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.

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Robben Ford Lyrics

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This I promise all that I have
I'll give to you
Your love is unspoken
Do you feel the same way, too
Will the days go by
And we watch your intentions die

This I promise all that I am

I'll show to you
If I stumble
Will you make me feel like a fool
Will the days fly by
And we watch our love grow high

Water tumbling down
Water deep in the ground
Here in my heart
Is a river

Water tumbling down
Water deep in the ground

Here in my heart
Is a river

Overall Meaning

The song "If" by Robben Ford is about a promise to love and remain faithful to someone. The lyrics speak of the promise to give everything to the person they love and to make them feel special. It is a song of commitment and the challenge to keep that commitment. The line "Your love is unspoken, do you feel the same way, too" indicates the desire of the singer to know if the feelings are mutual. The subsequent lines, "Will the days go by, And we watch your intentions die," suggest that the singer fears that their love will not be returned.

The second verse of the song moves from the promise of love to the gritty reality of life. The lyrics describe the possibility of failure, and the hope that when that failure happens, the loved one will not make them feel like a fool. The line "Will the days fly by, And we watch our love grow high," shows that the person singing the song hopes that they will be able to build on their love, in spite of all the challenges that come with it. The repeating line "Water tumbling down, Water deep in the ground, Here in my heart Is a river" portrays an unyielding love that is not threatened by even the strongest forces of nature.

Line by Line Meaning

This I promise all that I have
I promise to give you everything I possess

I'll give to you
I'll give it all to you without hesitation

Your love is unspoken
You haven't expressed your feelings yet

Do you feel the same way, too
I wonder if you love me too

Will the days go by
Time passes too fast

And we watch your intentions die
Our love is fading away because you did not express your love

This I promise all that I am
I'll show you all that I am

I'll show to you
I'll express my love to you in a clear way

If I stumble
If I make a mistake

Will you make me feel like a fool
You won't judge me or make fun of me

Will the days fly by
I hope time will fly when we're together