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.
The Butcher Boy
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A butcher boy I loved right well
He courted me my life away
And now with me he will not stay
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
I wish I was a maid again
But a maid again I'll never be
I wish my baby it was born
And smiling on it's daddy's knee
And me poor girl to be dead and gone
With the long green grass growing over me
He went upstairs and the door he broke
He found her hanging from a rope
He took his knife and he cut her down
And in her pocket these words he found
"oh make my grave large, wide and deep
Put a marble stone at my head and feet
And in the middle a turtle dove
So the world may know I died of love"
The Butcher Boy by Kirsty MacColl is a traditional Irish ballad that was popularized in the 20th century. The lyrics tell the story of a young woman who falls in love with a butcher boy but is eventually abandoned by him. She wishes to go back to a time when she was a maiden, but knows that it's impossible. She also wishes for her baby to be born and to see her lover again, but sadly, she takes her own life. The butcher boy finds her and decides to honor her with a proper burial, putting a marble stone and a turtle dove on her grave.
The lyrics of The Butcher Boy are filled with sadness, regret, and a longing for things that can never be. The woman's despair and heartbreak is palpable in every line, as she wishes for a life that seems out of reach. The song is a poignant reminder of the power of love and the devastating consequences that can come from unrequited love.
While the origin of The Butcher Boy is unclear, it is known that it has been covered by many artists throughout the years. Kirsty MacColl's version of the song is particularly haunting, with her delicate voice adding to the melancholy atmosphere of the lyrics. The song has become a staple in the traditional Irish music canon and continues to be performed and recorded by artists around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
In more street where I did dwell
I used to live on More Street
A butcher boy I loved right well
I was in love with a boy who worked as a butcher
He courted me my life away
He pursued me until I fell completely in love with him
And now with me he will not stay
But now he doesn't want to be with me anymore
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
I'm wishing for something that will likely never happen
I wish I was a maid again
I wish I could go back to the time before I met him
But a maid again I'll never be
But I know that I can never go back
Till cherries grow on an apple tree
Unless something impossible happens
I wish my baby it was born
I wish I had already had our child
And smiling on it's daddy's knee
So our baby could sit on his father's lap and be happy
And me poor girl to be dead and gone
And I could die and no longer suffer
With the long green grass growing over me
And be buried under grass that grows long, green and thick
He went upstairs and the door he broke
He went upstairs and broke down the door
He found her hanging from a rope
He discovered that I had hanged myself
He took his knife and he cut her down
He cut me down from the rope
And in her pocket these words he found
And in my pocket he found these words
"oh make my grave large, wide and deep
"Make my grave large so it won't be forgotten
Put a marble stone at my head and feet
With a marker at each end and a marble headstone on top
And in the middle a turtle dove
And a carving of a turtle dove in the middle
So the world may know I died of love"
So people will know that I died because of love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dan McD.
Excellent artist, gone too soon! Great voice! RIP
me&nala
That's one of them songs that gives you the goosebumps.
Triona Byrne
Do anyone remember that song title name for the 1997 comedy The butcher boy?
TheChoofy1
What a beautiful gift from Kirsty.
empeorr
So sad
empeorr
So sad. I looked this up because it's in the series of unfortunate events book eight.... So sad
Martin J
God bless her x
Charles and Barbara 'McLean' Moebius
My mum sang this song all the time. I had not heard it in many years. Wow such nemories
Claudia Fitch
It sure gives me chills.
Michael Johnson
'I died for love.' And she did by sacrificing herself to save her son.