A popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group that saw their beginni… Read Full Bio ↴A popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group that saw their beginning in the 1960s, The Irish Rovers are particularly well-known for their hit recording of Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn," although a great many more of their characteristically happy and oft-comical songs remain well-known to this day. In 2010, the band celebrated 45 years as recording artists, with their latest CD, "Gracehill Fair" and filming the DVD/television special "Home in Ireland", shot entirely on-location, throughout the northwest coast of Ireland. George Millar says, “It’s basically The Irish Rovers ‘Coming Home’ because this is our home, for all of us. We want to show the world what the northwest Irish coast is like. I’ve traveled the world now for over 40 years and there’s nothing like it.”

In 1968, the predecessor of the Juno’s named The Irish Rovers Canada’s, “Folk Group of the Year”, and the following year, they received a Grammy nomination for “Folk Performance of the Year”.

As hosts of three national television series in Canada and Ireland, through the 1970's and 80s, The Irish Rovers increased the popularity of Irish music by way of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Canada's Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, personally asked the band if they could “please become Canadian” so that they could officially represent Canada throughout the world. Since then, they have represented Canada at no less than five world Expos, and in recognition for a quarter century of contributions to the International music world, The Irish Rovers won the Performing Rights Organization's (PROCAN) 'Harold Moon Award'.

Although all members of the band hail from Ireland, a number of their biggest hits were often "non-Irish". Their own rousing, traditional Irish compositions, however, do comprise the bulk of their music.

By the 90’s, their songwriting was even more prolific than their early years, and production of albums wasn’t about to slow down. Since they desired the freedom that as a younger band, they could not afford, in ’93 The Irish Rovers established their own record company, Rover Records. Their songs tell the story of the Irish, whether it’s a lost love, a sailor on leave, or the simple good taste of a Guinness. Rover Records has put out their last eleven albums, including Celtic Collection, Come Fill Up Your Glasses, Down by the Lagan Side, Another Round, Still Rovin', a Christmas album, and their greatest hits, 40 Years A-Rovin'.

Founding member George Millar is from Ballymena, original member Wilcil McDowell is from Larne, John Reynolds from Belfast, Sean O'Driscoll from Cork, Ian Millar from Ballymena, and percussionist Fred Graham is also from Belfast.

Former members include founding member Jimmy Ferguson who passed away in 1997 and Joe Millar.

I'll Never Go Back on Loch Ness
The Irish Rovers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In a neat little pub near the banks of Loch Ness
Is where I met Hamish McGlinn
We started to chat about this and 'bout that
And I knew he was reeling me in
Said he if you buy me a glass of the best
I'll tell you a secret I've kept
'Tis a terrible story both gruesome and gory
And one that I'd sooner forget

So I bought him a dram and he swallowed it down
Saying I'm honest as the next man can be
It's the truth I swear by not a word of a lie
And here's what he said to me

I'll never go back on Loch Ness
I'll never go back on Loch Ness
You can think what you like but I don't give a shite
For I'll never go back on Loch Ness

I was fishing one night by the light of the moon
Just me and my little row boat
The water was calm and you couldn't go wrong
And I had a wee flask in me coat
A salmon or trout would be lovely for tea
And would look very nice in the pan
I felt rather smug with a smile on me mug
Saying boy that's a wonderful plan

I'll never go back on Loch Ness
I'll never go back on Loch Ness
You can think what you like but I don't give a shite
For I'll never go back on Loch Ness

I took a wee sip just to ward off the cold
For the weather had taken a turn
Then lightning did flash and I heard a big splash
And the water around me did churn
When up from the deep came a creature from hell
'Twas a terrible sight to take in
The old tales were right and I got such a fright
That I nearly jumped out of me skin

I'll never go back on Loch Ness
I'll never go back on Loch Ness
You can think what you like but I don't give a shite
For I'll never go back on Loch Ness

It was sixty feet long from its head to its tail
And its mouthful of teeth smiled with glee
I knew the great beast was ready to feast
On a poor fisherman such as me
I jumped to the oars like a Viking gone mad
And I made that row boat fairly fly
But as fast as I raced it easily kept pace
Glaring down with two big hungry eyes

I'll never go back on Loch Ness
I'll never go back on Loch Ness
You can think what you like but I don't give a shite
For I'll never go back on Loch Ness

With a flip of its tail it capsized the boat
And I was flung into the drink
I sputtered and coughed and drank half the loch
And me life passed me by in a wink
So it must have been luck or divine intervention
That saved me from such an ordeal
Now I'll need some more drink for it's painful to think
That I nearly was Nessie's next meal

I'll never go back on Loch Ness
I'll never go back on Loch Ness

You can think what you like but I don't give a shite
For I'll never go back on Loch Ness

Overall Meaning

The Irish Rovers’ song “I’ll Never Go Back on Loch Ness” tells a story about a fisherman named Hamish McGlinn who has a terrifying encounter with the Loch Ness Monster. The song describes how Hamish was sitting in a pub near the banks of Loch Ness when he shared his frightening story with the singer. Hamish narrated how he was fishing one night by the light of the moon in a little rowboat with his flask when he saw the Loch Ness Monster rise from the deep. The creature capsized the boat and Hamish almost died. He was saved by luck or divine intervention. Given his experience, Hamish declared that he would never go back to Loch Ness again.

