RED
TEN Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The mist rolling in from the lochs to the Spey
Will rise from the valleys as the dawn comes again
We stand here together and prepare for the fray
When today could leave our history in flames

I look on the faces that oppression has greyed
The scars deep within that mark a lifetime in chains
The stark legacies of a nation have changed
As the history book begins another page

The strong urge to fight that was never overcome
The spirit burning bright that we shielded from the huns
The lost mother tongue never spoken in the light
Will echo in their ears tonight

For now the last cry of battle has returned to the glens
The clan fires are burning in the highlands again
We'll fight 'til the flag of freedom files overhead
Till the evil-hearted tyranny is dead
And the colour of the battlefield is red

From east where the mountains meet the sea to the west
We are legion united by the cause from the rest
They won't us wanting when our steel's to the test
I know every man and will give his best

We stare with defiance and our eyes are ablaze
We will kill every man who tries to stand in our way
We'll cut out their hearts and send them back where they came
For our claymores will send them to the grave

They can't turn the tide, now the battle has begun
The devil take the man, when his soul is on the run
The land will return to her long forgotten sons
To cherish in our hearts tonight

For now the last cry of battle has returned to the glens
The clan fires are burning in the highlands again
It's time for the million cast aside to be free
For we'll drive oppression back into the sea
We'll die for the children and the wives we defend
The lives and the memories of the proud-hearted man
We'll fight 'til the flag of freedom files overhead




Till the evil-hearted tyranny is dead
And the colour of the battlefield is red

Overall Meaning

In this song, TEN recounts the Scottish insurrection against the English in the 18th century. The first verse describes the beautiful natural setting of the battle, mist rolling in from the lochs to the Spey, and also sets the tone for the impending conflict – today could leave their history in flames. The second verse reflects on the scars of the past and the oppression felt by the people of Scotland. The lyrics suggest that the power structures of Scotland have changed as the book of history turns another page, but there is still unfinished business. The oppressors may have changed, but the desire for liberty and freedom remains strong.


The chorus declares war against tyranny and speaks of the rebellion in blood-soaked terms, referring to the red hue of the battlefield. The third verse provides a geographical overview of the scale of the conflict, with the rebellion uniting the clans across the country. The lyrics are impassioned, describing a unified drive to fight for Scottish independence against their enemy, English imperialism. The fourth verse speaks to the bravery of the Scots, as they stand their ground against the English. The lyrics portray a fierce tenacity, pledging to cut out the hearts of the enemy.


Overall, TEN's song Red paints a picture of Scotland's past struggles in the face of English oppression, and suggests that the fight for independence still rages within the hearts of the Scottish people. The song celebrates the bravery of the Scots in the face of overwhelming odds and encourages the listener to resist tyranny and fight for what they believe in.


Line by Line Meaning

The mist rolling in from the lochs to the Spey
The mist coming from the lochs to the Spey is a sign of a new day approaching.


Will rise from the valleys as the dawn comes again
The arrival of dawn will bring forth a new day filled with new opportunities.


We stand here together and prepare for the fray
We stand together, ready to face whatever challenges come our way.


When today could leave our history in flames
Today could be the day that history is forever changed, for better or for worse.


I look on the faces that oppression has greyed
I see the toll that oppression has taken on the faces of those who have suffered under its weight.


The scars deep within that mark a lifetime in chains
The scars of oppression run deep, marking those who have suffered under it for a lifetime.


The stark legacies of a nation have changed
The legacies of a nation have evolved, from oppression to freedom.


As the history book begins another page
A new chapter in history is being written before our very eyes.


The strong urge to fight that was never overcome
The people have always had the desire to fight for their freedom, and that desire has never been overcome.


The spirit burning bright that we shielded from the huns
We have always protected our spirit, even when faced with adversity from others.


The lost mother tongue never spoken in the light
Our mother tongue, once lost, will forever echo in our hearts and minds.


Will echo in their ears tonight
The echoes of our lost mother tongue will be heard by all tonight.


For now the last cry of battle has returned to the glens
The last battle cry has returned to our homeland, signaling the beginning of a new fight.


The clan fires are burning in the highlands again
The fires of the clans are burning once more in the highlands, uniting us in a common cause.


We'll fight 'til the flag of freedom files overhead
We'll fight until the flag of freedom is flying high above us, signifying our victory.


Till the evil-hearted tyranny is dead
We won't stop fighting until the tyranny of our oppressors is gone for good.


And the colour of the battlefield is red
The battlefield will be stained with the blood of those who fought for their freedom.


From east where the mountains meet the sea to the west
From the east where the mountains meet the sea to the west, we are united in our cause.


We are legion united by the cause from the rest
We are a legion, united in our cause and standing apart from the rest.


They won't us wanting when our steel's to the test
We won't be found lacking when put to the test.


I know every man and will give his best
I know that every man will give his all in this fight.


We stare with defiance and our eyes are ablaze
We stare down our oppressors with defiance, our eyes burning with the flames of freedom.


We will kill every man who tries to stand in our way
We will fight ruthlessly against anyone who tries to stand in the way of our freedom.


We'll cut out their hearts and send them back where they came
We will show no mercy to our enemies, cutting out their hearts and sending them back to where they came from.


For our claymores will send them to the grave
Our weapons will be the death of our enemies, sending them to the grave.


They can't turn the tide, now the battle has begun
Our enemies won't be able to overcome us, now that the battle has begun.


The devil take the man, when his soul is on the run
Anyone who tries to run away from this fight should be condemned by the devil himself.


The land will return to her long forgotten sons
Our land will belong to us once again, the forgotten sons who fought for our freedom.


To cherish in our hearts tonight
Our victory will be something to cherish in our hearts forever.


It's time for the million cast aside to be free
It's time for those who have been cast aside to gain their freedom.


For we'll drive oppression back into the sea
We will stop at nothing to drive our oppressors back and bring an end to their tyranny.


We'll die for the children and the wives we defend
We will fight to the death to protect our families and loved ones from harm.


The lives and the memories of the proud-hearted man
Our memories and the lives of those who fought for freedom will always be remembered.


We'll fight 'til the flag of freedom files overhead
We are determined to fight until the flag of freedom is flying high in the air above us.


Till the evil-hearted tyranny is dead
Our fight will continue until the tyranny of our oppressors is gone for good.


And the colour of the battlefield is red
The colour of the battlefield will be red, the blood of those who fought for freedom.




Contributed by Olivia A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Reinaldo de abreu

Banda maravilhosa. Gary Hughes e' genio. Uma pena nao ser tao reconhecida no Brasil. A letra dessa musica e' fantastica.

Michael S

The whole album is phenomenal, so much variety scattered throughout. Damn, I love this band!

TriveMas

The Best song of this amazing band!!! Epic and passionate. Any note of the guitar is a masterpiece!!!! T

Cold Eye

One of their best albums....love it so much -

Keinshy K.

I love him!!!! His voice is really beautiful!

DethOfDrgnz

This is a brilliant song love the lyrics and very catchy melody! I can listen to this song all day.

David Chisesi

I love this song!

Илья Иванькин

TEN - Super Team - Best of the Best!!! Fantastic melodic music! It's just Universe!!!

Laura Useche

its an epic song¡¡¡ super cancion saben donde la puedo descargar?

Nicola Benincasa

great album

More Comments

More Versions