Read Full Bio ↴Steve Forde was born in the regional farming centre of Cowra in 1977.
His parents were battlers with a dream of one day rising from the dust and hard work they endured to owning their own property and sinking deep, long-lasting roots. It was to this end that young Steve spent most of his early childhood moving from town to town across NSW with his family. Where there was good work to be had, that's where the family would go. It was in these early years that simple life philosophies were deeply ingrained into this young man.
Discipline, hard work and the pursuit of ones dream were the life food served at the Forde's table.
Today Steve Forde is a farmer and landowner in his own right.
He is a singer, a songwriter and a serious touring country star. Although retired now, Steve was a successful bull rider and bareback bronc rider. What ever Steve sets out to do, he does it well and still today draws heavily on his family's ethos of: "Hard Work, Long Days, Hard Work, Hard Play".
Steve Forde is the real deal, make no mistake.
Moving to the South Coast, the rawboned 18 year old with fire in his belly joined his first band and tasted the life of a touring country musician, the late nights, the poor money, the long miles but he was loving it and knew this was something he wanted to do. It was also during this time that like all young, developing sensible, sensitive artists Steve decided that Bull riding looked like a good idea and a heap of fun and so without care or concern to his guitar hands or the rest of his body he climbed on his first angry beast and away he went. As a rising rodeo, singing star, overseas travel appeared on the young mans horizon and in 1998 he boldly said goodbye to the farm and his band and headed to the USA for a bit of a look. Landing in Texas, he did as you do and bought himself a whopping, great, clunky heap of '63 Dodge Polara, filled her up with fuel, checked the oil and set himself loose on the highways and open roads of the USA. Steve lucked into some top blokes, now good mates in Texas and joined their band playing country music and doing the fabled American miles through Colorado, South Dakota and into Canada. When the gigs were lean the young Aussie Bloke from Cowra could be found working in bars, building fences or riding bareback broncos in Lubbock Texas making a name for himself as fearless, tough or just that crazy Aussie guy.
Sadly, tragedy stuck Steve when his traveling mate from Brisbane broke his back riding bareback and had to be flown home to Australia leaving Steve concerned for his mate's welfare but also now short of a traveling companion and his rodeo buddy. That old Dodge was dying, blowing black smoke and money was tight but Steve made it to Kansas in search of Dorothy, but she was long gone so took up a contract harvesting corn instead. Cashed up again and armed with his guitar and a kit bag full of new songs Steve headed off to Nebraska.
On the way the old Dodge dropped its gearbox, curled up its toes and died. Like Woody Guthrie in the dustbowl and a long way from home Steve hitched a ride to Missouri where he met a bloke in a bar heading to a rodeo in Franklin, Tennessee. Steve took another lift to the rodeo and chanced his luck on winning some much-needed money.
A smashed thumb later, a lot of pain and some impressive Australian colloquialisms Steve headed back to Nashville where he was introduced to songwriter Dan Roberts. (Beaches of Cheyenne, The Old Stuff, The Fever, Dan also toured as opener for Garth Brooks for two years.) Hitting it off well with Dan he moved in for a time and had the pleasure of playing songs and working on new material with this wonderful writer and friend.
Steve headed back to Australia when he heard that his father needed help on the farm and he went to work head down bum up on the land only to disappear on weekends to compete in rodeo's around the country.
He bought his farm, near Grenfell and set about getting it cleaned up, stocked up and productive while still helping his father on his farm and finding time to getaway riding broncos.
In 2000 Steve started his band and a new day was upon the busy boy. The band started playing small shows throughout their immediate area, then moved on to Tamworth and then again onto the national Rodeo Circuit, people were talking and the talk was all good.
Steve Forde had arrived.
Enthused by the great response the band was getting Steve sent some demos to Nashville producer Mark Moseley who liked what he heard and contacted Steve and they set about recording the debut album.
Steve Forde's debut album "Livin' Right" was released in May 2002. The first film clip Rodeo Freak was released on the back of the successful debut.
The album continued to build momentum and attract both recognition and accolades including two Golden Guitar nominations at the Tamworth 2003 awards and the second single "What I'm talking about" spending twenty-six weeks in the CMC top twenty.
Overdrive is a good word for what happened next, with the release of "Livin' Right" and successful subsequent tours Steve decided the music was where his heart was and with consultation with his family, his younger brother took over running the farms so Steve could go hard on his rapidly rising popularity.
"Wild Ride" (album two) was again recorded in Nashville in December 2003 with Mark Moseley although this time Steve co-produced the recording process as well as penning all of the tracks. The first single "The Letter" was released and promptly entered the CMC charts in the top ten and it stayed in the No.1 position for three weeks.
"Wild Ride" (VES0001) which was released on July 15 2004, contains a bonus CD enhanced version of CMC's No.1 video clip, The Letter.
So climb on, hang on, close your eyes, and grit your teeth because we are all in for a wild ride.
Dust
Steve Forde Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like your afraid that I might see,
something you've got buried deep in yesterday
Every time the conversation switches to a matter of the heart
You laugh and lighten up the air like you don't want to go down where
The real feelings are.
Picture this, gravel road, spinning wheels, flying stones
In a cloud of dust
This looking back on where we've been
It's a waste of time and it don't make sense to me at all
There's a new sunrise around the curve
lets soak it up and watch it burn down these walls
I've got a shoulder for your head, and open arm and a dashboard for your feet
All you've got to do is close your eyes, hold onto me
And visualise, chains breaking free
Picture this, gravel road, spinning wheels, flying stones
Leaving the past behind us, smiling as it all goes up
In a cloud of dust
That suitcase full of bricks, sling it over in the ditch
All it does is weigh us down
Picture this, gravel road, spinning wheels, flying stones
Leaving the past behind us, smiling as it all goes up
In a cloud of dust
In a cloud of dust
The lyrics of Steve Forde's song Dust discuss the fear of opening up and the struggle to let go of the past. The first stanza talks about the difficulty of connecting with someone who is closed off emotionally. The singer acknowledges that the person he is talking to hides something deep within themselves, something that happened in the past that they don't want to confront. Every time the conversation turns to matters of the heart, they deflect their emotions with a laugh, not wanting to dive deeper into their feelings.
However, the chorus's main theme is that the characters should let go of their past and look towards the future. They should get lost in the experience of the present moment, leaving their burdens behind. The second stanza is an invitation for the person to join the singer on a journey, where they can leave all their emotional baggage behind. The singer offers a shoulder to lean on, an open arm to hold onto, and a dashboard for their feet - all they have to do is close their eyes and escape into the moment. The chorus repeats, reiterating that they should forget about the past and move forward, experiencing the joys of the present. In the final line, the singer compares their journey to a cloud of dust, which could symbolize the idea of leaving a trail behind and never looking back.
Overall, the song Dust contains lyrics that convey an essential message about letting go of the past, embracing the present, and moving towards the future. These themes are especially essential in a world where the fear of change and letting go can hold us back. The song's final message is one of hope, reminding us that we can break free from the chains of our past and soar to new heights, leaving behind what no longer serves us.
Line by Line Meaning
How we gonna make a move when every time I look at you, you turn away?
It seems like you're hiding something from me and it's affecting our relationship. How can we move forward when you keep avoiding me?
Like your afraid that I might see, something you've got buried deep in yesterday
It seems like you're afraid of showing your true self to me, as if you're hiding some painful experience from your past.
Every time the conversation switches to a matter of the heart
Whenever the topic is about our emotions and feelings,
You laugh and lighten up the air like you don't want to go down where
You try to avoid it by laughing it off and changing the subject,
The real feelings are.
As if you don't want to confront your true feelings.
Picture this, gravel road, spinning wheels, flying stones
Imagine this scene where we leave everything behind and hit the road,
Leaving the past behind us, smiling as it all goes up In a cloud of dust
We'll leave our past behind and embrace the future with a smile as we ride off into the sunset.
This looking back on where we've been
Reflecting on our past experiences,
It's a waste of time and it don't make sense to me at all
It's pointless and I don't see the value in dwelling on it.
There's a new sunrise around the curve
There are new opportunities and experiences waiting for us,
lets soak it up and watch it burn down these walls
Let's embrace them and let go of any emotional barriers that are holding us back.
I've got a shoulder for your head, and open arm and a dashboard for your feet
I'm here for you with a listening ear, a comforting embrace, and a car ready to drive us towards new adventures.
All you've got to do is close your eyes, hold onto me
Just let go of your fears and trust in me, and together we'll face whatever comes our way.
And visualise, chains breaking free
Imagine that we're breaking free from any emotional baggage or negative experiences that are holding us back.
That suitcase full of bricks, sling it over in the ditch
Let go of any emotional baggage that's weighing us down and holding us back,
All it does is weigh us down
As it's only bringing us down and preventing us from moving forward.
In a cloud of dust
As we ride off into the sunset, leaving our past behind and embracing the future with a sense of adventure and freedom.
Contributed by Carter I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.