad! Thank you for sharing this fabulous Robben Ford cover🤗.
Gerald Pribula
@Eric Kamau Wambui Thanks Eric😄. That gave me a really good laugh!
sergio ramon bravo
Scales??modals??YESS!!!