There is an endless amount of subjects that songs have been written about over time. As Rob Gordon says in High Fidelity, "there are literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss." These things are unfortunate realities of being a human and certainly deserve to be written about, but it's refreshing to hear an artist focus on more positive things and changes than can be made to make the world a better place. People that purchase Ben Harper tickets and see his shows know that they're going to receive some positive messages in musical form.

Through his song, Harper shows that he's got hope for American society, the world as a whole and that everyone can make a difference. He's written a number of songs about making changes to benefit the world, one person at a time. One such track is the first cut on his album Diamonds on the Inside, "With My Own Two Hands." The song has a roots feel to it, which is fitting considering the subject matter of that genre, and begins with the overall theme of the song. "I can change the world/with my own two hands/make a better place/with my own two hands/make a kinder place/oh- with my/oh- with my own two hands," the song begins.

The image of his own two hands basically means that a single person can make a difference and that if everyone develops that mentality, then major change can be brought about. In the song he talks about change on a global scale. "I can make peace on earth/With my own two hands/And I can clean up the earth/Oh- with my own two hands," Harper sings. World peace and the global environment are things that are becoming more and more prevalent in the mind of the common man, as people's concerns for the earth as a whole are becoming more and more intensified.

It's a movement that Harper is a big part of, spreading his message though his music.
Harper also touches on personal relationships in "With My Own Two Hands." "Now I can hold you/With my own two hands/And I can comfort you/With my own two hands/But you got to use/Use your own two hands/Use your own/Use your own two hands," one verse goes. This excerpt seems to point to the idea that one person can help another but it will not make a difference unless that person wants to help themselves first. It's evident from this song that Harper wants to make a positive impact on the world. "I'm gonna make it a brighter place/I'm gonna make it a safer place/I'm gonna help the human race/Oh- make it a brighter place," he says about the world.

Ben Harper has always been one of the more thoughtful and soul-searching artists of his era and his messages are heard loud and clear by his fans. He may not sell as many tickets as some of the bigger stars of today, but his subject matter is more substantial than any of those artists.

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 27th, 2009 at 9:39 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.