Folk artist Ben Harper debuted his new song this Friday, “Before the Rain Dried,” accompanied with an emotional music video. The song is written in memory of Michael Ward, most commonly known as the guitarist for the alternative rock group The Wallflowers.

“Before the Rain Dried” works through the emotions one has when someone they love and admire passes away. Harper implies that he feels like he is trying to survive through these times, rather than truly live or thrive. He speaks about the fleeing nature of life, how time and people are both constantly entering and exiting.

Harper reminisces on what could have been throughout the song, pondering the idea of all he has been able to do with his pain, but imagining what more he could have done if that pain was instead joy. This powerful concept speaks to how both pain and joy can flourish different types of creativity and creative outlets.

In the music video, Harper is playing the piano through the entirety of the video while heavy rain is falling down on him. There are clips of him driving late at night, standing watching the sunrise and staring out into the ocean. These clips showcase what the grieving process can look like, and how it feels to long for the person you lost to come back. This likely indicates what Harper’s grief looked like while mourning the loss of his late friend Ward.

He mentions how when he cries, he does not make a sound. This symbolizes the feeling of loneliness one experiences while grieving a loss. It is a tribute to the idea that many people suffer in silence, and feel like no one can relate to the emotions they are undergoing. 

In the ending of the video, there is a man running in a parking lot towards a light. This light can be interpreted as Ward, or the person who is dying, running into the light amidst their death. Or it could also be perceived as light at the end of the dark tunnel that dealing with death creates. Throughout the sadness in grief, there is still hope and a light at the end of all the darkness.

The “Before the Rain Dried” music video can be streamed here. The song is available on all platforms now.

Photo credit: Sharon Alagna