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 Eímhín 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.
Galway & Mayo
The Saw Doctors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was a different kind of world
Heaven was a game of football
Before I ever kissed the girls
We used to go out driving
We'd travel near and far
Nearly every Sunday in me
Father's oul' ford car
Everywhere we'd go, through the
Twistings , turning , winding roads
Of Galway and Mayo
Me mother in the front seat
Children in the back
We'd be imagining Indians in the
Fields waiting to attack
And we'd be asking â#128##156# are we nearly there?â#128##157#
Wearing clothes that came
In a parcel from America,
The two of us the same
He'd be pointing........
There's a stillness in the summer
Air , sheep dog lying in the sun
Three young girls with butterfly nets
Break into a run
Now the time flies by like always
I've got my own boy right now
Like cowboys in the oul' corolla
We go and drive around
The land was let go lately
But I take him out that way
I show him where we cut the turf
And where we saved the hay
And I'll be pointing out
The landmarks .........
The Saw Doctors' song "Galway & Mayo" tells a story of nostalgia and fond memories of childhood in the West of Ireland. The song describes a simpler time when hardly anyone had a television, and the world was different. Football was played in Heaven, and the boys' imaginations were filled with the threat of Indians attacking them in the fields. The family would go out driving every Sunday in the father's old Ford car, discovering the Galway and Mayo countryside together. His father would point out landmarks everywhere they went, through the twisting and winding roads.
The lyrics describe the family's adventures as they traveled in their car, with the children in the back seat and their mother sitting in the front. They would wear American clothes that came in a parcel and imagine themselves as cowboys in the old Corolla. The lyrics end with a sense of time-flying-by, with the singer sharing memories with his son of where they cut the turf and saved the hay.
Line by Line Meaning
Hardly anyone had the tele'
Television sets were not common in those days
It was a different kind of world
The world was different in those days
Heaven was a game of football
Playing football was a heavenly experience
Before I ever kissed the girls
This was before the time he kissed any girl
We used to go out driving
They used to go on long drives
We'd travel near and far
They would travel short and long distances
Nearly every Sunday in me
Almost every Sunday in his childhood
Father's oul' ford car
His father's old ford car
He'd be pointing out the landmarks
His father would point out the landmarks on the way
Everywhere we'd go, through the twistings, turning, winding roads of Galway and Mayo
They would go through the winding roads of Galway and Mayo and his father would keep pointing out the landmarks
Me mother in the front seat
His mother sitting in the front seat of the car
Children in the back
Children sitting in the back of the car
We'd be imagining Indians in the fields waiting to attack
They would imagine Native Americans waiting to attack in the fields
And we'd be asking, 'are we nearly there?'
They would frequently ask, 'are we almost there?'
Wearing clothes that came in a parcel from America, the two of us the same
They wore matching clothes that came from America
There's a stillness in the summer air, sheep dog lying in the sun
There is a peaceful atmosphere in the summer with sheepdogs lying in the sun
Three young girls with butterfly nets break into a run
Three young girls with butterfly nets suddenly start running
Now the time flies by like always
Time seems to pass by quickly as always
I've got my own boy right now
He has a son of his own now
Like cowboys in the oul' corolla we go and drive around
They drive around together in their old Toyota Corolla like cowboys
The land was let go lately but I take him out that way
The land has been abandoned recently, but he takes his son to see it
I show him where we cut the turf
He shows his son where they used to cut turf
And where we saved the hay
He also shows his son where they saved the hay
And I'll be pointing out the landmarks...
He will continue the tradition of pointing out landmarks to his son
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patrickstocks3576
Hardly anyone had the tele 📺
It was a different kind of world 🗺
Heaven was a game of football 🥅
Before I ever kissed the girls
We used to go out driving
We’d travel 🧭 near & far
Nearly every Sunday in me
Fathers oul ford car 🚗
He’d be pointing ☝️ out the landmarks
Everywhere we’d go, through the
Twistings, turning, winding roads
Of Galway & Mayo
Me mother in the front seat 💺
Children 👶 in the back
We’d be imagining Indians in the
Fields waiting to attack
And we’d be asking Aa are we nearly there? Aa
Wearing clothes that came
In a parcel from America
The 2 of us the same
He’d be pointing ☝️
There’s a stillness in the summer
Air, sheep 🐑 dog 🐕 lying 🤥 in the sun 🌞
3 young girls with butterfly 🦋 nets
Break into a run 🏃♂️
Now the time flies by like always
I’ve got my own boy 👦 right now
Like cowboys in the oul corolla
We go and drive around
The land was let go lately
But I take him out that way
I show him where we cut the turf
And where we saved the hay
And I’ll be pointing ☝️ out
The landmarks...
@seanogcarey
Most underrated Saw Doctors song, pure classic
@219woodburn
i couldnt agree more
@rottingrage7805
Probably the best. Along with il be on my way (as my dad says, it's his funeral song) ❤️
@timroess6973
It’s magical
@MrANDYGEEZER
My mum was from Galway & my two great mates families are from Mayo & the three of us are from Bristol England but we can't ever forget our Irish heritage 🇨🇮🍻😉
@timroess6973
Love it love it
@gerardreilly4693
Classic song. Classic band
@CartePostale.
Brings back happy memories...........
@joycepower3407
M father loved this song, he said it reminded him of his childhood
@bennyrico4205
great song