Fairy Tale Of New York
Ronan Keating Lyrics

It was Christmas Eve babe
The story starts on Christmas Eve

In the drunk tank
The singer is in a holding cell for being drunk

An old man said to me, won't see another one
An older man in the cell is resigned to dying before experiencing another Christmas

And then he sang a song
The man sings a song

The Rare Old Mountain Dew
The song is called 'The Rare Old Mountain Dew'

I turned my face away
The singer turns away, possibly not wanting to be drawn into the older man's sadness

And dreamed about you
The singer thinks about someone they're missing

Got on a lucky one
The artist is talking about placing a bet and winning

Came in eighteen to one
The bet had 18-1 odds

I've got a feeling
The artist has a good feeling about the upcoming year

This year's for me and you
The singer is looking forward to a good year to share with someone

So happy Christmas
The artist wishes a happy Christmas

I love you baby
The singer loves someone

I can see a better time
The singer has hope for a better future

When all our dreams come true
The singer looks forward to a time when their dreams will be realized

They've got cars big as bars
New York City has ostentatious wealth

They've got rivers of gold
New York City has an abundance of riches

But the wind goes right through you
Despite the wealth, New York has a cold, unforgiving climate

It's no place for the old
The city is not welcoming to the elderly

When you first took my hand
The artist remembers a time when someone they care about held their hand

On a cold Christmas Eve
This moment happened on Christmas Eve

You promised me
The person the artist remembers made a promise

Broadway was waiting for me
The promise was that the singer would find success on Broadway

You were handsome
The artist is remembering the attractiveness of the person they care about

You were pretty
The person was also lovely

Queen of New York City
The person was the 'Queen' of the city

When the band finished playing
The singer recalls time spent with the person, likely at a show or event with a band performing

They howled out for more
The audience at the show demanded an encore

Sinatra was swinging,
Frank Sinatra was performing and/or at the show

All the drunks they were singing
The people present, including the singer himself/herself, were enjoying themselves and singing along

We kissed on a corner
The singer and the person shared an intimate moment on a street corner

Then danced through the night
The pair danced all night long, enjoying each other's company

The boys of the NYPD choir
The artist sees and hears a group of NYPD officers

Were singing 'Galway Bay'
The choir is performing a song called 'Galway Bay'

And the bells were ringing out
The sound of bells is heard and likely adding to the liveliness of the city streets

For Christmas day
It's still Christmas day and the celebrations continue

You're a bum
The singer directs derogatory language towards someone, likely the person they were reminiscing about earlier

You're a punk
This person is being insulted with more harsh language

You're an old slut on junk
The person is being insulted in the worst way possible

Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
The person is now suffering and lying in a hospital bed

You scumbag, you maggot
The artist continues hurling insults to the person they are emotionally upset with

You cheap lousy faggot
The singer's use of homophobic language only displays further disgust for the person

Happy Christmas your arse
The singer wishes this person an unwelcome and unpleasant holiday greeting

I pray God it's our last
The artist desperately wants this to be the last Christmas the two share together

I could have been someone
The artist laments not having lived up to their potential

Well so could anyone
The artist acknowledges that other people might have also failed to live up to their potential

You took my dreams from me
The person they care about has let them down in some way, causing their dreams to be dashed

When I first found you
The artist's disappointment in this person is compounded by the fact that they initially thought they found someone they could rely on

I kept them with me babe
Despite it all, the singer still clings to their dreams

I put them with my own
The singer is holding onto their own dreams as well

Can't make it all alone
The singer knows they cannot make it alone, they need others in their life

I've built my dreams around you
The narrative brings full circle to how the person they cared for influenced their own dreams and aspirations