freesoulJAH: A Retrospective - Exhibit 15: Salt of the Earth - ca. 2006

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freesoulJAH: A Retrospective - Exhibit 15: Salt of the Earth - ca. 2006

I remember writing ‘Salt of the Earth’ very clearly. It was one of the first songs I wrote as a solo artist that I was happy with. In the beginning of my solo career I struggled to write. I was pretty inexperienced as a guitarist and it really sunk a lot of my efforts. As a vocalist I could read a guitarists’ style and improvise something to match it. But on my own I failed a often. I wrote a lot of terrible music that I don’t even want to revisit to gauge how bad it was. But ‘Salt of the Earth’ shines in its simplicity.
I had been reading a lot about Gandhi, including his autobiography, at the time. That spurred me into renting the biopic starring Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi. Immediately after watching that film, I was inspired to write something. I went outside and sat at the edge of our empty swimming pool and wrote this song. I had an acoustic guitar, but instead of strumming it I used it as a percussive instrument. The song came out as a chant/ mantra and this style became a staple in my songwriting catalogue for years to come.
Gandhi’s influence has made a huge impact on me as a human being and an activist over the years. I learned a lot by reading his words and researching his path. I recommend all people to read his autobiography and also to learn as much about his use of non-violence to create change in the face of oppression. ▂▃▅▇█▓✌🏼▓█▇▅▃▂