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 EĂmhĂn 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.
Good News
The Saw Doctors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It made me want to cry
The oceans are polluted, we've damaged all the sky
And there's wars and wars and rumors
and a hungry baby cries
still we have to suffer
politicians lies
you can keep the bad
just gimme the good news
the happy not the sad
you're money , it never goes
far enough these days
the rich just getting richer
the poor man always pays
the postman brings bad news
the bills come through the door
in those greedy little envelops
always wanting more
gimme the good news......
you take the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties
and you roll them into one
gimme the two sides of the story
the mirror and the sun
put away the misery,
put away the gun
its been a hard Oul' century
there's a better one to come
this is the good news......
The Saw Doctors's song "Good News" is a call for positivity in a world that seems to be plagued with problems. The song begins with the singer watching the news and feeling overwhelmed by the negativity that he sees. The oceans are polluted, the sky is damaged, and there are wars and rumors of wars. Despite all of this, the singer still hears the cries of a hungry baby and feels the weight of politicians' lies. The chorus of the song is a plea for good news, for something positive to cling to in the midst of all of the chaos. The singer begs to be shielded from the bad news, and to hear only the happy news.
The second verse of the song focuses on money and the struggle to make ends meet. The rich are getting richer while the poor are left to suffer. Bills pile up, and the postman brings bad news. It's a cycle of greed that seems impossible to break, but the singer remains steadfast in his desire for good news. The final verse of the song is a call for hope for the future. The singer implores the listener to remember the good things that have happened in the past, to look for the positive, and to put away misery and guns. The century may have been hard, but there is a better one to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I watched the news at six o'clock
I saw the recent news at 6 PM.
It made me want to cry
The news was so upsetting, it made me feel like crying.
The oceans are polluted, we've damaged all the sky
Humans have caused a lot of damage to the environment, including air pollution and ocean pollution.
And there's wars and wars and rumors
and a hungry baby cries
still we have to suffer
politicians lies
There are too many wars and conflicts going on, and even innocent babies are affected. We still have to deal with the lies of politicians despite all of these problems.
just gimme me the good news
you can keep the bad
just gimme the good news
the happy not the sad
I don't want to hear any more bad news, just tell me the good things that are happening and make me feel happy.
you're money , it never goes
far enough these days
the rich just getting richer
the poor man always pays
Money doesn't seem to last long enough in today's society, with the rich continuously gaining wealth while the poor are left to bear the consequences.
the postman brings bad news
the bills come through the door
in those greedy little envelops
always wanting more
Every time the postman delivers a letter, it's usually bad news or a bill, and the companies sending them always seem to want more money.
you take the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties
and you roll them into one
gimme the two sides of the story
the mirror and the sun
put away the misery,
put away the gun
its been a hard Oul' century
there's a better one to come
If you combine all the years of the past century, there have certainly been both good and bad moments. Let's focus on the good aspects and end the negativity and violence. Despite the struggles we've faced so far, there's hope that the future will be better.
this is the good news......
All these positive aspects and way of thinking is the good news that the singer wants to focus on.
Contributed by Jake D. 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.