Christopher John Davison (born 15 October 1948), known professionally as Ch… Read Full Bio ↴Christopher John Davison (born 15 October 1948), known professionally as Chris de Burgh, is a British-Irish singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter. He started out as an art rock performer but subsequently started writing more pop-oriented material. He has had several top 40 hits in the UK and two in the US, but he is more popular in other countries, particularly Norway and Brazil. His 1986 love song "The Lady in Red" reached number one in several countries. De Burgh has sold over 45 million albums worldwide.

De Burgh was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, to Colonel Charles John Davison, MBE, a British diplomat, and Maeve Emily de Burgh, an Irish secretary. His maternal grandfather was Sir Eric de Burgh, a British Army officer who had been Chief of the General Staff in India during the Second World War. He took his mother's name, "de Burgh", when he began performing. His father had substantial farming interests, and Chris spent much of his early years in Malta, Nigeria and Zaire, as he, his mother and brother accompanied Colonel Davison on his diplomatic and engineering work.

The Davisons finally settled in Bargy Castle, County Wexford, Ireland, which was somewhat dilapidated at the time. It was a twelfth-century castle which Eric de Burgh bought in the 1960s. He converted it into a hotel, and the young Chris sang for the guests there.

After attending Marlborough College in Wiltshire, England, de Burgh went on to graduate from Trinity College, Dublin, with a Master of Arts degree in French, English and History.

Chris de Burgh signed his first contract with A&M Records in 1974, and supported Supertramp on their Crime of the Century tour, building himself a small fan base. His début album, Far Beyond These Castle Walls, was a folk-tinged stab at fantasy in the tradition of the Moody Blues. It failed to chart upon its release in late 1974. A few months later, he released a single called "Turning Round" from the album, released outside the UK and Ireland as "Flying". It failed to make an impression in the UK, but it stayed on top of the Brazilian charts for 17 weeks. This became a familiar pattern for the singer/songwriter, as every one of his 1970s albums failed to chart in the UK or US while they racked up big sales in continental European and South American countries.

In 1975 his second album, Spanish Train and Other Stories, was released. Whilst (again) not a huge commercial success, the album and tour expanded the fan base, with de Burgh starting to attract a cult following. Along with the epic title track, other fan favourite tracks from the album included "Patricia The Stripper" and "A Spaceman Came Travelling" (the latter released the following year as a single).

1977's third album, At the End of a Perfect Day, whilst well received and featuring both former Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks and later Fairport drummer Gerry Conway, failed to push de Burgh's career significantly, leading to the release of his fourth album Crusader in 1979. Crusader took a more electric direction, including guitar contributions from Ian Bairnson (formerly of Pilot), bass player David Paton (also of Pilot), and drummer Stuart Elliott (formerly of both Cockney Rebel and of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel), all of whom were also working, at the time, with Kate Bush. The album also featured Sky keyboard player Francis Monkman and Mike Moran. Whilst it attracted a significant number of new fans, Crusader still failed to break through in the UK and US. 1980's Eastern Wind also failed to build further on the (still cult) following in the major territories.

In 1981 de Burgh had his first UK chart entry with Best Moves, a collection culled from his early albums. It set the stage for 1982's Rupert Hine produced The Getaway, which reached number 30 in the UK charts and number 43 in the US, thanks to the eerie single "Don't Pay the Ferryman". Chris de Burgh's follow-up album, Man on the Line, also performed well, charting at 69 in the US and 11 in the UK.

Chris de Burgh had an across-the-board success with the ballad "The Lady in Red" in late 1986; the single became a number one hit in the UK (number three in America) and its accompanying album, Into the Light, reached number two in the UK (number 25 in the U.S.). That Christmas season, a re-release of de Burgh's 1976 Christmas song "A Spaceman Came Travelling" became a Top 40 hit in the UK. Flying Colours, his follow-up to Into the Light, entered the British charts at number one upon its 1988 release, yet it failed to make the American charts. De Burgh never hit the US charts again and his commercial fortunes began to slide slightly in Britain in the early 1990s, yet he retained a following around the world. This is mainly due to inactivity of his previous recording label A&M Records UK division in the U.S.

In 1997 de Burgh composed a song entitled "There's a New Star Up in Heaven Tonight", dedicated to Diana, Princess of Wales. The song was released as a 100-copy limited edition and included on the compilations The Ultimate Collection (2000) and Now and Then (2009).

In 2007 a concert in Tehran was planned for mid-2008, together with local band Arian, which would have made Chris de Burgh the first western pop singer to perform in Iran since the 1979 revolution. However, the concert never went ahead because he had not been given permission by the Iranian authorities to perform in the country.

He was the first Western act to play in Lebanon after the Lebanese Civil War.

On 25 June 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Chris de Burgh among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Discovery
Chris de Burgh Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Before this year is over;

And we sailed across the sea,
'Til we found America,
'Round the Cape of Storms,
We set our sails for home,
And when the sea was roaring,
And the Lord I called,
To help my drowning men,
I saw the light, yes, the candle in your window

And I have brought you silver,
And I have brought you gold,
And spices from the Indies in the hold;
I've seen ships on the horizon,
That I'd swear were going down,
And now I know for certain,
The world is round,
I have seen, my eyes have seen.

