Steel Pulse is a British roots reggae band from Birmingham, England. They w… Read Full Bio ↴Steel Pulse is a British roots reggae band from Birmingham, England. They were the first non-Jamaican act to win the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for their 1986 album Babylon The Bandit.

Steel Pulse originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, Birmingham, and comprised David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals) and Ronnie McQueen (bass).

However, it is Hinds who, as songwriter, has always been the engine behind Steel Pulse, from their early days establishing themselves in the Birmingham club scene onwards. Formed in 1975, their debut release, 'Kibudu, Mansetta And Abuku" arrived on the small independent label Dip, and linked the plight of urban black youth with the image of a greater African homeland. They followed it with 'Nyah Love' for Anchor.

Surprisingly, they were initially refused live dates in Caribbean venues in the Midlands because of their Rastafarian beliefs. Aligning themselves closely with the Rock Against Racism 1 organisation, they chose to tour instead with sympathetic elements of the punk movement, including the Stranglers, XTC etc.: "Punks had a way of enjoying themselves - throw hordes at you, beer, spit at you, that kind of thing".

Eventually they found a more natural home in support slots for Burning Spear, which brought them to the attention of Island Records. Their first release for Island was the 'Ku Klux Klan' 45 rpm, a considered tilt at the evils of racism, and one often accompanied by a visual parody of the sect on stage.

By this time their ranks had swelled to include Selwyn 'Bumbo' Brown (keyboards), Steve 'Grizzly' Nesbitt (drums), Fonso Martin (vocals, percussion) and Michael Riley (vocals). Handsworth Revolution was an accomplished long playing debut and one of the major landmarks in the evolution of British reggae.

However, despite critical and moderate commercial success over three albums, the relationship with Island had soured by the advent of Caught You (released in the US as Reggae Fever). They switched to Elektra, and unveiled their most consistent collection of songs since their debut with True Democracy, distinguished by the Garveyeulogising 'Rally Around' cut.

A further definitive set arrived in Earth Crisis. Unfortunately, Elektra chose to take a leaf out of Island's book in trying to coerce Steel Pulse into a more mainstream vein, asking them to emulate the pop-reggae stance of Eddy Grant. Babylon Bandit was consequently weakened, but did contain the anthemic 'Not King james Version', which was a powerful indictment on the omission of black people and history from certain versions of the Bible.

Their next move was id Hinds of Steel Pulse to MCA for State Of Emergency, which retained some of the synthesized dance elements of its predecessor. Though it was a significantly happier compromise, it still paled before any of their earlier albums.

Rastafari Centennial was recorded live at the Elysee Montmarte in Paris, and dedicated to the hundred year anniversary of the birth of Haile Selassie. It was the first recording since the defection of Fonso Martin, leaving the trio of David Hinds, Steve Nisbett and Selwyn Brown.

While they still faced inverted snobbery at the hands of British reggae fans, in America their reputation was growing, becoming the first ever reggae band to appear on the Tonight television show. Their profile was raised further when, in 1992, Hinds challenged the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission in the Supreme High Court, asserting that their cab drivers discriminated against black people in general and Rastas in particular.
Drummer Steve "Grizzly" Nisbett (15 March 1948 – 18 January 2018) died in 2018.
The band are still recording and touring.

Brown Eyed Girl
Steel Pulse Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey, where did we go
Days when the rains came ?
Down in the hollow
Playing a new game,
Laughing and a-running, hey, hey,
Skipping and a-jumping
In the misty morning fog with
Our, our hearts a-thumping

And you, my brown-eyed girl,

You, my brown-eyed girl.
Whatever happened
To Tuesday and so slow
Going down to the old mine with a
Transistor radio.
Standing in the sunlight laughing
Hide behind a rainbow's wall,
Slipping and a-sliding
All along the waterfall
With you, my brown-eyed girl,
You, my brown-eyed girl.

Do you remember when we used to sing
Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah
Just like that
Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah
La dee dah.

So hard to find my way
Now that I'm all on my own.
I saw you just the other day,
My, how you have grown!
Cast my memory back there, Lord,
Sometime I'm overcome thinking about
Laughing and running hey, hey
Behind the stadium
With you, my brown-eyed girl,
You, my brown-eyed girl.

Do you remember when we used to sing
Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah
Laying in the green grass
Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah
Dee dah dee dah dee dah dee dah dee dah dee
Sha la la la la la la la la la la la la

Dee dah la dee dah la dee dah la
D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Brown Eyed Girl" by Steel Pulse speak of nostalgia and memory. The song reminisces about a carefree time spent with a brown-eyed girl, when life was simpler and love was innocent. The song's opening lines suggest a hazy memory, "Hey, where did we go / Days when the rains came? / Down in the hollow / Playing a new game." The singer remembers a time of laughter and play, expressed through the lines "Laughing and a-running, hey, hey, / Skipping and a-jumping."

The second verse creates a sense of longing for a time that has passed, and the use of the phrase "Whatever happened to Tuesday and so slow" underlines this idea of the song being an ode to a simpler time. The reference to a transistor radio and slipping and sliding along a waterfall adds to the romanticism of the song. The chorus reaffirms the central message of the song, expressing the singer's deep love and admiration for his brown-eyed girl, "You, my brown-eyed girl."

In conclusion, "Brown Eyed Girl" is a nostalgic love song that reminisces about a time of innocence and simplicity. The song creates a mood of hazy memory and longing, underscored by the singer's love for his brown-eyed girl.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey, where did we go Days when the rains came ?
Where have we gone back to the days when the rain used to fall quite frequently

Down in the hollow Playing a new game,
Playing a new thought-provoking game in a valley

Laughing and a-running, hey, hey, Skipping and a-jumping In the misty morning fog with Our, our hearts a-thumping
Running around and having fun while being surrounded by thick mist in the early morning, with a pleasing feeling of excitement and adrenaline inside our hearts

And you, my brown-eyed girl, You, my brown-eyed girl.
You are the apple of my eye, my dear girl with the brown eyes

Whatever happened To Tuesday and so slow
What has gone wrong with time? It seems to be moving too fast and incomplete

Going down to the old mine with a Transistor radio.
Venturing down to the abandoned mine with music from the portable FM Radio

Standing in the sunlight laughing Hide behind a rainbow's wall,
Laughing and having a great time under the sun while hiding behind a colorful rainbow

Slipping and a-sliding All along the waterfall With you, my brown-eyed girl, You, my brown-eyed girl.
Sliding down the waterfall and having fun with the brown-eyed girl

Do you remember when we used to sing Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah Just like that Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah La dee dah.
Do you remember the good old times when we used to sing basic tunes and lyrics like sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah

So hard to find my way Now that I'm all on my own.
Being on my own has made it hard to know which way to go

I saw you just the other day, My, how you have grown!
I saw you lately, and you have grown bigger than I thought.

Cast my memory back there, Lord, Sometime I'm overcome thinking about Laughing and running hey, hey Behind the stadium With you, my brown-eyed girl, You, my brown-eyed girl.
When I think of those years, I get overwhelmed with the memories of laughter and fun, especially behind the stadium with you, my precious girl with the brown eyes.

Do you remember when we used to sing Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah Laying in the green grass Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah Dee dah dee dah dee dah dee dah dee dah dee Sha la la la la la la la la la la la la Dee dah la dee dah la dee dah la D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d...
Do you recall those days when we used to lay in green grass and rely on simple lyrics like sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah?

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Van Morrison

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS