UB40

Released: May 29, 1981

Songwriter: UB40

Producer: UB40 Bob Lamb Ray “Pablo” Falconer

You might believe, and still you feel
The chase has just begun;
That you must reach that horizon before
The setting of the sun
You chase the light in front of you
Nightfall close behind;
If you stop to catch your breath
You know what you will find

(chorus)
Don't slow down don't touch the ground
You know what you will find;

That old grey man in tattered clothes
Following behind

No time to stop, don't go to sleep
Prepare to pay the cost
The hours and minutes are passing by
Another day is lost
Impatience is a virtue
Catch me if you can
The seconds have been ticking by
Since your life began

UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart. They have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album four times, and in 1984 were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group. UB40 have sold over 70 million records. The ethnic make-up of the band’s original line-up was diverse, with musicians of English, Irish, Jamaican, Scottish and Yemeni parentage.

Their hit singles include their debut “Food for Thought”, “Red Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. Both of these also topped the UK Singles Chart, as did the band’s version of “I Got You Babe”. Their two most successful albums, Labour of Love (1983) and Promises and Lies (1993), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.

On January 24, 2008, it was announced that Ali Campbell would be leaving the group after 30 years. It was reported by some Birmingham newspapers on 13 March 2008, that Maxi Priest would be the new lead singer of UB40 and had recorded a cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” with the band.

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Present Arms