MacLean began his career playing with the Tannahill Weavers in 1976. In the early '80s, he was briefly part of Silly Wizard. His solo career started in 1981. His first release was in 1983 with the album "Craigie Dhu", although he had already recorded other albums, such as "Snaigow" and "Fiddle", which were not released till much later. Perhaps his best-known track is "Caledonia", used for a Scottish Tourist Board advert, and very evocative of Scotland. Also well-known is "The Gael", from his 1990 album The Search, which was adapted by Trevor Jones as the main theme to the 1992 film Last of the Mohicans. MacLean's lyrics are fervently pro-Scottish; a recurring theme is the Highland Clearances. He also campaigns for the Aborigines and the native Americans.
MacLean lives in Dunkeld in Perthshire. The popular music bar in The Taybank Hotel, which displays MacLean ephemera and is a popular venue for folk music enthusiasts.
In 2011, MacLean was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
More info: www.dougiemaclean.com
Into the Flames
Dougie MacLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To lead us through this bloody fight
To search for all the golden bell
To ring through all his citadel
The broken promises
The truth they hide
The lies they feed to us
As into the flames we slide
The chosen one the wisest man
He'll help us any way he can
A clever word to calm our fear
He's laughing when we cannot hear
The broken promises
The truth they hide
The lies they feed to us
That kill us from inside
As into the flames we slide
We shout it loud not in our name
Our hopes are not for you to shame
The blindness breaks our eternal ties
And fills despair in all our eyes
The broken promises
The truth they hide
The lies they feed to us
That kill us from inside
As into the flames we slide
The lyrics of Dougie MacLean’s song, “Into The Flames” present a narrative of betrayal and deception while also expressing a warning of a dangerous slide into the abyss. The introductory lyrics of the song depict a royal king and shining knight leading a fight in search of the golden bell. However, as the song progresses, the lyrics reveal the broken promises, hidden truths, and lies fed to the people that endanger their lives from the inside. As they continue to slide into the flames, the chosen one, the wisest man is presented as a buffer, with a clever word to calm the people's fears, laughing when they cannot hear. The last verse is a call to stand up against those who threaten to bring destruction where hope should be. The lyrics in the final verse of the song cry out, “We shout it loud not in our name, our hopes are not for you to shame, the blindness breaks our eternal ties, and fills despair in all our eyes.” This call to action is a warning that leaving things unresolved could lead us to dangerous outcomes, as we slide into the flames.
Line by Line Meaning
A royal king a shining knight
We look to someone of royalty and chivalry to lead us in battle.
To lead us through this bloody fight
We need a strong leader to guide us in this brutal fight.
To search for all the golden bell
We seek something valuable and meaningful in order to bring us success.
To ring through all his citadel
We want our success to be celebrated and recognized throughout our entire empire/faction.
The broken promises
We have been let down by unfulfilled commitments from those we trusted.
The truth they hide
Those in power hide the truth to maintain their control over us.
The lies they feed to us
Those in power feed us false information to manipulate and misguide us.
That kill us from inside
Their deceit is causing us harm that is not easily visible.
As into the flames we slide
We are becoming consumed by the destructive force of our struggles.
The chosen one the wisest man
We are relying on someone who is highly skilled and knowledgeable to assist us.
He'll help us any way he can
This individual will do whatever it takes to support us in our goals.
A clever word to calm our fear
This person uses his words to alleviate our worries and give us courage.
He's laughing when we cannot hear
This person maintains his positive spirit even when we are not around.
We shout it loud not in our name
We passionately declare our position, not as individuals, but as a collective group.
Our hopes are not for you to shame
We refuse to let others bear responsibility for our disappointment and despair.
The blindness breaks our eternal ties
Ignorance and misunderstanding is severing our once unbreakable bonds.
And fills despair in all our eyes
Our hopelessness is a burden shared by everyone, no one is untouched.
Contributed by Daniel Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.