1. Alan Doyle CM ON… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists with the name Alan Doyle:
1. Alan Doyle CM ONL (born May 17, 1969) is a Canadian musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea.
Alan Doyle was born and raised in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, in a Roman Catholic family. He attended Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. It is also there that he met Séan McCann, Bob Hallett and Darrell Power with whom he formed Great Big Sea. He primarily plays electric and acoustic guitars, and the bouzouki for live performances, but he has been known to play mandolin and banjo.
Before Great Big Sea, Doyle played in a duo with John Brenton called Staggering Home. As a teen he played in his uncle's band, the New Sandells.
In 2012, Doyle released his first solo album, Boy on Bridge. The title is a nod to Doyle's credit as the "boy on bridge" in the movie A Whale for the Killing, when he was a young boy. The first single from the album was "I've Seen a Little" and the album features collaborations with Canadian musicians Hawksley Workman, Jim Cuddy, Ron Hynes, and actor-musician Russell Crowe, among others. The video for the second single, "Testify", was nominated for a 2012 Juno. The creation of the album was captured by a film crew, resulting in a documentary also named Boy on Bridge directed by Joel Stewart and John Vatcher.
Doyle's second solo album, entitled So Let's Go, was released January 20, 2015.
Doyle's third solo album A Week at the Warehouse, was released on October 13, 2017. His second book titled A Newfoundlander in Canada: Always Going Somewhere, Always Coming Home, was released on October 17, 2017.
On June 14, 2022 he will begin starring in a musical comedy called "Tell Tale Harbour" at the 2022 Charlottetown Festival. The story is based on the screenplay "La grande séduction" by Ken Scott that was made into the 2003 award winning film "Seducing Doctor Lewis". Doyle was co-writer of the production as well as co-writer of music and lyrics with Bob Foster. Also credited as one of the authors for a book of the musical with award-winning writer Edward Riche.
2. Alan Doyle is an Irish singer-songwriter. He recently released the EP “his words left fatal wounds – demos”, a work in progress of his second LP and his first important release in Ireland. Alan was previously based in Spain for six years where he formed part of Madrid's emerging independent music scene and where he launched his debut LP “Places”. All of the music which Alan has released to date has been completely written, performed and produced by Alan himself.
1 2 3 4
Alan Doyle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The singer's getting sore
We raised the roof
Now we're lowering the floor
The band is blistered but we've got a little bit more
When I say one, two you say three, four
One, two, three, four
Altogether gone
It's now or never if you want another song
On and on goes the ringing of the bell
Off we go, this song won't sing itself
So soldiers at my side
It's you and me tonight
Whiskey, whiskey
The singer's getting sore
We raised the roof
Now we're lowering the floor
The band is blistered but we've got a little bit more
When I say one, two you say three, four
One, two, three, four
Mister moonlight
You gotta let 'em play
If the devils wanna dance
Then the piper wants his pay
Hide me in a hiding place
Where good sense never goes
Take me to the fountain
Where the firewater flows
Find our alibis and lies
And lose ourselves tonight
Whiskey, whiskey
The singer's getting sore
We raised the roof
Now we're lowering the floor
The band is blistered but we've got a little bit more
When I say one, two you say three, four
One, two, three, four
Trying to get the whole room on the dance floor
Is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole
I'm not saying it ain't something that we shouldn't try to do
Don't do it for me though, do it for you
You've been minding your manners and behaving yourself
But there's still a lot of bottles left upon the shelf
So wet my little whistle now and give a dog a bone
I can take it up a notch, can't do it alone
So soldiers at my side
It's you and me tonight
Whiskey, whiskey
The singer's getting sore
We raised the roof
Now we're lowering the floor
The band is blistered but we've got a little bit more
When I say one, two you say three, four
One, two, three, four
The lyrics of Alan Doyle's "1234" describe the atmosphere of a lively, whiskey-soaked party, where the singer and his band are performing to a crowd that's gone "altogether gone." The singer is getting sore from all the singing, but the party-goers want more, so he leads them in a chant of "one, two, three, four." The song then takes a turn toward a sort of recklessness, with advice to "hide me in a hiding place where good sense never goes" and a reference to "alibis and lies" and "losing ourselves tonight." The chorus repeats once more, emphasizing the party's intensity, before ending with a rallying cry to "wet my little whistle now and give a dog a bone" and urging the soldiers at his side to join him.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of a wild, carefree party where anything goes, and the singer and his band are intent on keeping the energy high. It's a song about letting loose and escaping from reality while surrounded by friends, with a strong emphasis on the communal nature of the party.
Line by Line Meaning
Whiskey, whiskey
The singer's been drinking and is getting tired.
The singer's getting sore
His voice is getting hoarse from singing too much.
We raised the roof
We got everyone excited and energized.
Now we're lowering the floor
We're bringing the energy down to a calmer level.
The band is blistered but we've got a little bit more
The band is tired, but they're not done yet.
When I say one, two you say three, four
Let's count together and get ready for the next song.
Altogether
Everyone in the room is involved in the music.
Altogether gone
The feeling of togetherness is disappearing.
It's now or never if you want another song
This is the moment to ask for an encore.
On and on goes the ringing of the bell
The party is still going strong.
Off we go, this song won't sing itself
We need to keep the momentum going.
So soldiers at my side
Let's keep the party going together.
It's you and me tonight
We're in this together, supporting each other.
Mister moonlight
The moon is shining down on us.
You gotta let 'em play
We need to keep the music going.
If the devils wanna dance
Even if people are misbehaving, let them enjoy themselves.
Then the piper wants his pay
The musician wants to be compensated for his work.
Hide me in a hiding place
Let's escape for a moment and get lost in the music.
Where good sense never goes
Let's forget our worries and just enjoy the moment.
Take me to the fountain
Let's have some more drinks and keep the party going.
Where the firewater flows
Where the alcohol is abundant.
Find our alibis and lies
Let's make up stories and have some fun.
And lose ourselves tonight
Let's forget our problems and just enjoy being in the moment.
Trying to get the whole room on the dance floor
It's difficult to get everyone to dance at once.
Is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole
The task is almost impossible.
I'm not saying it ain't something that we shouldn't try to do
We should still try to get everyone to dance.
Don't do it for me though, do it for you
Let's dance for our own enjoyment, not just to impress others.
You've been minding your manners and behaving yourself
Everyone has been well-behaved so far.
But there's still a lot of bottles left upon the shelf
Let's keep drinking and having fun.
So wet my little whistle now and give a dog a bone
Let's have another drink and keep the party going.
I can take it up a notch, can't do it alone
I can increase the energy of the party, but I need everyone's help.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Alan Thomas Doyle, Lloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind