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.
The Simple Truth
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A soldier boy falls to his knees,
And a woman cries in joy and pain,
When will we all live in peace again?
A child is born where the wild wind blows,
In a country torn from the south to the north,
And a family runs from day to day,
When will we see that simple truth,
That the only thing that's worth a damn,
The life of a child is more than a forest,
The life of a child is more than a border,
Could ever be;
A child is born in the desert sun,
A tiny life has just begun,
And a mother cries for her hungry babe,
When will I feed my boy again?
A child is born to an ordinary home,
East or west, it could be anyone,
But we all want to know,
Will my child survive to see the day,
When we will be secure again?
When will we see the simple truth,
That the only thing that's worth a damn,
The life of a child is more than a forest,
The life of a child is more than a border,
The life of a child is more than religion,
The life of a child is only a heartbeat from eternity,
We must believe, for the sake of humanity,
We must believe
For the sake of humanity, we must believe.
The lyrics of Chris de Burgh's "The Simple Truth" describes the birth of children in different parts of the world, all of whom are facing the harsh realities of life. To a child born in a warzone, the first sound he hears is the sound of gunfire and cries of people, while a child born where the wind blows fiercely in a war-torn country has been forced to flee from their home. Regardless of where they are born, they are all united by the same basic human needs, and their mothers all share the same concerns for the future safety of their children. The song's message is that we should not forget the simple truth that the life of a child is more precious than anything else in the world, and it is up to all of humanity to protect them and ensure their safety.
The lyrics are an appeal to humanity to be compassionate and to remember the value of human life, particularly that of children. The simple truth is that we all have common needs that everyone in the world can identify with. We must recognize this and unite as a human race to ensure that children are safe and protected no matter where they are born.
Line by Line Meaning
A child is born on a battlefield,
A newborn enters a world full of conflict and strife.
A soldier boy falls to his knees,
A young man fighting in the battle becomes overwhelmed with emotion and kneels down.
And a woman cries in joy and pain,
An expectant mother experiences both happiness and discomfort as she gives birth.
When will we all live in peace again?
The hope for a time when there will be no more war or conflict.
A child is born where the wild wind blows,
A newborn enters a place where unpredictable storms and winds occur frequently.
In a country torn from the south to the north,
A nation that is divided and broken apart by conflict and separation.
And a family runs from day to day,
A household that is unable to stay in one place, constantly fleeing danger.
When will we see our home again?
The desire to return to their native land and live in peace and security.
When will we see that simple truth,
Questioning when people will become aware of an obvious fact.
That the only thing that's worth a damn,
Highlighting the importance of something as the only valuable thing.
The life of a child is more than a forest,
The preciousness of a child's life surpasses that of a wooded area.
The life of a child is more than a border,
The significance of a child's existence goes beyond a geographical boundary.
Could ever be;
Emphasizing that nothing else could possibly be more valuable.
A child is born in the desert sun,
A newborn comes into the world under the harsh heat and dry conditions of a desert environment.
A tiny life has just begun,
A brand-new life has started its journey on this planet.
And a mother cries for her hungry babe,
A mother expresses sorrow as she is unable to provide food for her infant.
When will I feed my boy again?
The yearning to satiate her child's hunger and provide for him.
A child is born to an ordinary home,
A newborn arrives in a typical and unremarkable household.
East or west, it could be anyone,
No matter the location, any family could experience the joy of a newborn.
But we all want to know,
A common desire to find out a particular fact or truth.
Will my child survive to see the day,
The fear and concern for their child's wellbeing and hope for their future.
When we will be secure again?
The longing for a time when they can feel safe and free from harm.
The life of a child is more than a forest,
The preciousness of a child's life surpasses that of even the vastness of a forest.
The life of a child is more than a border,
The significance of a child's existence goes beyond any political or cultural division.
The life of a child is more than religion,
The importance of a child's life transcends any religious beliefs or dogma.
The life of a child is only a heartbeat from eternity,
A child's existence is incredibly fleeting and precious, and they are only a moment away from being gone.
We must believe, for the sake of humanity,
Urging the listener to hold onto hope and faith for the betterment of all humans.
We must believe
Reiterating the importance of maintaining faith and hope in the face of adversity.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHRIS, DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind