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.
Metropolis
Steve Forde Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took the stop sign down, it was shot up anyhow
One night I ran right through it in my old Chevrolet
Both police cars came, but I got away
It was a boomtown back in '62, 'til the coal ran out
And a drought came through, and they dammed the river
My old man used to fish
And left the city limit sign layin' in the ditch
Run plumb over it, leavin' Metropolis
Well, I found myself in a big high-rise with a concrete yard
It ain't safe after dark, guess this ol' boy drove too far
Met a girl, fell in love, got married and she's due in May
Says we're gonna need more space, I said I know just the place
Where we can walk down to the country store
And we won't even have to lock our door
We can still get air and water there for free
She said that sounds good to me
It was a boomtown back in '62, 'til the coal ran out
And a drought came through, and they dammed the river
My old man used to fish
Population 404 and when we pull in it'll be 3 more
And there's a city limit sign layin' in the ditch
That I need to fix, back in Metropolis
I'm almost in Metropolis
In the song "Metropolis," Australian country music artist Steve Forde tells the story of a man who leaves his small town, Metropolis, to seek a better future in the big city. The song's lyrics describe the man's nostalgia for his hometown, despite its small population and technological limitations. The singer remembers a time when Metropolis was a boomtown, until the coal and water ran out and the river was dammed. He also recalls a time when the town had a stop sign that was shot up and replaced with a red light. One night, he ran through the red light in his Chevrolet and evaded the police.
The singer eventually finds himself in a high-rise in the city, where he falls in love, gets married, and has a baby on the way. However, he and his wife decide to move back to Metropolis to raise their family. The singer longs for the simplicity and safety of his hometown, where they won't even have to lock their doors. As he approaches Metropolis, he plans to fix the city limit sign that he knocked over the night he left.
The lyrics of "Metropolis" illustrate the timeless theme of the tension between small-town roots and the excitement of the big city. The singer's journey is a common one, as many people leave their hometowns in search of a better future, only to find that what they really long for is the comfort and familiarity of home.
Line by Line Meaning
Well they finally put that red light up in the heart of town
After many years, the town installed its first traffic light in the central area
Took the stop sign down, it was shot up anyhow
The previous stop sign had bullet holes, so it was replaced with the new traffic light
One night I ran right through it in my old Chevrolet
The singer once drove through the red light in his old car
Both police cars came, but I got away
The police tried to catch him, but he managed to escape
It was a boomtown back in '62, 'til the coal ran out
The town experienced a period of prosperity in 1962 due to the coal industry, but it declined when the resource depleted
And a drought came through, and they dammed the river
During a drought, the river was dammed, which further impacted the town's economy
My old man used to fish
The singer's father used to fish in the river that was impacted by the drought and the dam
Population 405 and I made it 404 one night
The town's population was 405, but the singer caused it to decrease to 404 one night
And left the city limit sign layin' in the ditch
While driving, the singer hit the city limit sign and it fell in a nearby ditch
Run plumb over it, leavin' Metropolis
After hitting the sign, the singer left Metropolis
Well, I found myself in a big high-rise with a concrete yard
The singer moved to a large building with a concrete courtyard
It ain't safe after dark, guess this ol' boy drove too far
The area he lives is not very safe at night and the singer realizes he may have gone too far from his hometown
Met a girl, fell in love, got married and she's due in May
The singer met and married a woman who is pregnant and due in May
Says we're gonna need more space, I said I know just the place
His wife says they need a bigger home and he knows of a place with more space
Where we can walk down to the country store
The place the singer knows of has a nearby store that they can walk to
And we won't even have to lock our door
The town he is referring to is small and safe, so they won't need to lock their door
We can still get air and water there for free
The town has clean air and water that is readily available
She said that sounds good to me
The singer's wife agrees with him
Population 404 and when we pull in it'll be 3 more
The current population of the town he is moving back to is 404, but it will increase by 3 when he arrives with his family
And there's a city limit sign layin' in the ditch
The city limit sign that he hit years ago is still laying in the ditch
That I need to fix, back in Metropolis
He feels responsible for the city limit sign and plans to fix it when he returns to Metropolis
I'm almost in Metropolis
The singer is close to returning to his hometown
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Madhu Soodan M
Very nice song and a great voice, never new this guy existed, but worth the find, Steve you have great country voice, excellent musician. Keep it going 👍👍👍
chads100
Love this song, good version, good video.
alex walker
chads100 he such a great Singer