Following Adamson's death in 2001, the band reformed in 2007, with the surviving members. Between 2010 and 2013, the band reformed with Mike Peters of The Alarm on lead vocals. Since then the band has continued with only two of the original members (Watson and Brzezicki).
Big Country's first single was "Harvest Home", recorded and released in 1982. It was a modest success, although it did not reach the UK Singles Chart. Their next single was 1983's "Fields Of Fire (400 Miles)", which reached the UK's Top Ten and was followed by the album The Crossing. The album was a hit in the United States (reaching the Top 20 in the Billboard 200), powered by "In a Big Country", their only US Top 40 single.
Stuart Adamson was found dead in a room at the Best Western Plaza Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii on 16 December 2001, having been believed to have died by suicide.
On 24 May 2024 the band announced that singer Tommie Paxton would being "helping them out" for the year. Paxton is guitar player and singer with the Big Country tribute band Restless Natives.
Close Action
Big Country Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Above the crests that drown the sun
A mile high the turbines turned
The stokers sweat, the monkeys burned
I will carry you home with the gods in my eyes
I will carry you home while the westerlies sigh
The oceans scream and never part
Divided souls can never rest
Must join the nations, break the test
For endless hours the sirens wail
Await the tide that brings the sail
Cling to the walls and close the shore
The lovers wait who walk no more
In the first stanza of Big Country's song Close Action, the lyrics highlight the passing of time and how it has affected the world. The line, "A score of years this line has run" refers to a period of time that has passed, and how things have changed over time. The next line, "Above the crests that drown the sun", refers to the horizon line and how it appears to engulf the sun when it rises or sets. The following line, "A mile high the turbines turned", refers to industrialization and the progress of technology. The line, "The stokers sweat, the monkeys burned", refers to the hard labor of men employed in factories and industries in the early industrial revolution, often treated as mere machines by their bosses.
The second stanza of the song speaks to the universality of the human experience. The singer in the song wants to take someone home with him, with their consent or not, and claims 'the gods' to be in his eyes. Perhaps it means he's willing to reveal his more vulnerable side, his emotional self. In this stanza, the lyrics describe natural disasters such as continents flying apart and oceans never parting, which are alluding to a deep need for unity and peace. The last two lines speak of tragedy - the lovers waiting for each other but never meeting again. This stanza speaks of the need for people to break the barriers that keep them apart, to come together in the face of natural calamities and in times of separation, to hold on tight.
Line by Line Meaning
A score of years this line has run
For decades this military strategy has been carried out
Above the crests that drown the sun
Battles fought on hilltops against the backdrop of the sunset
A mile high the turbines turned
Bombers flying high above with the roar of the engines
The stokers sweat, the monkeys burned
The lower ranking soldiers work tirelessly and pay with their lives
I will carry you home with the gods in my eyes
I will help bring you back to safety, my eyes shining with hope
I will carry you home while the westerlies sigh
I will return you home while the winds whisper and sigh around us
The continents will fly apart
The world will be torn apart by war
The oceans scream and never part
Surrounded by water, we will be trapped within the war zone
Divided souls can never rest
People who are separated from their loved ones will never be at peace
Must join the nations, break the test
Countries need to come together to end the conflict
For endless hours the sirens wail
The warning alarms never stop, signaling the perpetual danger
Await the tide that brings the sail
Waiting for the right opportunity to escape
Cling to the walls and close the shore
Hold onto the safety of walls and stay near the shore for protection
The lovers wait who walk no more
Those who have lost their loved ones to the war anxiously wait for an end to this conflict
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: B. WATSON, M. BRZEZICKI, S. ADAMSON, T. BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike McCready
A band that sounded like no other.
A class of there own.
idenhlm
Nothing beats this music, such a great song ....... the best.
Adrian Oddy
First time ive heard this particular track in years. Easy to forget just how great this band was and how good a lyricist Stuart Adamson was. Saw them a number of times when they played in the North. Never let you down. R.I.P. Stuart
Dale Tomaselli
Even with Simon Hough now as lead singer. The music of Stuart lives on.
Rashed Ala-Uddin
I often used to lift the stylus , skip Lost Patrol and Close Action, and set it down on Fields of Fire.
I was thirteen years old - the foolishness of youth. What was I thinking?
This song is a masterpiece that I grew to love - the wisdom of middle age.
I still sing "I will carry you home, with the gods in my eyes" to my children.
Thank you and everyone that uploads Big Country. I appreciate it so much.
Roscoe Jackson
wow! to me it was kind of the other way, now I love any and all B.C. songs!, rock on bro!, and thanks!
Paul Cannon
Big Country.... many tears ... Had the privilege to see them whilst in the navy based in Scotland.. cried then ,, still crying ❤️✌️peace out
paulevans1954
Wonderful song from a magnificent album, surely the finest debut ever. Just the intro sends shivers down your spine, in common with every track. They were incomparable.
GRS Ministries
For me it is the first solo!!
Sergio A B
Bela musica