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).
These Arms Of Mine
The Proclaimers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They are lonely
Lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine
They are yearning
Yearning from wanting you
And if you
Would let them hold you
How grateful I will be
These arms of mine
The are burning
Burning from wanting you
These arms of mine
The are wanting
Wanting to hold you
And if you
Just let them hold you
How grateful I will be
How grateful I will be
Come on come on baby
Just be my woman
Just be my lover
I need someone
Somebody to hold me tight
And I need
Your warm, warm loving arms
Around me tonight
Just let me hold you
Just let me hold you
Let my arms hold you
Just let them hold you
Please let me hold you
Just let me hold you
Come on let me hold you
Just let me hold you
Please let me hold you
Just let me hold you
These lyrics are a plea from the singer to the person they love to let them hold them. The singer's "arms of mine" are described as lonely, yearning, burning, and wanting to hold the person they love. The singer is grateful for the opportunity to hold the person they love and they need someone to hold them tightly. The repetition of the plea to "just let me hold you" emphasizes the singer's desire for physical closeness and intimacy.
The use of the words "lonely," "yearning," "burning," and "wanting" to describe the singer's arms suggest that the singer is experiencing intense emotions and desires physical contact to alleviate their loneliness and longing. The repetition of the line "just let me hold you" emphasizes the singer's need for touch and connection.
Some possible interpretations of these lyrics could be that the singer is in a long-distance relationship, experiencing relationship problems, or simply craving physical touch from their partner. Regardless of the specific circumstances, the lyrics convey a powerful sense of longing and desire for intimacy.
Line by Line Meaning
These arms of mine
The singer is referring to their own arms
They are lonely
The singer feels alone without the person they want to hold
Lonely and feeling blue
The singer is sad and down because they do not have the person they want by their side
They are yearning
The singer's arms are full of desire for the person they want to hold
Yearning from wanting you
The singer's desire to hold the person they want is what makes their arms ache
And if you
If the person the singer wants is willing
Would let them hold you
If the person the singer wants would allow the singer to hold them in their arms
How grateful I will be
The singer will express their gratitude for being able to hold the person they want in their arms
They are burning
The singer's arms are consumed with desire
Burning from wanting you
The singer's desire to hold the person they want is so strong that it feels like a physical burn
They are wanting
The singer's arms are filled with a strong desire to hold the person they want
Wanting to hold you
The singer wants to hold the person they desire in their arms
Come on come on baby
The singer is urging the person they want to come to them
Just be my woman
The singer wants the person to be their partner
Just be my lover
The singer wants the person to be their romantic partner
I need someone
The singer is expressing their need for companionship and affection
Somebody to hold me tight
The singer wants someone to hold them close
And I need
The singer expresses their need
Your warm, warm loving arms
The singer is referring to the person they want's embrace
Around me tonight
The singer wants the person they desire to be with them on this particular night
Just let me hold you
The singer is begging the person they want to allow them to hold them in their arms
Let my arms hold you
The singer is expressing their desire to hold the person they want in their arms
Please let me hold you
The singer is pleading with the person they want to allow them to hold them in their arms
Come on let me hold you
The singer is urging the person they want to allow them to hold them in their arms
Just let them hold you
The singer wants the person they desire to allow their arms to hold them
Please let me hold you
The singer is pleading with the person they want to allow them to hold them in their arms
Just let me hold you
The singer is begging the person they want to allow them to hold them in their arms
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: OTIS REDDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hislatestflame7861
Otis would be proud. A soulful rerecording.
@hughlinden496
Not heard this version before. These lads can do no wrong just beautiful.
@thebiblesnooper3067
Scotsmen with soul!
@kendall_knows_best2872
Flat
@rayavery8093
Damn !!! I've never heard this version before ??? It is terrific !!! Great job guys !!
@zainadeluce4287
The Proclaimers are so good, this is a classic x
@andrewcowan1298
This song is wonderful the dirty dancing version reminds me of ma Dad who is past,and my partner introduced me to this version a few weeks ago,and a love it.x
@AliVissuetti
Why am i hearing this until now in 2019?!! WOW...Amazing! very very very good soooo good!
@1066wastrel
I never knew the brothers had sung this, fantastic!
@john111257
Quality cover, under-rated duo