From the 1960s to the 1980s, Diamond was one of the more successful pop music performers, scoring a number of hits. As critic William Ruhlmann writes, "as of 2001, he claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart."[1] As of May 2005 he has sold 120 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S.[2]
Though his record sales declined somewhat after the 1980s, Diamond continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following. Diamond's songs have been recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres.
Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and then in 2000 was given its Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the early part of 2011.
In 2008 Neil Diamond scored his first ever Billboard number one album with "Home Before Dark", the album also became his first studio album to get to number one in the UK.
Brother Love
Neil Diamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the leaves hanging down
And the grass on the ground smelling sweet
Move up the road
To the outside of town
And the sound of that good gospel beat
Sits a ragged tent
And that gospel group
Telling you and me
It's love, Brother Love say
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
Pack up the babies
And grab the old ladies
And everyone goes
'Cause everyone knows
Brother Love's show
Room gets suddenly still
And when you'd almost bet
You could hear yourself sweat, he walks in
Eyes black as coal
And when he lifts his face
Every ear in the place is on him
Starting soft and slow
Like a small earthquake
And when he lets go
Half the valley shakes
It's love, Brother Love say
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
Pack up the babies
And grab the old ladies
And everyone goes
'Cause everyone knows
'Bout Brother Love's show
Hallelujah, brothers
Halle-hallelujah
I said brothers
(Hallelujah) Now you got yourself two good hands
(Halle-hallelujah) And when your brother is troubled,
You gotta reach out your one hand for him
(Hallelujah) 'Cause that's what it's there for
(Halle-hallelujah) And when your heart is troubled,
You gotta reach out your other hand
(Hallelujah) Reach it out to the man up there
(Halle-hallelujah) 'Cause that's what he's there for
Take my hand in yours
Walk with me this day
In my heart I know
I will never stray
Halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle
Love, Brother Love say
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
Pack up the babies
And grab the old ladies
And everyone goes
I say love, Brother Love say
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
(Halle, halle)
Pack up the babies
And grab the old ladies
And everyone goes
Love, Brother Love say
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
In "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," Neil Diamond paints a vivid picture of a hot August night with leaves drooping and grass smelling sweet on the ground. We then see a gospel group performing under a ragged tent, where the congregation is encouraged to pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and embark on an exciting traveling salvation show. Brother Love is the leader who brings everyone together and spreads the gospel of love.
Brother Love's message is simple: when you're in trouble, reach out your hand to someone else because that's what we were put here for. The song builds with intensity as Brother Love sings with a voice as black as coal, and the audience is captivated by his powerful voice. The song's climax comes when Brother Love invites everyone to join in and take his hand and walk with him on this day, for in his heart, he knows he will never stray.
What Diamond is trying to convey is that when times are tough, we need to have faith in ourselves and in the connections we share with others. Through music, we can come together to find hope and comfort in the face of adversity. Brother Love's gospel provides a beacon of hope for all those who listen to his message.
