During 1967 Osbourne became lead vocalist of The Wildcats, and recorded for producer Winston Riley, although nothing was issued. The Wildcats' manager then financed a session at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One, from which his debut single, "All I Have Is Love", was released. In 1969 he recorded an album, Come Back Darling, again for Riley. On the day that he completed the album, Osbourne emigrated to Toronto, Canada, to join his family. After singing with various soul and reggae groups, he became lead vocalist for Ishan People, and recorded two albums with them. The group broke up in 1979, and Osbourne decided to return to Jamaica.[2]
Shortly after returning, he recorded "Forgive Them" and "Jealousy, Heartache And Pain" for the Studio One label. Through late 1979 and early 1980 he recorded extensively for Dodd, with these sessions culminating in Truths And Rights. In 1979 he also had a hit for King Jammy (then Prince Jammy) with "Folly Ranking", and an album of the same name followed in 1980. The success of these recordings made him one of the most in-demand vocalists on the island, and a glut of material was released, including Fally Lover, Warrior, Innah Disco Style and Never Stop Fighting, between 1980 and 1982. In 1983, he began the year with two big hits, "Yo Yo" and "Lend Me A Chopper", and later in the year enjoyed further success with "Water Pumping", an adaptation of Hopeton Lewis' "Take It Easy", which had also served as the basis for Johnny Clarke's 1976 hit "Rockers Time Now".
The hits continued with "Get Cracking", "Check For You", "Rewind" (1984), "Buddy Bye", "No Sound Like We" and "In The Area" (1985). In the late 1980s he was particularly successful when recording for Bobby Digital, and had hits with "Good Time Rock" (1988) and "Rude Boy Skank" (1988), both of which are included on his 1989 album, Rougher Than Them. Throughout the 80s he continued to record for Coxsone Dodd, and singles included "Keep That Light", "Unity" and "A We Run Things", but a long-promised second album from Dodd has not materialized.
Fally Lover
Johnny Osbourne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and I gave you my soul
and now you gone you left me cold
I merely asking for you to come on down
I call you many times on the telephone
Fally lover -
You're always undercover, oo I say.
You're always undercover.
Uptown, downtown, all around town.
Fally lover!
Uptown, downtown, all around town.
Fally lover!
I would work for you nine to five
Do anything to keep love alive
And now [?]
And the love is gone
And I keep on asking for you girl
Oo all I say
Fally lover -
You're always undercover.
What are you hiding?
Fally lover -
You're always undercover.
I try to give you my all and all
I make you feel like ten feet tall
And now you wanna break my heart
Can't you see it's just one heart that I got?
Fally lover -
You're always undercover.
Tell me what you're you hiding?
Fally lover -
You're always undercover.
Fally lover -
You're always undercover.
Tell me what you're you hiding?
Fally lover -
You're always undercover.
Uptown, downtown, all around town.
Fally lover! Stop fooling around!
Fally lover -
You're always undercover.
You broke my heart into so many pieces
Not even the carpenter just can't fix it
I take it to the shoemaker yesterday
And he said he ain't go no thread to sow
Fally lover -
You're always undercover.
Stop your fooling around!
Fally lover -
You're always undercover
The song Fally Lover by Johnny Osbourne is a clear message to a lover who has left abruptly without any explanation. The singer expresses his pain as he had given his heart and soul to his lover and now that she is gone, he is left feeling empty and calls her many times on the telephone to beg for her to come back to him. He is confused about why she left as he promised to work nine to five to keep their love alive. However, he did not realize that he was dealing with a 'Fally Lover' who is always undercover and hiding something from him.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses his frustration with the Fally Lover using the words "Stop your fooling around” and "Tell me what you're hiding?" He complains that she broke his heart into so many pieces and not even the carpenter or shoemaker can fix his broken heart. The song ends with the singer pleading for the Fally Lover to stop fooling around and be truthful about her motives for leaving.
Line by Line Meaning
I gave you my heart
I gave you my love and affection
and I gave you my soul
I gave you all of me
and now you gone you left me cold
You left me feeling empty and alone
I merely asking for you to come on down
I'm just asking you to come back to me
I call you many times on the telephone
I try reaching you by phone several times
Fally lover -
Fally lover, I'm talking about you
You're always undercover, oo I say.
You're always hiding something from me
Uptown, downtown, all around town.
Everywhere I go, I hear the same stories about you
I would work for you nine to five
I'm willing to do anything for you
Do anything to keep love alive
I'll go to any length to keep our love strong
And now [?]
And now, you've disappeared without any explanation
And the love is gone
Our love is over
And I keep on asking for you girl
I keep reaching out to you
What are you hiding?
What secrets are you keeping from me?
I try to give you my all and all
I try to give you everything I have
I make you feel like ten feet tall
I do everything in my power to boost your confidence
And now you wanna break my heart
And now you want to hurt me emotionally
Can't you see it's just one heart that I got?
I only have one heart, and you've broken it
Tell me what you're you hiding?
Tell me what you're keeping from me
Uptown, downtown, all around town.
Rumors about you are spreading all over town
Stop fooling around!
Stop playing games with me!
You broke my heart into so many pieces
You hurt me so deeply that I feel shattered
Not even the carpenter just can't fix it
It feels like my heart is beyond repair
I take it to the shoemaker yesterday
I looked for help in all the wrong places
And he said he ain't go no thread to sow
No one can fix the damage you've caused
Contributed by Aaron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.