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.
Sawney Beane Clan
The Real McKenzies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come bide a while, my frein
I'll tell ye o the dangers there –
Beware o Sawney Bean.
There's nae body kens that he bides there
For his face is seldom seen
But tae meet his eye is tae meet your fate
For Sawney he has taen a wife
And he's hungry bairns tae wean
And he's raised them up on the flesh o men
In the cave of Sawney Bean.
And Sawney has been well endowed
Wi daughters young and lean
And they a hae taen their faither's seed
In the cave o Sawney Bean.
An Sawney's sons are young an strong
And their blades are sharp and keen
Tae spill the blood o travellers
Wha meet wi Sawney Bean.
So if you ride frae there tae here
Be ye wary in between
Lest they catch your horse and spill your blood
In the cave o Sawney Bean
They'll hing ye ap an cut yer throat
An they'll pick yer carcass clean
An they'll yase yer banes tae quiet the weans
In the cave o Sawney Bean.
But fear ye not, oor Captain rides
On an errand o the Queen
And he carries the writ of fire and sword
For the head o Sawney Bean.
They've hung them high in Edinburgh toon
An likewise a their kin
An the wind blaws cauld on a their banes
An tae hell they a hae gaen.
The Real McKenzies's song Sawney Beane Clan is a haunting, eerie ballad that tells the story of Sawney Beane, a legendary figure in Scottish folklore. The song warns travelers not to journey through Galloway, where Sawney and his clan reside. The lyrics paint a picture of a dark, sinister group of people who prey on unsuspecting travelers- Sawney's wife and children are fed on the flesh of their victims, while his daughters bear his children and his sons carry out his violent deeds. The chorus is a warning to travelers to be careful, lest they meet their fate at the hands of the violent Sawney Beane Clan.
The lyrics are written in an archaic style that adds to the eerie nature of the song. It harks back to the ballad tradition, where storytellers would recount tales of murders, robberies and other crimes. The lyrics are deliberately crafted to be chilling, with the repetitive use of "the cave of Sawney Bean" emphasizing the danger of the clan's hideout. The song succeeds in creating a sense of unease and dread, not unlike Stephen King's 'Children of the Corn.'
Line by Line Meaning
Go ye not by Gallowa
Do not travel through Galloway
Come bide a while, my frein
Stay with me for some time, my friend
I'll tell ye o the dangers there –
I will warn you about the dangers there
Beware o Sawney Bean.
Be cautious of Sawney Bean
There's nae body kens that he bides there
No one knows where he lives
For his face is seldom seen
He rarely shows his face
But tae meet his eye is tae meet your fate
If you see him, that's your doom
At the hands o Sawney Bean.
He will kill you or harm you
For Sawney he has taen a wife
Sawney has taken a wife
And he's hungry bairns tae wean
He has hungry children to feed
And he's raised them up on the flesh o men
He has raised them on the flesh of men
In the cave of Sawney Bean.
They live in the cave of Sawney Bean
And Sawney has been well endowed
Sawney has many daughters
Wi daughters young and lean
His daughters are young and thin
And they a hae taen their faither's seed
They have had children with their father
In the cave o Sawney Bean.
They all live together in the cave
An Sawney's sons are young an strong
Sawney's sons are young and strong
And their blades are sharp and keen
Their swords are sharp
Tae spill the blood o travellers
They kill travelers
Wha meet wi Sawney Bean.
Those who meet Sawney Bean
So if you ride frae there tae here
If you travel from here to there
Be ye wary in between
Be careful in between
Lest they catch your horse and spill your blood
They may capture your horse and kill you
In the cave o Sawney Bean
In the cave of Sawney Bean
They'll hing ye ap an cut yer throat
They will hang you up and cut your throat
An they'll pick yer carcass clean
They will take everything from you
An they'll yase yer banes tae quiet the weans
They will use your bones to quiet their children
In the cave o Sawney Bean.
In the cave of Sawney Bean
But fear ye not, oor Captain rides
But don't be afraid, our Captain is riding
On an errand o the Queen
He is on a mission for the Queen
And he carries the writ of fire and sword
He has the power to use force and weapons
For the head o Sawney Bean.
To take down Sawney Bean
They've hung them high in Edinburgh toon
They have hanged them in Edinburgh town
An likewise a their kin
And all their relatives as well
An the wind blaws cauld on a their banes
The wind blows cold on their bones
An tae hell they a hae gaen.
They have gone to hell.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
no more muslim terrorists
Excellent!!
Valiant Wrestling
Good of you to put in the lyrics, but it's Dalbeattie, not Derby Dee.
tommy foy
if you like this song check out the book madhouse, its a supernatural actions story with a superstrong sawney beane come back from the dead in new york as the bad guy. It was weird i heard this song for the first time the day I bought the book, before that i'd never heard of sawney.
Kurt Owens
The tune is Jesse James, ha ha.