As naturalised children of immigrants from the Caribbean, part of the aftermath of World War II, the children were moved to London. They attended a local high school near Ladbroke Grove, and various junior schools as Tan Tan children of immigrants from the Caribbean around West London in 1975. Vocalist Brinsley Forde had a brief career on television on the British children's television series "Here Come the Double Deckers" in 1970-71.
The original members of Aswad were Brinsley Forde, George Oban, Drummie Zeb, and Donald Griffiths. Courtney Hemmings was a frequent contributor in the 1970s, including as part of the backing band on Burning Spear's 1979 Live album, recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London.
They became one the U.K.'s top reggae bands with songs, typical of the time, about the oppression of black youth, such as "Three Babylon" and "It's Not Our Wish", and the powerful jazz-influenced instrumental "Warrior Charge".
The band gained a wider audience with the New Chapter album (1981). "Fire", the opening track gained wide recognition when it was used as the backing rhythm for Dennis Brown's "Promised Land."
Among Aswad's catalogue of hits is "Don't Turn Around", a pop hit in 1988. This track was originally a B-side to Tina Turner's hit "Typical Male", which was later covered by Ace of Base; and a reggae flavoured rendition of "Best of My Love", first popularised and written by The Eagles. Their next hit, Shine, was released in 1994. Another track was the upbeat 1998 remake of The Police's "Invisible Sun", performed with Sting.
The band also hold the distinction of having played with each one of the ex-Wailers.
Band members
* Martin Augustine aka "Tatta" - Lead guitar
* Brinsley Forde aka "Dan" (born 16 October 1952, Guyana) - Vocals, Rhythm guitar
* Drummie Zeb aka Angus Gaye (born 1959, London, United Kingdom) - Vocals, Drums
* Donald Griffiths (born 1954, Jamaica)
* Jimmy Haynes aka "Senyah" - Lead guitar, Acoustic guitar
* Clifton Morrison aka "Bigga" - Vocals, Keyboards, Melodica
* George Oban - Left in 1980 - Bass guitar
* Tony Gad - real name Dennis Anthony Robinson, born 11 November 1957, London. Joined in 1980 - Vocals, Bass guitar
Discography
* 1976: Aswad - Mango Records
* 1978: Hulet - Mango Records
* 1981: New Chapter - Columbia Records
* 1981: Showcase - Mango Records
* 1982: A New Chapter of Dub - Mango Records
* 1982: Not Satisfied - Columbia Records
* 1983: Live and Direct - Mango Records
* 1984: Rebel Souls - Mango Records
* 1986: To the Top - Simba
* 1988: Jah Shaka Meets Aswad in Addis Ababa Studio - Jah Shaka
* 1988: Distant Thunder - Mango Records
* 1988: Renaissance - 20 Crucial Tracks - Stylus
* 1989: Aswad: Crucial Tracks
* 1990: Next to You - Alex
* 1990: Too Wicked - Mango Records
* 1993: Firesticks - Alex
* 1994: Rise and Shine - Rhino Entertainment
* 1995: Rise and Shine Again! - Mesa
* 1995: Dub: The Next Frontier - Mesa
* 1997: Big Up - Atlantic Records
* 1999: Roots Revival - Ark 21
* 2002: Cool Summer Reggae
Warriors
Aswad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
Warriors
I fall
Down
No control somehow
No help
My favour slides
No one comes
Here
Now I'm feeding strangers
Thin air
Like cold death
Here in my heart
I fell for so long for you all
I fell for so long for you
I fell for so long for you
Come in
I'm the ghost
Of the white faced clown
She's gone
Gone. I won't look back
She's gone
I'm old
So old
This infection of time
My skin
Age
Shows no kindness to me
I fell for so long for you all
I fell for so long for you
I fell for so long for you
Aswad’s “Warriors” is an emotive song about loss, loneliness, and the feeling of being abandoned. The first verse starts with the singer feeling like he is losing all control, falling and unable to stop. He feels alone and helpless, with his favor and hope slipping away. He is left to feed strangers, suggesting that he is in a position of vulnerability and must rely on the charity of others. The second verse describes his heart as being like thin air, indicating that it is absent of feeling, like cold death. He has become numb to the world around him, perhaps as a result of his loss.
Line by Line Meaning
I fall
I am falling down
Down
Descending further and further
No control somehow
Unable to stop the fall and lacking control
No help
No assistance offered
Now
At present
My favour slides
My condition is getting worse
No one comes
No one is coming to help
Here
Where I am
Now I'm feeding strangers
I am depending on strangers for help
Thin air
Non-existent
Like cold death
As unpleasant and unforgiving as death
Here in my heart
Deeply ingrained in my emotions and feelings
I fell for so long for you all
I cared for you all for a very long time
Come in
An invitation to enter
I'm the ghost
I am a shadow of my former self
Of the white faced clown
A performer who is no longer funny
She's gone
The person I cared about is no longer here
Gone. I won't look back
I will not go back to the past
I'm old
I am advanced in age
So old
Very old
This infection of time
The impact of aging
My skin
The outer layer of my body
Age
The effect of getting older
Shows no kindness to me
Takes no pity on me
Writer(s): Manda Glanfield, Henry Priestman, Tony Robinson, Gary Benson, Paul Carter, Brinsley Allan Forde, Angus Gaye Copyright: Polygram Music Publishing Ltd. Gb, Island Music Ltd., Forever Music Ltd., Mighty Village Records Limited
Contributed by Isaac H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
M S
I was sooo young when this came out and my brother and I would listen to it all day ! 22 plus years and I still remember the lyrics !
Anthony Smith
No matter what colour or creed this tune unites us....peace and love to one and all
Jo-Anne Sagiba
I just love this song I keep rewinding it I got over 80,000 songs on my playlist I love listening to all kinds of music any music gets my interest I just upload the playlists of bands & individual singers as well music speaks all kinds of countries and language would be a boring world without any sort of music
Marcy444
Rainbow warrior here ❤❤
Felix Black
Good acknowledgement of African History.
Well done Aswad !
Shailesh Patel
Sweet
Publia Castro
Que vivan muchos años para que nos acompañen con esa música HERMOSA GRUPO ASWAD. saludos desde Ecuador
PatriziaErhart3333
This song is gorgeous! :)
Barry White
In my opinion asward is one of the best reggae bands ever. I love asward so much
Shailesh Patel
Sweet