Line by Line Meaning
Hot August night
A warm summer evening
And the leaves hanging down
The leaves of the trees are drooping
And the grass on the ground smelling sweet
The scent of fresh grass permeates the air
Move up the road
Travel to a nearby location
To the outside of town
To a rural area not located within the city limits
And the sound of that good gospel beat
The upbeat sound of gospel music can be heard
Sits a ragged tent
A ramshackle tent can be seen
Where there ain't no trees
The surrounding area is treeless
And that gospel group
A musical group that performs gospel music
Telling you and me
Spreading their message through song
It's love, Brother Love say
Love is the message of Brother Love
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
The name of Brother Love's traveling performance
Pack up the babies
Bring the children along
And grab the old ladies
Bring the elderly women along
And everyone goes
All are welcome to attend
'Cause everyone knows
It is common knowledge
Brother Love's show
The performance by Brother Love
Room gets suddenly still
The room becomes quiet
And when you'd almost bet
When you are certain that
You could hear yourself sweat, he walks in
The sound of sweat on your skin is audible due to the silence of the room when Brother Love enters
Eyes black as coal
Brother Love's eyes are dark and intense
And when he lifts his face
When Brother Love turns his head upward
Every ear in the place is on him
All those present are intently focused on Brother Love
Starting soft and slow
Beginning the performance gently and gradually
Like a small earthquake
Intensifying like a low-level seismic activity
And when he lets go
When Brother Love increases the intensity of his performance
Half the valley shakes
The surrounding area vibrates with the intensity of the performance
Hallelujah, brothers
A call to praise the Lord and show unity
Halle-hallelujah
Repeated call to praise the Lord
I said brothers
Re-emphasizing the call for unity
"Now you got yourself two good hands
Reminding the audience of the capabilities of the human body
And when your brother is troubled,
Encouraging the audience to help those in need
You gotta reach out your one hand for him
Extend a hand to those in need
"Cause that's what it's there for
That is the purpose of human hands
And when your heart is troubled,
When you are struggling emotionally
You gotta reach out your other hand
Seek help from above
"Cause that's what he's there for
That is why God exists
Take my hand in yours
Join hands with me
Walk with me this day
Accompany me during this performance
In my heart I know
I am certain
I will never stray
I will always maintain the faith
Halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle
Reiteration of praise for the Lord
Love, Brother Love say
Brother Love emphasizes the theme of love
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
The name of Brother Love's traveling performance
Pack up the babies
Bring the children along
And grab the old ladies
Bring the elderly women along
And everyone goes
All are welcome to attend
I say love, Brother Love say
Emphasizing the message of love
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
The name of Brother Love's traveling performance
(Halle, halle)
Re-emphasis of praise for the Lord
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NEIL DIAMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lmg6845
Hot August night and the leaves hanging down
and the grass on the ground smellin' sweet
Move up the road to the outside of town
and the sound of that good gospel beat
Sits a ragged tent where there ain't no trees
And that gospel group tellin' you and me
It's Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
'Cause everyone knows Brother Love's show
Room gets suddenly still and when you'd almost bet
You could hear yourself sweat he walks in
Eyes black as coal and when he lifts his face
Every ear in the place is on him
Startin' soft and slow like a small earthquake
And when he lets go half the valley shakes
It's Love, Brother Love say Brother Loves traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
'Cause everyone knows 'bout Brother Loves show
(Halleluja) Brothers (Halle, halleluja) I say brothers
Now you got yourself two good hands
And when your brother is troubled you've gotta
reach out your hand for him 'cause that's what it's there for
And when your heart is troubled you've gotta reach out
your other hand, reach it out to the Man up there
'Cause that's what He's there for
Take my hand in yours
Walk with me this day
In my heart I know
I will never stray
Halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle, halle
Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
I say Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show...
@FrederickBamber
This will forever be my fav Neil Diamond song.
@johnries5593
One of the truly great examples of descriptive songwriting. One can almost see and hear the preacher. And the song was written by a man from a completely different religious tradition from the one portrayed.
@guaporeturns9472
1970s small town in Oregon had a traveling salvation show like this every summer for a couple days.. a big tent , good music , good food. I was about 10-12 yrs old. Was a wonderful time and this song brings it all back.
@markstrain8989
Hallelujah, brothers and sisters!
@KarlBean-pb9zf
This tune takes me back to my Army days at Ft. Gordon,GA and all the revival tents around then. Fabulous song!
@patriciasoebagio1035
This one brings it all back~like...just like a traveling revival meeting on a hot August night
@birgitkniepert5284
Neil Diamond is for me the best singer and songwriter for all time, his voice and songs and music are magical, I love Neil Diamond forever 🙋♀️😘❤️💎🎤🎵🎶🎹🐸🎸🍒🍷
@mauricearpin7946
Friend, try Blackmore's Night, I think you will Love them. If you do try them, let me know what you think.
@v941726
I'm totally with ya👍👍
@v941726
Good thing DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER!!!! 👍👍👍