Lead singer Paul McKenzie leads a high-energy act which does extensive concert tours, including an eight-month, twenty-three-country tour in a van. On these tours they have shared the stage with Shane MacGowan, Rancid, NOFX, Flogging Molly, The Misfits, and even Metallica.
In addition to their original music, the McKenzies also resurrect old Scottish and Irish favorites, giving them a modern arrangement. Their songs have been used in beer commercials and featured in video games
* Paul McKenzie — vocals
* Dirty Kurt Robertson — guitar, vocals
* Matthew MacNasty — bagpipes real name: Matthew James Hawley
* "Little" Joe Raposo (RKL) — bass guitar
* Sean Sellers (Good Riddance) — war drums
* Mark "Bone" Boland — guitar, vocals
* Dave Gregg (D.O.A) - Guitar
* Gwomper ( Avail, Smoke or Fire.) -Bass, Vocals.
* Gord Taylor ( The Stirling Pipe Band ) --Bagpipes.
* Karl Alvarez ( All, The Descendants.) --Bass.
My Head Is Filled With Music
The Real McKenzies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I braved the Norman Shore
Mortal shells, machine guns
D-Day 1944
Back in forth I piped away
Many soldiers fell that day
Battle raging all around
Lord Lovat, my commander, who him-
Self had stormed the beach
In the greatest sea invasion
In all of history!
He ordered me, Bill Millin,
"Play your pipes and take the lead!"
Battle fire all around and I barely heard a sound
CHORUS
Cause my head is filled with music!
In my heart there's always a song!
Yes my head is filled with music!
When I lead those soldiers on!
Piping through the gore and muck the
Germans thought me mad.
Screelin' 'Highland Laddie' raising
Courage in the lads!
We took the beach in a dreadful fight!
Kept in fire all through the night!
We finally took the town!
And I barely heard a sound!
CHORUS
Cause my head is filled with music!
In my heart there's always a song!
Yes my head is filled with music!
When I lead those soldiers on!
The Real McKenzies’ song “My Head Is Filled With Music” is a tribute to a Scottish soldier named Bill Millin who became famous for playing the bagpipes on the Normandy Beach on D-Day, 1944. The song narrates how Bill, despite the chaos and violence around him, continued to play his music and lead the soldiers with courage and enthusiasm.
The first verse introduces Bill, who “braved the Norman Shore” amid the “mortal shells” and “machine guns” of the D-Day invasion. Despite the battle raging on, Bill continued to play his bagpipes, as mentioned in the second verse, where he is depicted “piping through the gore and muck.” The Germans initially thought he was mad and despite being surrounded by the war and noise, Bill managed to lead the soldiers with his music.
The chorus of the song emphasizes Bill’s passion for music, his courage being driven by the melody he heard in his head. Despite the war and the danger around him, Bill’s heart was always in a song. The song also pays tribute to Lord Lovat, Bill’s commander, who ordered him to take the lead with his music. The final verse finds the soldiers triumphing over the Germans, with Bill leading them through the town.
Line by Line Meaning
My name is Billy Millin
I am Billy Millin and this is my story
I braved the Norman Shore
I fought on the Normandy beach in France during World War II
Mortal shells, machine guns
There were explosions and gunfire all around
D-Day 1944
It was June 6, 1944, when the Allied forces invaded Normandy
Back in forth I piped away
I played the bagpipes back and forth on the beach
Many soldiers fell that day
Many soldiers died in the battle
Battle raging all around
There was fighting everywhere
And the allies held their ground!
The Allied forces were able to hold their position
Lord Lovat, my commander, who him-
My commander was Lord Lovat
Self had stormed the beach
He had also fought on the Normandy beach
In the greatest sea invasion
This was the largest naval invasion in history
In all of history!
No other invasion had been as big as this one
He ordered me, Bill Millin,
Lord Lovat ordered me to play my bagpipes
"Play your pipes and take the lead!"
He told me to lead the soldiers with my bagpipes
Battle fire all around and I barely heard a sound
Despite the noise of battle, I focused on playing my bagpipes
CHORUS
This is the chorus of the song
Cause my head is filled with music!
I was so focused on playing my bagpipes that everything else faded away
In my heart there's always a song!
Playing the bagpipes brings me joy and peace
Yes my head is filled with music!
I was so focused on playing my bagpipes that nothing else mattered
When I lead those soldiers on!
Playing my bagpipes gave the soldiers courage and strength
Piping through the gore and muck the
I played my bagpipes in the midst of the bloody battle
Germans thought me mad.
The enemy thought I was crazy for playing music in the middle of a battle
Screelin' 'Highland Laddie' raising
I played the song 'Highland Laddie' to lift the spirits of the soldiers
Courage in the lads!
My bagpipe playing gave the soldiers courage and strength
We took the beach in a dreadful fight!
After a hard battle, we were able to take control of the beach
Kept in fire all through the night!
There was still fighting throughout the night
We finally took the town!
Eventually, we were able to capture the town
And I barely heard a sound!
Despite the noise of battle, I continued to play my bagpipes
CHORUS
This is the chorus of the song
Cause my head is filled with music!
Playing my bagpipes was my focus and priority
In my heart there's always a song!
Playing the bagpipes brings me joy and peace
Yes my head is filled with music!
Playing my bagpipes was a way to cope with the stress and danger of war
When I lead those soldiers on!
Playing my bagpipes gave the soldiers courage and strength
Contributed by Wyatt Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.