The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Ch… Read Full Bio ↴The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid (born 5 March 1962, in Leith). They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents. They have released eleven studio albums from 1987 until the present, as well as two compilation albums and a DVD.

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).

Teardrops
The Proclaimers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Teardrops running down your face
Teardrops running down your face
Diamonds of water, and salt from your body
Coming down to meet my kisses

Teardrops running down your face
Teardrops running down your face
Staining your skin and my skin and beginning

The stories that you can't begin

The way I feel could be despised
But its a vision that I prize
Teardrops
Teardrops

I'm not trying to make you feel pain
Or joy to make the tears flow
But when they roll unashamed
They move me so

Teardrops running down your face
Teardrops running down your face
Let me, let me brush them with my fingers
Comfort you and say its alright

It's so strong this way I feel
Sometimes I want to beg or steal

Teardrops
Teardrops.

Overall Meaning

The Proclaimer's song "Teardrops" is a story of a lover's emotional connection with their partner's tears. The opening lines of "Teardrops running down your face" are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of the emotional release of tears in a relationship. The tears are portrayed as delicate and precious, like "diamonds of water," and the singer is depicted as meeting them with their kisses. The tears stain the skin, symbolizing the beginning of the emotional stories that need to be told. The singer acknowledges that their intense feelings for their partner may be despised by others, but they cherish the vision of their lover's tears nonetheless.

The singer realizes that they are not intentionally causing their partner pain or making them cry tears of joy. Yet, the unashamed tears move them so deeply that they want to take care of their partner and comfort them. The singer offers to brush away their partner's tears with their fingers and assures them that everything will be alright. The intense emotional connection between the two is evident in the lines, "It's so strong this way I feel, sometimes I want to beg or steal, teardrops."

In conclusion, "Teardrops" is a love song that celebrates the emotional connection between two people. Tears become the bridge that connects the two and helps them navigate their emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

Teardrops running down your face
Your tears are running down your face.

Diamonds of water, and salt from your body
Your tears are like diamonds, consisting of water and salt from your body.

Coming down to meet my kisses
Your tears are falling onto my face as I kiss you.

Staining your skin and my skin and beginning
Your tears are staining both of our skins and are the beginning of a story that you can't begin to tell.

The stories that you can't begin
You have stories to tell, but you can't begin to share them.

The way I feel could be despised
I am aware that the way I feel might be looked down upon by others.

But its a vision that I prize
Despite that, the way I feel is important to me and I value it highly.

I'm not trying to make you feel pain
I'm not intentionally causing you pain or trying to make you cry.

Or joy to make the tears flow
I'm not trying to make you cry by making you feel joy either.

But when they roll unashamed
But your tears are falling freely without self-consciousness,

They move me so
And that moves me deeply.

Let me, let me brush them with my fingers
Please let me wipe away your tears with my fingers.

Comfort you and say its alright
I want to comfort you and reassure you that everything will be okay.

It's so strong this way I feel
My feelings for you are incredibly intense and powerful.

Sometimes I want to beg or steal
My desire for you is so strong that I would do anything for you, even beg or steal.

Teardrops
Your tears.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES STOBO REID, CRAIG MORRIS REID

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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