A Dublin native and University College Dublin grad (politics/sociology), Roberts thought about pursuing journalism upon his late Reagan-era stateside arrival. He thought better of it after an internship at PBS, deciding he'd share his homeland history by making news, rather than reading it off a teleprompter. The quintet's still rolling after Roberts' vocal cord surgery, and touring behind last year's wry, sprightly tour de force, Real World. They are a true purveyor of Irish rock that's thrilling to hear, fun to watch, and certain to swing your shillelagh.
Deep History: There is more to the story than what is written above. The Young Dubliners began in 1988 (maybe even 1987) as a duo, Keith Roberts and Paul O'Toole. Both played acoustic guitars and sang. The format was mostly Irish folksongs and Irish pop. Keith and Paul made an interesting contrast. Paul, an electrician by trade, was a multi-instrumentalist and true Dubliner, from the north side. Keith was a college-educated product of the pairing of two well-known Irish entertainers. Not truly from Dublin, Keith was raised in the posh suburb of Dun Laoghaire (sounds like Dun Leary to an American ear). One of Keith's musical motivations may have been having known members of the band Hothouse Flowers during his days in college. Paul's musical motivations might have been more simple; he simply liked playing and singing a good tune in between sips of Guinness Stout.
Their homebase in the earliest of the early days was the Irish Rover on Santa Monica Boulevard in Santa Monica. They were an underground phenomenon back in those days, and they often played to a packed, but very small, house. 'The Rover', as it was called, would become a solid mass of humanity who were all smoking and drinking until the cigarette smoke burned your eyes and the heat and humidity of a hundred sweaty bodies turned the tiny pub into a sauna filled with undulating human flesh. They shared the Rover back then with another Irish band called "The Lads", one would play Friday night and the other would take Saturday night. Paddy's Day 1988 had The Lads go on first, followed by the Young Dubliners. This was powerful testimony to the popularity of the 'band' back then, that an acoustic act could out-muscle an electric band for headliner of an Irish bar on Paddy's Day.
Back in those days they had a soundman, Rob McCulley, who would record all the shows. There are dozens and dozens of these tapes in existence. They self-produced their first cassette, "Young Dubliners Live", based on those early recordings. The tape included their very first original song, "Keaton's Bar", written by Paul O'Toole. The act developed. They added instruments, and gave the yoke to ones they didn't care for (e.g. bongo player). "John" Brendan Holmes, another Dubliner, joined them on bass, a role that he has held ever since (while a myriad of other musicians came and went). "Dirty Old Town' developed into their closing number, and it was during this period that "Fisherman's Blues" and "Rocky Road to Dublin" became essential numbers. In answer to the mosh pit, the front of the stage would feature what would (much later) be called the 'jig pit', and the traditional instrumental "Coolies" was the song that would get it in full gear.
During this period they opened for Christy Moore (who insisted on meeting 'the boys' before going on) and The Furey Brothers (who counseled them to play more originals--fine advice from a band that had maybe one or two original songs to their name). They released another self-produced cassette, this time a studio release called "Home", featuring the eponymous (and their second) original song. They began to branch out of the Rover and play other gigs.
Real World
The Young Dubliners Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would you close your eyes?
Would ya lock out the real world,
No compromise?
You sleep safe tonight.
And you believe it
You think that you need it
Two bullets shy of the free world
Don't kid yourself, it's the real world
So we go with survival
This flag we wave
Our choices made
And we believe it
Think that we need it
Two bullets shy of the free world
Don't kid yourself, it's the real world
And you believe it
Think that you need it
Two bullets shy of the free world
Don't kid yourself, it's the real world
The Young Dubliners's song Real World is a commentary on the human tendency to be blinded by luxuries and comforts and overlook the true reality of the world around us. The song is a question to the listener, asking whether they would turn a blind eye to the world's problems if they were offered a comfortable life. The line "two bullets shy of the free world" suggests that we are almost free, but not quite there yet, and that we need to acknowledge and address the shortcomings of our society in order to make progress.
The chorus repeats the message of the song, saying "don't kid yourself, it's the real world." This implies that there is no escaping the harsh realities of life, and that it is necessary to confront them head-on in order to effect change. The verses suggest that we should not be blinded by the luxuries that our society offers us, but rather should see them as distractions from the work that needs to be done to create a better world.
Line by Line Meaning
If they gave you the good life,
If they presented you with a comfortable lifestyle,
Would you close your eyes?
Would you ignore the harsh reality?
Would ya lock out the real world,
Would you shut yourself off from the real world?
No compromise?
Without any reluctance or negotiation?
You sleep safe tonight.
You are not worried or anxious, sleeping peacefully.
And you believe it
You have faith in it.
You think that you need it
You believe that you can't live without it.
Two bullets shy of the free world
Danger and violence is still prevalent in otherwise free nations.
Don't kid yourself, it's the real world
There's no escaping the harsh realities of life.
So we go with survival
Our actions are driven by the need to survive.
This flag we wave
Our beliefs and values are what guide us.
Our choices made
We have already decided on our paths.
Two bullets shy of the free world
Even in the freest of countries, danger still exists.
And you believe it
You have faith in it.
Think that we need it
We believe that we can't live without it.
Two bullets shy of the free world
Even in the freest of countries, danger still exists.
Don't kid yourself, it's the real world
The world is a harsh reality, accept it as it is.
Contributed by Gianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.