Fairy Tale Of New York
Ronan Keating & Maire Brennan Lyrics

It was Christmas Eve babe
The story takes place on Christmas Eve

In the drunk tank
The singer was locked up for public intoxication

An old man said to me,
The singer encountered an elderly man who spoke to him

Won't see another one
The old man believes he will not survive to see another Christmas

And then he sang a song
The old man sang a song to the singer

'The Rare Old Mountain Dew'
The old man sang a song called 'The Rare Old Mountain Dew'

I turned my face away
The singer looked away from the old man

And dreamed about you
The singer thought about someone they love

Got on a lucky one
The singer is referring to a gambling win

Came in eighteen to one
The singer bet on something with 18:1 odds and won

I've got a feeling
The singer has a feeling of optimism about the future

This year's for me and you
The singer believes that the coming year will be good for them and someone they love

So happy Christmas
The singer wishes the listener a Merry Christmas

I love you baby
The singer loves someone they are addressing

I can see a better time
The singer is optimistic about the future

When all our
This line is part of a larger phrase

Dreams come true
The singer hopes that their and someone's they love's dreams will come true

They've got cars
The singer is referring to wealthy people

Big as bars
The wealthy people have cars as big as bars

They've got rivers of gold
The wealthy people have a lot of money

But the wind goes
The weather in New York is cold and windy

Right through you
The cold cuts through people

It's no place for the old
New York is not a good place for elderly people

When you first
The singer is referring to a past encounter

Took my hand
Someone the singer loves touched their hand

On a cold Christmas Eve
This past encounter happened on a cold Christmas Eve

You promised me
Someone made a promise to the singer

Broadway was
The person who made a promise said Broadway was

Waiting for me
Broadway was waiting for the singer

You were handsome
The singer is remembering the person who made the promise

You were pretty
The singer is complementing the person who made the promise

Queen of New York City
The person who made the promise was like a queen in New York

When the band finished playing
The singer is referring to a past event where a band finished playing

They howled out for more
The audience wanted the band to play more songs

Sinatra was swinging,
Frank Sinatra was performing

All the drunks
The people in the audience who were drunk

They were singing
The drunk people were singing along to the music

We kissed on a corner
The singer and someone they love kissed on a street corner

Then danced through the night
The singer and someone they love danced throughout the night

The boys of the NYPD choir
The NYPD choir is a group of male officers

Were singing 'Galway Bay'
The NYPD choir was singing a song called 'Galway Bay'

And the bells were ringing
The church bells were ringing on Christmas Day

Out for Christmas Day
The bells were ringing to celebrate Christmas Day

You're a bum
The singer is insulting someone

You're a punk
The singer is insulting someone

You're an old
The singer is insulting someone based on their age

Sl*t on junk
The singer is insulting someone for using drugs

Lying there almost
The singer is referring to someone in a hospital bed

Dead on a drip
The person in the bed is using an IV

In that bed
The person is lying in a hospital bed

You scum bag
The singer is insulting someone

You maggot
The singer is insulting someone

You're cheap and you're haggard
The singer is insulting someone's appearance and character

Happy Christmas your arse
The singer is issuing a sarcastic statement

I pray God
The singer is making a prayer

It's our last
The singer hopes that it's the last time they will encounter the person they are insulting

I could have been someone
The singer reflects on missed opportunities

Well so could anyone
Anyone could have been someone if they made different choices

You took my dreams
The singer is blaming someone for taking their dreams away

From me when
This line is part of a larger phrase

I first found you
The singer found the person who took their dreams away

I kept them with me babe
The singer held on to their dreams

I put them with my own
The singer combined their own dreams with the dreams they had taken

Can't make it all alone
The singer needs others to achieve their dreams

I've built my dreams
The singer has worked hard to achieve their dreams

Around you
The singer's dreams revolve around someone they love

Na na na na na na
This is a musical refrain