The song expresses Hamish's fear and the impression left on him by the experience. He's a small fisherman fighting for his life against a huge and powerful monster. The lyrics evoke a sense of danger and the unknown. Though Hamish survived, he is changed, and he will never be the same again. The song speaks to themes like the unknown, danger, loss, and potentially trauma.

Line by Line Meaning

In a neat little pub near the banks of Loch Ness
The story begins in a small pub located near Loch Ness.

Is where I met Hamish McGlinn
The singer met a man named Hamish McGlinn in the pub.

We started to chat about this and 'bout that
The singer and Hamish began to talk about various subjects.

And I knew he was reeling me in
The artist had a feeling that Hamish was leading him on to get something out of him.

Said he if you buy me a glass of the best
Hamish told the artist that if he buys him a drink, he'll share a secret.

I'll tell you a secret I've kept
Hamish was about to reveal a secret he had been keeping.

'Tis a terrible story both gruesome and gory
Hamish warns the singer that the secret is quite gruesome.

And one that I'd sooner forget
Hamish regrets the event that he is about to share and would rather forget about it.

So I bought him a dram and he swallowed it down
The artist bought Hamish a drink and he quickly drank it.

Saying I'm honest as the next man can be
Hamish assures the artist that he is telling the truth.

It's the truth I swear by not a word of a lie
Hamish swears to the truth of his story.

And here's what he said to me
Hamish begins to share his story with the artist.

I'll never go back on Loch Ness
Hamish is traumatized by a terrifying experience on Loch Ness and vows never to return.

You can think what you like but I don't give a shite
Hamish doesn't care what people think of him or his story, he just wants to avoid returning to Loch Ness.

I was fishing one night by the light of the moon
Hamish was fishing on Loch Ness at night when this event occurred.

Just me and my little row boat
Hamish was alone in his small row boat.

The water was calm and you couldn't go wrong
The water on Loch Ness was initially calm, making the situation seem safe.

And I had a wee flask in me coat
Hamish had a small flask of alcohol in his coat pocket.

A salmon or trout would be lovely for tea
Hamish was hoping to catch a fish for his dinner.

And would look very nice in the pan
Hamish was looking forward to cooking the fish he was hoping to catch.

I felt rather smug with a smile on me mug
Hamish was feeling quite pleased with himself for his plan to catch some fish.

Saying boy that's a wonderful plan
Hamish was admiring his plan to catch a fish for his dinner.

I took a wee sip just to ward off the cold
Hamish took a small sip of his alcoholic drink to warm himself up.

For the weather had taken a turn
The weather had changed and it was now colder than before.

Then lightning did flash and I heard a big splash
Hamish heard a loud splash of water and lightning flashed in the sky.

And the water around me did churn
The water around Hamish began to become agitated.

When up from the deep came a creature from hell
A terrifying creature emerged from the depths of Loch Ness.

'Twas a terrible sight to take in
The sight of the creature was something that Hamish found terrifying.

The old tales were right and I got such a fright
Hamish realized that the old tales of Loch Ness were true and became incredibly frightened.

That I nearly jumped out of me skin
Hamish was so scared that he felt as if he could have jumped out of his own skin.

It was sixty feet long from its head to its tail
The creature that emerged from the water was extremely long, measuring sixty feet from head to tail.

And its mouthful of teeth smiled with glee
The creature's teeth were visible and it appeared to be happy or pleased about Hamish's presence.

I knew the great beast was ready to feast
Hamish was certain that the creature was preparing to attack and eat him.

On a poor fisherman such as me
The creature saw Hamish as an easy target for its next meal.

I jumped to the oars like a Viking gone mad
In an effort to get away from the creature, Hamish quickly jumped to his oars and rowed as quickly as possible.

And I made that row boat fairly fly
Hamish was rowing the boat as quickly as it could go.

But as fast as I raced it easily kept pace
Despite his best efforts, the creature was able to keep up with Hamish's row boat.

Glaring down with two big hungry eyes
The creature continued to follow Hamish's boat, watching him with a look of hunger in its eyes.

With a flip of its tail it capsized the boat
The creature eventually caused the boat to tip over by flipping its tail at the boat.

And I was flung into the drink
Hamish was thrown into the water after the boat was flipped over.

I sputtered and coughed and drank half the loch
Hamish struggled to breathe and drank a lot of water while submerged in the lake.

And me life passed me by in a wink
Hamish thought he was going to die and his life seemed to pass by very quickly.

So it must have been luck or divine intervention
Hamish believes that he was lucky to survive the terrifying experience and may have been saved by divine intervention.

That saved me from such an ordeal
Something saved Hamish from being killed by the Loch Ness creature.

Now I'll need some more drink for it's painful to think
Hamish needs more alcohol to cope with the traumatic memory of the event.

That I nearly was Nessie's next meal
Hamish came extremely close to being eaten by the Loch Ness creature and is lucky to have survived.

Lyrics © ANTRIM MUSIC PUBLISHING, LTD., O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: George Millar

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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