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.
Water For The Wicked
Robben Ford Lyrics
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Have no place to rest
Given to their misdeeds
And driven from their best
And breakin' in to the midnight hour
A fire is in their breast
Water for the wicked
Just a drop to cool his tongue
The law will lower the hammer
From where will mercy come
So many burn with a fever
They're lookin' for relief
Greed becomes a desert
And it makes a man a thief
His life becomes a gamble
His mind is filled with grief
Water for the wicked
Water for the wicked
Just a drop to cool his tongue
The law will lower the hammer
From where will mercy come
If we seek
Will we find
Find the childlike heart we left behind
There is the light from which all mercy comes
Water for the wicked
Water for the wicked
Just a drop to cool his tongue
The law will lower the hammer
From where will mercy come
The song "Water For The Wicked" by Robben Ford is a compassionate and empathetic reflection on the struggles of those who have gone astray in life. The lyrics paint a picture of people who have made mistakes and are now suffering the consequences of their actions. The opening lines indicate that these people are without a place to rest, as they have been driven from their best and given themselves over to their misdeeds. The imagery of a fire burning in their breast evokes the sense of desperation and urgency that drives them.
The chorus of the song, "Water for the wicked, just a drop to cool his tongue, the law will lower the hammer, from where will mercy come," highlights the idea that even those who have done wrong or made bad choices in life are still human and deserving of compassion. The use of the phrase "water for the wicked" implies that just as water is necessary for survival, mercy and compassion are necessary for the survival of the human spirit. The final verse suggests that by seeking out the childlike heart we left behind, we can rediscover the light from which all mercy comes.
Overall, "Water For The Wicked" is a reminder that no matter how lost we may feel or how far we may stray from the path, we are all in need of mercy and compassion at some point in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
All the misguided people
There are countless people who have lost their way
Have no place to rest
They have no peace due to their inability to live a virtuous life
Given to their misdeeds
As a result of their bad choices, they are prone to doing wrong
And driven from their best
Their longing for happiness has forced them out of their comfort zone
And breakin' in to the midnight hour
They stay up late, worrying and feeling anxious
A fire is in their breast
Their emotions are strong and intense, creating a feeling of burning passion within them
Water for the wicked
Even those who have gone astray deserve compassion
Water for the wicked
The broken need a trickle of kindness to make it through another day
Just a drop to cool his tongue
A little bit of relief is often all that's needed to ease someone's pain
The law will lower the hammer
Those who break the rules won't be exempt from punishment
From where will mercy come
It's difficult to know where any act of kindness will come from
So many burn with a fever
The world is full of individuals who are desperate for a solution to their problems
They're lookin' for relief
They seek a way to find comfort and a sense of ease
Greed becomes a desert
When pursuing riches becomes the focus, it will leave you feeling empty and alone
And it makes a man a thief
Greed can drive someone to do unsavoury things
His life becomes a gamble
Living with greed leads to unpredictability in one's life
His mind is filled with grief
The weight of poor choices can be heavy on one's soul
If we seek
If we look hard enough
Will we find
There is hope that we can locate what we are looking for
Find the childlike heart we left behind
Maybe we can rediscover a sense of innocence and wonder in the world around us
There is the light from which all mercy comes
When we embrace a sense of childlike wonder, it's easier to show compassion to others
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL H. MC DONALD, ROBBEN FORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind