Solomon Browne

Album: Poor Man's Heaven (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about the 1981 Penlee lifeboat disaster in which 16 people lost their lives while attempting a sea rescue in hurricane-force conditions off the south Cornish coast. Amongst those who died was the father of a couple of Lakeman's friends while his own father Geoff, a Daily Mirror reporter, covered the story. Seth Lakeman, who was 6 when the tragedy happened, told the Daily Telegraph July 3, 2008 about it: "I remember it very well. The whole of the West Country was in shock. It's not something you forget. And, when I was 19, my best friend and his mate died surfing at Polzeath. There was no lifeboat there. I was in a band - Equation - and we did a couple of concerts to raise money to help build a lifeboat station there. Those lifeboat guys… they're heroes. I just wanted to honor them."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.