MacColl began her career in the late 1970s UK punk rock scene, singing backing vocals for Drug Addix. Her UK hits included the 1981 single "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985, a duet with Shane MacGowan of The Pogues on "Fairytale of New York" in 1987, and a cover of The Kinks' song "Days" in 1989. She was probably most recognizable in the United States as the writer of "They Don't Know" a hit in 1979.
After a break from the music industry for much of the 1990s, several trips to Cuba and Brazil restored MacColl's creative muse, and the world music-inspired (particularly Cuban and other Latin American forms) Tropical Brainstorm, often described as her finest work, was released in 2000.
On 18 December 2000, while swimming in a restricted diving area with her family on a holiday in Cozumel, she was killed in a collision with a powerboat while managing to drag her son out of its path. The boat was owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the boat and was found guilty of culpable homicide and, under Mexican law, allowed to pay a fine of 1034 pesos (about USD 90) in lieu of a prison sentence of that many days. However, eyewitnesses contradict Cen Yam's claim to have been driving and also González Nova's claim that the boat was travelling at a speed of only one knot. MacColl's family are campaigning for a judicial review into the events surrounding her death, including an application to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The BBC has featured on several of its channels a documentary by Olivia Lichtenstein, entitled Who Killed Kirsty MacColl?
In 2001, a bench was placed by the southern entrance to London's Soho Square as a memorial to her, after a lyric from one of her most poignant songs: "One day I'll be waiting there/ No empty bench inSoho Square.
Fairytale of New York
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true
They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me
You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night
The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day
You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day
I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day
The lyrics of "Fairytale of New York" by Kirsty MacColl and The Pogues tells the story of a couple who finds themselves in a drunk tank on Christmas Eve. The song opens with the singer describing his surroundings before meeting an old man who sings him a nostalgic song. The singer then reflects on his relationship with a woman as well as his hopes for a better future. He vividly describes the stark contrast between the wealth and power of New York City and the harsh reality for many everyday people.
The song then switches to a description of a time when the couple was young and in love, dancing and kissing on the streets of New York City. However, the song takes a dramatic turn as the partners' love turns to bitterness and resentment. They hurl insults at each other, with the woman accusing the man of being a bum and a punk, and the man lashing out with homophobic slurs. Despite it all, the song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer reflecting on the dream he once had and the hope that he and his partner can still make something of themselves.
Overall, "Fairytale of New York" tells a poignant story about love and hardship, dreams and disappointments. The song's richly detailed lyrics and evocative imagery create a powerful sense of time and place, and it continues to resonate with listeners around the world today.
Line by Line Meaning
It was Christmas Eve babe
The story begins on Christmas Eve
In the drunk tank
The singer is in jail for being drunk on Christmas Eve
An old man said to me, won't see another one
The old man tells the singer that he probably won't live to see another Christmas
And then he sang a song
The old man sings a song called "The Rare Old Mountain Dew"
I turned my face away
The artist is not interested in the old man's song
And dreamed about you
The singer thinks about the person they love
Got on a lucky one
The singer won a bet with 18 to 1 odds
Came in eighteen to one
The artist won a bet with 18 to 1 odds
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
The artist is optimistic about their future with the person they love
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
The artist sends their love to the person they love on Christmas
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true
The singer is hopeful for a happy future with the person they love
They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
New York City is full of wealth and luxury, but it's not a friendly place for elderly or poor people
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me
The person the singer loves promised them a future of success and happiness
You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
The singer compliments the person they love
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night
The singer reminisces about a happy night of drinking, singing, and dancing with the person they love
The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day
The NYPD choir sings "Galway Bay" while the church bells ring on Christmas day
You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last
The artist and their loved one have a fight and exchange insults. The artist doesn't want to spend another Christmas with them.
I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you
The singer blames their loved one for not achieving their dreams, but also acknowledges that they need them to survive.