Oh, one day says Galileo,
A man will reach the sky,
And see the world completely,
From outside,
And gazing down from yonder,
On a world of blue and green,
He'll say with eyes of wonder,

I have seen, I have seen,
My eyes have seen.

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Discovery, “Lady love, go back to sleep, Dry the tears from your eyes, But I cannot stay with thee, Until the morning," portray a sense of sorrowful parting between the singer and his lover. As dawn breaks, he sets sail on a journey of discovery, hoping to return before the year ends. The song is reminiscent of the age of explorers, when early navigators ventured out into uncharted waters to discover the world anew.

As the song progresses, the singer talks of his journey across the seas to America, where they found new lands and brought back riches from the Indies. The reference to “Round the Cape of Storms, We set our sails for home,” shows that the journey was a difficult one, with many trials and tribulations along the way. The candle in the window represents the hope and comfort of his lover, a guiding light that kept him going even in the darkest times.

The final lines of the song, “Oh, one day says Galileo, A man will reach the sky, And see the world completely, From outside,” serve as a reflection on the wonder and excitement that comes with discovery. The singer has seen the world, and with this newfound knowledge, he understands that there is so much more to discover. Discovery is a song that speaks to the beauty of exploration and the human desire to search for new frontiers.

Line by Line Meaning

Lady love, go back to sleep,
Addressing his lover to stop crying and go back to sleep

Dry the tears from your eyes,
Encouraging his lover to stop crying and wiping away her tears

But I cannot stay with thee,
Stating that he cannot stay with his lover

Until the morning,
Telling her he has to leave but promises to come back soon

For the dawn is breaking,
Explaining that it is almost morning

And my ship is waiting for me,
Indicating that his ship is ready and waiting for his departure

And I must go,
Saying that he has to leave her for now

But I'll be back, yes,
Reassuring his lover that he will return

Before this year is over;
Promising that he will come back before the end of the year

And we sailed across the sea,
Referring to his journey across the ocean

'Til we found America,
Describing reaching the continent of America

'Round the Cape of Storms,
Explaining they sailed around a dangerous point in their journey

We set our sails for home,
Preparing to return home

And when the sea was roaring,
Describing the roughness of the sea they were sailing in

And the Lord I called,
Referring to his prayers to God for safety at sea

To help my drowning men,
Asking for God's help in saving those who were drowning

I saw the light, yes, the candle in your window
Noticing the light he had expected to see in his lover's window, as a symbol of love and devotion

And I have brought you silver,
Presenting his lover with a gift of silver

And I have brought you gold,
Giving her another gift of gold

And spices from the Indies in the hold;
Bringing exotic goods as another gift, from faraway lands

I've seen ships on the horizon,
Noticing other ships in the distance

That I'd swear were going down,
Thinking that some of the ships looked as if they were sinking

And now I know for certain,
Realizing something definitive

The world is round,
Coming to a significant conclusion, that the world is round

I have seen, my eyes have seen.
Witnessing something important and life-changing

Oh, one day says Galileo,
Bringing up the historical figure Galileo, who was known for his astronomical discoveries

A man will reach the sky,
Speculating about the future when people will travel into space

And see the world completely,
Imagining a view of the earth from space

From outside,
Seeing the world from a perspective that is different and unique

And gazing down from yonder,
Looking out from above, in a distant place

On a world of blue and green,
Observing from space, seeing the planet's significant colors clearly

He'll say with eyes of wonder,
Reacting positively, with amazement and strong emotions

I have seen, I have seen,
Emphasizing the incredible moment of witnessing something remarkable

My eyes have seen.
Making it clear that the firsthand experience was impactful and unforgettable

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Ashik Chatterjee

6y↑7

Lady love, go back to sleep,
Dry the tears from your eyes,
But I cannot stay with thee,
Until the morning,
For the dawn is breaking,
And my ship is waiting for me,
And I must go,
But I'll be back, yes,
Before this year is over;

And we sailed across the sea,
'Til we found America,
'Round the Cape of Storms,
We set our sails for home,
And when the sea was roaring,
And the Lord I called,
To help my drowning men,
I saw the light, yes, the candle in your window

And I have brought you silver,
And I have brought you gold,
And spices from the Indies in the hold;
I've seen ships on the horizon,
That I'd swear were going down,
And now I know for certain,
The world is round,
I have seen, my eyes have seen.

Oh, one day says Galileo,
A man will reach the sky,
And see the world completely,
From outside,
And gazing down from yonder,
On a world of blue and green,
He'll say with eyes of wonder,
I have seen, I have seen,
My eyes have seen.

All comments from YouTube:

dossip dan

8y↑5

What a song ! - these were the days ! Its a shame what has become of today's music.

itay -p-s-i

totally agree

Merida Elma

13y↑3

A wonderful music... Thanks for posting. Hi Gekoop may i ask the application you used in creating the above film? Thank you very much for your help. God bless.