Craig Reid and Charlie Reid were born in Leith, Scotland in 1962, and grew up in Edinburgh, Cornwall and Auchtermuchty. After several punk rock bands at school they formed The Proclaimers in 1983.
The pair came to public attention when an Inverness based fan sent their demo to the British band The Housemartins, who were impressed enough to invite The Proclaimers on their 1986 UK tour. The exposure of the tour won them a January 1987 appearance on the British pop music television programme The Tube on Channel Four; "Letter from America" peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart, whilst the album This is the Story went gold. The follow-up album Sunshine on Leith featured "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and "I'm On My Way". They had a hit with their EP King of the Road, which reached number 9 in UK in 1990.
In March 2007 they recorded a new version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" with television comedy characters Andy Pipkin (played by Matt Lucas) and Brian Potter (Peter Kay) for the Comic Relief charity. A long list of celebrities were featured in the music video for this new version, including David Bellamy, Rod, Jane and Freddy, Paul O'Grady, David Tennant, Frank Sidebottom and many more. This new version of the song reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart.
The band was one of The B-52s' touring partners on their Funplex tour in Australia and New Zealand in November 2009, alongside Mental as Anything.
The brothers are fans of Hibernian Football Club, and "Sunshine on Leith" has become a theme song for the club, being played at home matches for important fixtures, such as the Edinburgh derby versus Heart of Midlothian FC, the club's city rivals. Charlie and Craig Reid appeared at their Easter Road stadium for the 'Hands Off Hibs' campaign in 1990 when Wallace Mercer, a wealthly Edinburgh businessman with direct connections to Hearts FC, attempted a takeover of the club but was defeated by fan pressure.
They are also well-known supporters of Scottish independence and have at various stages of their lives been activists for the Scottish National Party, expressing such views during their promotional tour of Britain in March 2007. However in April 2007 Charlie Reid announced that he had switched his allegiance to the Scottish Socialist Party in protest at the Scottish National Party's receipt of funding from big business. Many of their songs reflect their political views, such as "Letter from America" and "Cap in Hand".
On 16 May 2006 the twins announced their participation in a campaign to free a fellow Scot, Kenny Richey, from his death row sentence in Ohio, including an appearance at a charity concert. Also, in 2010 they participated with Billy Bragg in a show supporting Reprieve, charity that fights the death penalty. The Proclaimers also support other charities such as The Lighthouse Foundation (addiction victims), AICR (cancer research), Drake Music Scotland (help disabled people through music) or 500 miles (amputees or disabled people in Africa).
I'm Gonna Be
The Proclaimers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out, yeah, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
If I get drunk, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver, yeah, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's haverin' to you
But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
When I'm working, yes, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
And when the money comes in for the work I do
I'll pass almost every penny on to you
When I come home (when I come home), oh, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
And if I grow old, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you
But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da-da dun, da-da-lun, da-da-lun, da-da-la da-da
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da-da dun, da-da-lun, da-da-lun, da-da-la da-da
When I'm lonely, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you
And when I'm dreaming, well, I know I'm gonna dream
I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you
When I go out (when I go out), well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
And when I come home (when I come home), yes, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home with you
I'm gonna be the man who's coming home with you
But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da-da dun, da-da-lun, da-da-lun, da-da-la da-da (yeah)
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da-da dun, da-da-lun, da-da-lun, da-da-la da-da
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da-da dun, da-da-lun, da-da-lun, da-da-la da-da
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da, da da (da-da, da da)
Da-da-da dun, da-da-lun, da-da-lun, da-da-la da-da
And I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be is a song about a man’s unflinching devotion to the woman he loves. The song’s opening verses deal with how he’s “gonna be the man” who wakes up next to her, goes out with her, gets drunk next to her, and so on. In each of these situations, he talks about how he intends to be there with her, and when he is, he’s going to give everything of himself. The line, “And when the money comes in for the work I do, I’ll pass almost every penny on to you” is a clear illustration of how much he is willing to give to her. Later in the song, the man talks about how he’d walk a thousand miles just to be the man who falls down at her door.
The song’s chorus sums up the man’s feelings quite succinctly: he would walk 500 miles, and he would walk 500 more, just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at her door. This is probably one of the most recognizable bits of the song, and it underlines the sincerity of the lyrics and the man’s love for the woman. By the end of the song, the listener has a clear understanding of how important this woman is to the man and how much he loves her.
Line by Line Meaning
When I wake up, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
I will be the man that wakes up next to you and begins each day by your side
When I go out, yeah, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
I will accompany you wherever you go, and be the man that you can rely on
If I get drunk, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
Even if I get drunk, I will still be the man that is next to you
And if I haver, yeah, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's haverin' to you
If I start to hesitate, I will keep talking to you until I feel certain again
But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
I would go to the far ends of the Earth and back, just to be with you
When I'm working, yes, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
When I'm at work, I'll be the man that works hard to provide for you
And when the money comes in for the work I do
I'll pass almost every penny on to you
I will give most of the money I earn from my work to you
When I come home (when I come home), oh, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
When I return home, I will come back to you and our life together
And if I grow old, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you
As we get older, I will be by your side and grow old with you
When I'm lonely, well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you
When I am alone, I will feel lost without you there with me
And when I'm dreaming, well, I know I'm gonna dream
I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you
In my dreams, I will always be with you and treasure those moments
When I go out (when I go out), well, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
Whenever we go out, I will be by your side and accompany you
And when I come home (when I come home), yes, I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home with you
When we return home, I will come back with you and be at home with you
And I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door
I will walk a thousand miles total to prove my love and devotion to be with you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles S. Reid, Craig M. Reid
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@try2bu459
No matter how many times I hear this song? It always makes me feel good. Like I can accomplish anything.
It resonates with me.
Always.
It is 2023, and this song is relevant.
Tomorrow is 12/22 - my 23rd wedding anniversary. Feeling a little down due to overwhelming medical issues my husband has.
@Mitchell666mni
I’m commenting so whenever someone likes it, I can come back and listen to this masterpiece again 🙏
@masonkreutz8302
Ooo{i{{
@danielbanfield8109
Go for it!
@klausdieter1532
Uffff Mate, but its nö Problem, because this Song is so masterclass
@Az-od9bq
Well its time for another listen pal haha
@tulipalll
Have another go 😁
@nirvikalpshukla
Marshal Eriksen was right. Played this song on my way to office. It became a roadtrip.
@206_akbarisahil7
😂
@Sorken.1994
In my imagination, I would dance with the villain: Biff Tannen's actor / Thomas F. Wilson (from the movies: Back to the future) to this version of this song.
I have such a stupid disability that, among other things, means that I can not walk or stand on my own, and must have help all the time.
So he gets to help me take the right dance steps to this song.
Do you know who he / Thomas F. Wilson is?
@undeadbygordon
666th!!!