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day
The NYPD choir and the church bells continue to sing on Christmas day, even though the singer's life has become difficult.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jem Finer, Shane Patrick Lysaght Macgowan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Mossadagent666
Simply the best Christmas song ever !! . Rest in peace Shane . Nothing compares to this !! . G-d bless you Shane , Kirsty and Sinéad O'Connor , all now rocking in heaven.
Near a shady wall a rose once grew, Budded and blossomed in G-d’s free light, Watered and fed by the morning dew, Shedding it’s sweetness day and night.
As it grew and blossomed fair and tall, Slowly rising to loftier height, It came to a crevice in the wall Through which there shone a beam of light.
Onward it crept with added strength With never a thought of fear or pride, It followed the light through the crevice’s length And unfolded itself on the other side.
The light, the dew, the broadening view Were found the same as they were before, And it lost itself in beauties new, Breathing it’s fragrance more and more.
Shall claim of death cause us to grieve And make our courage faint and fall? Nay! Let us faith and hope receive– The rose still grows beyond the wall,
Scattering fragrance far and wide Just as it did in days of yore, Just as it did on the other side, Just as it will forever-more.
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹
SINCERE CONDOLENCES, FROM
DOCTOR. KÄSTIEN. MD
Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💯🫡
Ps , I’m listening to this absolutely beautiful song on Christmas Day, 2023. I’ve just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two weeks ago, and this song really makes me cry with joy but also with pain. It really takes you on a journey that everyone in the world can relate to. Everyone has “been through” this song! . Christmas is full of all the emotions one can imagine. Happiness, joy, and downright pain in the depths of despair. 15 years ago, on Christmas Day, my ex-fiancé stabbed me 18 times to my skull and 12 times to my chest, inches from my heart. I’d cooked Christmas lunch, and everything happened so fast that I had no time to react at all. I never knew I’d been stabbed until I saw the blood on the crisp white walls of our new house, which we’d just moved into. Next thing I know, I am collapsing in a pool of my own blood that swallowed me up like a lake. I had just managed to dial for the police and ambulance crews to save me. Luckily, they did, but I still get flashbacks and even pain in my head (an injury site) and my chest to this very day. Life can really send you curveballs at times, but the main thing is to realise that the entire world is a very narrow and precarious bridge that we all must cross in this life. However, the main thing is never, ever to fear! . There will always be someone who will reach out to you on your journey on the bridge of life. No matter what life throws at you, remember that you’re loved and cared for, and someone is always there for you, even if it’s a stranger like me. I’m reaching out to everyone who reads my comment: I’m here for you, you matter, I love you, I’m your friend if you need one, I’m your brother from another mother, so remember, "My precious loved one," yes, I’m talking to you!,, who’s reading these words of mine. I love you, and if you need a friend, just contact me here, and if you want my Facebook or email address, just ask, and I’m here for you forever, or as long as I have left this world.
I wish you peace, love, happiness, and the most important thing of all—my heart and my love as a person who loves you no matter what. Be happy. May 2024 be a great year for you. Let’s unite for peace, love, and happiness. Please pray for me. I need your prayers and support. I would love to hear some messages of support, and maybe I will start a channel to help others with what they are going through. Your dear friend and brother, Dr. Kästien. 🙏🏻🫶🕊️🤝😊🫡👍🏻
@RTGame
The season begins
@therealtedx5284
Indeed it does
@dianamaioru497
Ayyy Daniel’s here!!
@db_xo5259
Yes it doesssss
@CraicDealer
Best Christmas song ever. Happy to see you haven't been scared away from saying you like it
@SDART998
Rt is pog
@SoldadoTTV
Nowadays every time you hear this song, the vocals heard are the voices of angels from Heaven.
RIP Shane and Kirsty. 🙏🇮🇪🇬🇧
1957-2023
1959-2000
@tenahennessy5489
The tow best singer ubh all time
❤❤❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😢😢
@harryaustin4327
Let’s get this masterpiece to number 1 already. RIP Shane and Kirsty. ❤️🙏🏻
@paulasandford6516
Please download and get your friends to download too