Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.
He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.
Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.
Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).
In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.
Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".
No Hard Feelings
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You took it for your land
You got a use for every stream and tree
When I go up the highway old trees are dying up that way
You pump out the water and you sold it back to me
You build mansions in the city, prisons in Mojave
Bet you're quite a pillar of high society
You'd lock the young ones down or send 'em off to war
But it's no hard feelings, no offense taken
You're just a ripple on the shifting sands of time
No bad karma, no curses on ya
You'll go your way and I'll go mine
You remind me of a fellow I heard of in the city
Nervous kind of fellow he loved money like you do
But he derived no satisfaction, so he jumped clear out the window
And they tell me that he bounced a time or two
So take in mind the credo of a jackass prospector
Take what you need but please leave the rest alone
Try and live harmonic with old Mother Nature
And you'll remain in grace after you have gone
Well I don't get many callers, that little road goes nowhere
I've been here forty years, seems like yesterday
There's an old screech owl, living in my chimney
And I don't build no fires and he keeps the mice away
No hard feelings, no offense taken
You're just a ripple on shifting sands of time
No bad karma, no curses on ya
You'll go your way, I'll go mine
Well it's no hard feelings, no offense taken
You're just a murmur on the whispering sands of time
No bad karma, no curses on ya
You'll go your way, I'll go mine
In "No Hard Feelings," Ry Cooder sings about the exploitation of land and resources by the wealthy and powerful, and the impact it has on the common man. He sings about how land that should have belonged to everyone has been taken over by a select few who use it for their own gain. He also highlights how the natural resources, like water, are being depleted and sold back to the people it was taken from.
Cooder also criticizes the prisons and military industrial complex, which he believes are driven by the greed of the powerful, who benefit from incarcerating and sending young people to war. Despite these harsh critiques, Cooder maintains a non-confrontational tone, suggesting that there are "no hard feelings" between himself and those in power. He acknowledges that people come and go like ripples on the shifting sands of time, and that ultimately, everyone will go their own way.
The song's message encourages people to find harmony with nature, take only what they need, and to leave things better than they found them. It reminds us of the importance of treating each other and the environment with respect and dignity.
Line by Line Meaning
This land should have been our land
The land belonged to us, but you took it away.
You took it for your land
You claimed it as your own, even though it wasn't rightfully yours.
You got a use for every stream and tree
You exploit every resource, taking advantage of nature's gifts.
When I go up the highway old trees are dying up that way
The natural environment is being destroyed, which is evident in the dying trees.
You pump out the water and you sold it back to me
You take water from the land, then sell it to those who need it.
You build mansions in the city, prisons in Mojave
You invest in luxurious buildings for the wealthy, as well as prisons to punish the poor.
Bet you're quite a pillar of high society
You are respected and admired by many in society.
You call it law and order, I call it dirty money
You justify your actions under the guise of upholding the law, but I see it as being motivated by greed.
You'd lock the young ones down or send 'em off to war
You use your power to control and manipulate the youth, either by imprisoning them or sending them to fight in wars.
But it's no hard feelings, no offense taken
Despite our differences, I don't hold any grudges against you.
You're just a ripple on the shifting sands of time
In the grand scheme of things, your impact on the world is minuscule and temporary.
No bad karma, no curses on ya
I don't wish you any harm or bad luck in life.
You'll go your way and I'll go mine
We have different paths in life, and that's okay.
You remind me of a fellow I heard of in the city
You resemble someone I know who was also motivated by greed.
Nervous kind of fellow he loved money like you do
He was anxious and desperate for money, just like you.
But he derived no satisfaction, so he jumped clear out the window
Despite his wealth, he was unhappy and took his own life.
And they tell me that he bounced a time or two
Rumors circulated that he miraculously survived the fall, but that's unlikely.
So take in mind the credo of a jackass prospector
Consider the advice of a foolish miner who once lived off the land.
Take what you need but please leave the rest alone
Use what's necessary, but leave enough for others and the environment to thrive.
Try and live harmonic with old Mother Nature
Strive to live in harmony with nature, rather than exploiting it for personal gain.
And you'll remain in grace after you have gone
You will be remembered fondly if you treat nature and others with respect and kindness.
Well I don't get many callers, that little road goes nowhere
I lead a simple life in a secluded area.
I've been here forty years, seems like yesterday
I have lived here for a long time, and time has flown by.
There's an old screech owl, living in my chimney
I share my home with a wild animal, and we coexist peacefully.
And I don't build no fires and he keeps the mice away
I don't need to use traps or poisons to control pests, as the owl does it naturally.
Well it's no hard feelings, no offense taken
Once again, I have no negative feelings towards you.
You're just a murmur on the whispering sands of time
You are barely a blip in the grand history of the world.
No bad karma, no curses on ya
I continue to wish you well in life.
You'll go your way, I'll go mine
We will continue to lead separate lives.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RY COODER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind