The band is one of the most culturally diverse dub Ska bands with musicians of English, Scottish, Irish, Yemeni and Jamaican parentage. The band is named from the paper form issued by the UK government's Department of Health and Social Security at the time of the band's formation for claiming unemployment benefit (UB40 = Unemployment Benefit, Form 40).
UB40 were influenced by the many Blues Parties they attended as teenagers in the multiracial Balsall Heath area of Birmingham, their love of ska and reggae inspired such original tracks as King, Madam Medusa, Food for Thought, Signing Off and One in Ten.
Their early music style was unique, with a heavy influence of analogue synthesizers, psychedelic rock guitar, saxophone and dub producer techniques which were later perfected by the late Pablo Falconer.
Ali and Robin Campbell have a musical heritage, being sons of Ian Campbell, a folk musician.
The band purchased its first instruments with compensation money Ali Campbell received after a bar fight. They have had a number of hits, most commercially and to amusement of the band, "Red Red Wine", a cover version of a Neil Diamond song (in an arrangement similar to that of Tony Tribe's version). Their most successful single release is the cover of the Elvis Presley ballad Can't Help Falling In Love which was intended to be the main title to the 1992 Sharon Stone movie Sliver and was a Number One hit across Europe and in the U.S.
Many of UB40's recordings were inspired by 1960s ska and early lovers rock songs that would have otherwise been forgotten in the public eye. Their new injection of life into so many old Jamaican hits has resulted in many musicians' and producers' renewed popularity and income.
UB40's early music often tackled social issues such as racism and unemployment.
Other artists that UB40 have collaborated with include: Pato Banton, Madness, Bitty McLean, Chrissie Hynde, Robert Palmer, Hunterz, Japanese artist Mikidozan, French artist Nuttea, Lady Saw and Afrika Bambaataa.
The Day I Broke the Law
UB40 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tomorrow I´ll be coming home
I hope to find you all alone
With open arms to greet me at the door.
You cried as I was led away
It seems like only yesterday
But after all these years I can´t be sure
While I´ve been dreaming dreams of you
Not knowing what your going through
I prayed that you´d remember me
But I know life goes on you see
I broke your heart the day I broke the law
The man you know don´t hurt no more Verse 2
My tears were shed behind locked door
I´ve told myself your gone ten thousand times.
Still when it got to much too bear
I´d run my fingers through your hair
Your kissing lips were always on my mind.
(Repeat Chorus)
So yesterday they set me free Verse 3
They gave me back my liberty
They gave me something else I can´t ignore,
The chance to go back where I´m from
The chance to even call upon
My friends but they don´t live here anymore...
(Repeat Chorus)
UB40’s song "The Day I Broke the Law" is emotional and heart-wrenching. It tells the story of a man who has been released from prison after serving time for breaking the law. He's longing to go home, where he hopes to find his lover waiting for him with open arms, despite the fact that he broke her heart the day he broke the law. The man has been dreaming of his lover while he was in prison, not knowing how she was doing or what she was going through. He hoped that she’d remember him and still love him when he was released, but he knows that life goes on despite his absence.
The lyrics paint a picture of a broken man who is remorseful for his actions, admitting the pain he has caused his lover. His tears are shed behind a locked door, and he's told himself she’s gone countless times. However, he confesses that her kissable lips were always on his mind, and it got too much to bear. In the end, when he was released, they gave back his freedom, but not everything could be restored. His friends had all gone, and he feels like a stranger in his old hometown.
"The Day I Broke the Law" is a powerful song that captures the struggle of repentance, forgiveness, and moving on from past mistakes. It reminds the listener that the freedom to pursue justice is not limitless, and sometimes requires sacrifice, but sometimes that sacrifice can cause unintended consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Tomorrow I´ll be coming home
I will be returning home tomorrow
I hope to find you all alone
I am expecting to see you alone
With open arms to greet me at the door.
I want you to welcome me with open arms
You cried as I was led away
When I was taken away, you cried
It seems like only yesterday
It feels like it was just yesterday
But after all these years I can´t be sure
However, I am not certain if it was really that long ago
While I´ve been dreaming dreams of you
As I kept dreaming about you
Not knowing what your going through
Without knowing what struggles you faced
I prayed that you´d remember me
I hoped you would remember me
But I know life goes on you see
I understand that life moves on
I broke your heart the day I broke the law
I am aware that I hurt you when I committed the crime
The man you know don´t hurt no more
I am not the same person anymore
My tears were shed behind locked door
I cried behind a locked door
I´ve told myself your gone ten thousand times.
I have tried to convince myself that you are gone countless times
Still when it got to much too bear
However, when the pain got too much to handle
I´d run my fingers through your hair
I remembered running my fingers through your hair
Your kissing lips were always on my mind.
I could not shake the memory of your lips
So yesterday they set me free
I was released from prison yesterday
They gave me back my liberty
I regained my freedom
They gave me something else I can´t ignore,
They offered me something that I cannot disregard
The chance to go back where I´m from
The opportunity to return to my hometown
The chance to even call upon
The chance to visit
My friends but they don´t live here anymore...
However, my friends no longer reside here
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIM BROWN, ALI CAMPBELL, ROBIN CAMPBELL, EARL FALCONER, NORMAN HASSAN, BRIAN TRAVERS, MICHAEL VIRTUE, TERRENCE OSWALD WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DAMMIAN32
Great song!!!