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.
Traveller
Chris de Burgh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shadows on the road, dancing and a-weaving like a crazy fool.
A horseman is coming, death in his heart, for a rendezvous,
And where the traveller goes, nobody knows,
Where the traveller goes, nobody knows
A candle in the night, fear on every face when he goes inside,
"Maybe he's on the run,"
"Maybe he's got a gun,"
"Bring a bottle of whisky landlord, I want to talk for a while,"
And where the traveller goes, a cold wind blows,
Where the traveller goes, a cold wind blows,
There is something in his eyes, something in his hands,
You can almost smell his revenge,
And whoever he is after, it will be disaster,
This man is gonna take him to the very end;
Well the landlord he trembled, staring at a face he'd seen somewhere before,
"You laid him in the ground,"
Suddenly remembered a killing, yes a murder many years before,
"'T was you that shot him down,"
He said to a boy, "Saddle me the black, I'll meet you down below,
With this man I must talk, with this traveller I'll go,
With this man I must talk, yes with him I must go,
There is something in his eyes, something in his hands,
I can almost smell his revenge,
And it's me that he's after, it will be disaster,
This man is gonna take me to the very end,"
And they were never seen again!
The song "The Traveller" by Chris de Burgh tells a story of a mysterious horseman who arrives in town and creates a feeling of fear and unease among the townspeople. The first verse sets the scene: the traveller is speeding along the roads at night, with his shadow dancing on the ground like a crazy fool. Nobody knows where he is heading or what his intentions are, but there is a sense of impending danger. In the second verse, the traveller enters a local bar, and the patrons are immediately fearful. The atmosphere is tense, with people speculating that he might be a criminal or have a gun. The traveller asks for a bottle of whisky and wants to talk. He has something in his eyes and hands that suggest he is seeking revenge, and whoever he is after will face disaster.
The third and final verse heightens the suspense. The landlord recognizes the traveller as the man who murdered someone in the past, and he is now fearful for his own life. He instructs a boy to saddle his horse, as he is going to meet the traveller to talk. He knows that the traveller is after him and that it will mean disaster. The final line reveals that neither the landlord nor the traveller were ever seen again. The song leaves the listener with a sense of mystery and intrigue regarding the fate of the two characters.
Overall, "The Traveller" is a captivating tale of suspense that draws the listener in with its vivid imagery and haunting melody. The lyrics paint a picture of a dangerous and unpredictable character on a quest for vengeance, but the details of his mission remain shrouded in mystery. The song is a testament to Chris de Burgh's storytelling abilities and serves as a reminder of the power of music to transport us to another time and place.
Line by Line Meaning
In from the coast, riding like the wind and racing the moon,
A man arrives by horseback, swiftly and recklessly, under the light of the full moon.
Shadows on the road, dancing and a-weaving like a crazy fool.
The shadows on the road seem to dance and move in a strange and bewildering manner.
A horseman is coming, death in his heart, for a rendezvous,
The stranger is arriving for a fatal meeting with someone.
And where the traveller goes, nobody knows,
Nobody is aware of the destination or purpose of the traveller.
A candle in the night, fear on every face when he goes inside,
Upon entering a place, the traveller brings fear to everyone present.
"Maybe he's on the run,"
People speculate the motives behind the traveller's actions.
Get back from the bar, a stranger in town is a dangerous sight,
The presence of an unfamiliar person causes unease and caution in the locals.
"Maybe he's got a gun,"
People speculate and fear the possibility of the traveller carrying a firearm.
"Bring a bottle of whisky landlord, I want to talk for a while,"
The traveller requests a drink and conversation with the innkeeper.
And where the traveller goes, a cold wind blows,
The traveller seems to bring a chill or ominous feeling wherever he goes.
There is something in his eyes, something in his hands,
There is a sense of danger or violence emanating from the traveller's facial expressions and gestures.
You can almost smell his revenge,
There is a palpable atmosphere of revenge or vengeance accompanying the traveller.
And whoever he is after, it will be disaster,
The target of the traveller's revenge will suffer greatly.
This man is gonna take him to the very end;
The traveller is willing to go to great lengths to fulfil his plans of revenge.
Well the landlord he trembled, staring at a face he'd seen somewhere before,
The innkeeper recognizes the traveller from a past encounter and is filled with fear.
"You laid him in the ground,"
The innkeeper accuses the traveller of having killed someone in the past.
Suddenly remembered a killing, yes a murder many years before,
The innkeeper recalls a long-ago murder committed by the traveller.
"'T was you that shot him down,"
The innkeeper accuses the traveller of being responsible for the murder.
He said to a boy, "Saddle me the black, I'll meet you down below,
The innkeeper orders a servant to prepare a horse for him.
With this man I must talk, with this traveller I'll go,
The innkeeper decides to confront the traveller directly.
"There is something in his eyes, something in his hands,
The innkeeper recognizes the same sense of danger and revenge in the traveller.
I can almost smell his revenge,
The innkeeper senses the traveller's intentions of revenge and violence.
And it's me that he's after, it will be disaster,
The innkeeper realizes that he is the target of the traveller's revenge.
This man is gonna take me to the very end,"
The innkeeper knows that the traveller will pursue him to the bitter end.
And they were never seen again!
The fate of the innkeeper and the traveller is unknown and left to the imagination of the listener.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS DE BURGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@naglamohammed1186
"You laid him in the ground" "it was you that shot him down" those two lines are wonderful in every aspect. Chris is one of the grearest songwriters.
@muniryassin9351
Nagla Mohammed 😀 Yes he is one of the great storytellers
@WarrioRAbsolutE
He is the best Bard of our times.
@atesgoksu7309
My dad used to play them to me when I was little... I heard this years later on my dad's radio... Now I just can't stop listening to Chris... What a great singer
@peadarocolmain4850
Hello from Ireland. Yes, that's one great piece of music. I have seen him in concert here in Dublin, a long time ago. It was tremendous.
@sjsartanddesign
Great story teller Chris de Burgh. I can imagine a cowboy meandering up to the saloon with hid black cowboy-hat tilted over his eyes.
@erfanbigdeliissazade4213
Nice
Remembering Years long ago 😢
My Bike 🏍️
Whit payam junammm
@richardallen9123
One of the last great troubadours/ Bards....can't remember a concert I missed in 30 years....grew up on his voice...)
@aissamoudafi2971
Reminds me of my university days. Lovely song . Thx for posting.
@amirsamii8850
What a great song, what a great talent. It’s a pity that here in North America they only know him for one song