Formed by Leo Moran and Davy Carton, members have included singer, guitarist, and mandolin player John "Turps" Burke; bass player Pearse Doherty; keyboard and accordion player Tony Lambert; keyboard player and guitarist Derek Murray; and drummers Padraig Stevens, John Donnelly, Jimi Higgins, and Fran Breen. The current line-up is Leo Moran (vocals, guitar), Davy Carton (vocals, guitar), Kevin Duffy (keyboards), Anthony Thistlethwaite (bass guitar, saxphone), and EÃmhÃn Craddock (drums).
There is a special place in rock 'n' roll mythology reserved for that rare phenomenon, the people's band. The Grateful Dead, The Faces, Status Quo and Bruce Springsteen during his years as leader of the E Street Band are examples which define the breed: performers who have established a special relationship with their audience irrespective of marketing budgets and media approval, and for whom the dictates of fashion are broadly meaningless. The Saw Doctors are the latest in this strangely noble line" - The Times
"One of the Great Live Bands"
Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2
"The Saw Doctors are the very definition of the people's band." - Q Magazine
"The band's formula can best be described as one part Creedence, one part Hootie, and one part Irish Historical Society" - Rolling Stone Magazine
"One of the world's most appealing roots rock outfits." - Washington Post
During 2010 the band played a number of music festival appearances, including playing at the 40th anniversary of the Glastonbury Festival. September 2010 saw the release of their seventh album, The Further Adventures of... The Saw Doctors.
In 2013 the band decided to quit touring .Three members (Moran, Thistlethwaite and O'Neill) have formed a band with fellow Galway musicians called The Cabin Collective. It is currently unknown whether the Saw Doctors will be returning from their break.
Don't Let Me Down
The Saw Doctors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
i'll understand you anyway
'cos i've known you so long
if you leave me in the morning light
i won't be sad but i won't feel right
the choice is up to you
well i want you to do what you think is best
time is movin' and we must be goin'
back to our home
to where we first met
seems like a long time ago
we were young and playin' on the road
we never thought life would change this way
Copyright: J.Burke
The Saw Doctors's song Don't Let Me Down is a heartfelt ballad about the fears and insecurities that come with the end of a long-term relationship. The opening lines, "doesn't matter what you say or do, I'll understand you anyway, 'cause I've known you so long" suggest the deep familiarity and intimacy of the relationship, while also acknowledging the difficulties in communication that can arise towards the end. The singer goes on to say that if his partner leaves in the morning light, he won't be sad, but he won't feel right either, indicating the ambivalence and mixed emotions that often accompany a breakup.
The singer then urges his partner to do what she thinks is best, while also expressing a fear of her turning out like "the rest", suggesting a pattern of abandonment or disappointment in past relationships. He acknowledges that time is moving on and that they must return to their home, the place where they first met, which feels like a long time ago. The song closes with a nostalgic reflection on their youth and the road they used to play on, with a sense of sadness and regret at how life has changed since then.
Overall, the song captures the bittersweet feelings of a relationship coming to an end, with a mix of resignation and hope for the future. It recognizes the pain of separation while also acknowledging the inevitability of change and the need to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
does'nt matter what you say or do
It doesn't matter what you say or do, I will still understand you anyway.
i'll understand you anyway
Even if you say or do something that might usually bother me, I will still be there to support you and empathize with you.
'cos i've known you so long
Because we have had a long history together, I have a deep understanding of who you are as a person and what your wants and needs might be.
if you leave me in the morning light
If you choose to leave me, whether it be in the morning or any other time, I will accept your decision.
i won't be sad but i won't feel right
While I won't be overcome with sadness if you leave, I will still feel a sense of discomfort and unease because I will miss you and the time we have spent together.
the choice is up to you
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to leave is yours to make and I will accept and respect whatever you choose.
well i want you to do what you think is best
I genuinely want you to do what is best for yourself, regardless of how it might affect me or our relationship.
please don't turn out like the rest
I hope that you will not follow the same path as others who have hurt me in the past.
time is movin' and we must be goin'
Time is always moving forward and we must keep that in mind as we make decisions about our lives and where they will take us.
back to our home
We should return to the place where we first met, where our relationship began.
to where we first met
We should come full circle and return to the location where we initially connected and built our bond.
seems like a long time ago
Even though it may not have been that long ago chronologically, it feels like a lifetime has passed since we first met and began our journey together.
we were young and playin' on the road
When we first met, we were young and carefree, spending our days exploring and having fun on a journey that we were both excited to be on.
we never thought life would change this way
At the time when we first met, we never could have predicted the ways that our lives would shift and change as we grew and evolved as people. This can be both exciting and scary.
Contributed by Camden J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jim
on Howya Julia
This song is about a famous interview done by venerable talk show host Gay (Gay-bo) Byrne on he weekly talk show "The Late Late Show". The Late Late was broadcast live on one of Ireland's two TV channels and was a major cultural touchstone for Irish people. When the narrator in the song asks "Did you hear about yer one" it demonstrates how reasonable it would be to assume any random "Julia" in Ireland would have seen the interview.
The interview is of the lover of a famous Irish bishop named Eamon Casey. Widely regarded as an incredible man. Casey was known for a series of well thought out initiatives that helped the most vulnerable Irish people in the world.
When he "slipped and broke his fast" they're referring to how he fell in love with a woman and fathered a child with her whom he provided for. The chorus is a ribald distillation of all the jokes going around Ireland about the bishop having sex.
"Oh the blind and faithful followers are worried and distraught
And the only thing that's botherin' them is that the poor man he got caught"
refers to the fact that the people of Ireland could care less about him having sex with a woman. They're just sad that because he got caught that he was exiled to Brazil and he wouldn't be around to do his good works in Ireland any more.
The song finishes by bringing you back to the start and reminding you this is a conversation about the interview on The Late Late Show. The repetition of How ya Julia is to show that this conversation was repeated around Ireland by everyone and how it was the main topic of conversation for some time.