MacGowan drew on his Irish heritage to create The Pogues, a band that he founded, but from which he was away during a long hiatus in the 1990s. Many of his songs are influenced by Irish nationalism, Irish history, the experiences of the Irish in London and in London life in general.
After leaving The Pogues, he formed a new band, Shane MacGowan and The Popes. He no longer plays with them and has recently had numerous successful reunion tours through 2004 -2010 with The Pogues.
Shane has been guesting with Sharon Shannon and her Big Band since 2007. The first tour came about when MacGowan's manager approached Sharon's manager saying that the singer/songwriter was interested in doing a guest spot with the Sharon Shannon Big Band. Shane was looking at this as an opportunity to do stuff other than The Pogues' songs with musicians that had become kind of living legends of Irish contemporary music. That tour (together with Mundy, Damien Dempsey and Dessie O'Halloran, covering 5 Irish dates around New Year) had an enormous success so new dates seemed to be inevitable and they did follow.
During 2008 Shane together with Sharon, her 24 strong Big Band and various guests played numerous festivals in the UK and Ireland and finished the year with another successful Irish tour.
2009 has brought new releases in collaborations with his long time friends and admirers - The Mighty Stef, Mundy, Sharon Shannon, The Popes. And more dates – short UK tour in April (with Camille O’Sullivan), MayDay Mayhem in Dublin, another bunch of festivals in August, with one European date. And as a crown of the year - Saints & Scoundrels post-Christmas Irish tour again (named after the newly released and critically aclaimed album by Sharon Shannon and her friends). Season celebration with Sharon, Shane, Mundy to "Fairytale of New York" and "Galway Girl" is turning into an annual tradition. Even TG4 regarded it as the best way to ring in the New Year and broadcasted the 2008 Killarney gig on the New Year's Eve.
January 2010... A mere two and half weeks after the calamitous events in Haiti, Shane MacGowan alongside a hitherto unseen musical line-up of like minded souls, friends and musicians entered a London studio to record a track, cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 1956 hit ‘I Put A Spell On You’, from which all proceeds go to Concern, a charity who have provided assistance to some of the poorest countries in the world including Haiti, even before the earthquake struck.
In May 2010 new albums by Alabama 3 "Revolver Soul" and Galia Arad "Ooh La Baby" were released. Both feature tracks recorded with Shane MacGowan's always unique participation.
August 2010 brought astonishing but long awaited news: next month Shane is playing two first gigs with his NEW BAND! featuring Sarge O'Hara (DC Nein, Tokyo Olympics) on keys, Joey Cahsman (The Fast Skirts, The Pogues) on whistle, and In Tua Nua and Gravediggers rhythm section Jack Dublin on bass and Paul Byrne on drums.
Spanish lady
Shane MacGowan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the hour of twelve o'clock at night
Who should I see but the Spanish lady
Washing her feet by candlelight
First she washed it
Then she dried it
Over a fire of amber coals
In all my life I never did see
Whack for the tur a lur a laddy
Whack for the tur a lur a lay
Whack for the tur a lur a laddy
Whack for the tur a lur a lay
As I went our through Dublin City
At the hour of half past eight
Who do I see but the Spanish lady
Combing her hair so trim and neat
First she brushed it
Then she combed it
On her lap was a silver comb
In all my life I never did see
A maid so sweet since I did roam
As I walked out through Dublin City
As the sun began to set
Who should I see but the Spanish lady
Catch a moth in her golden net
First she spied me then she fled me
Hitchin' her petticoat over her knee
In all my life ne'er did I see
A maid so fair as the Spanish Lady
The song “Spanish Lady” by Shane MacGowan tells a story of a man walking through Dublin City at various hours of the night and encountering the Spanish lady three times. The first time he sees her, she is washing her feet by candlelight and he is struck by her sweet soul. The second time he sees her, she is combing her hair and wearing a silver comb on her lap. The third time he sees her, she catches a moth in her golden net and runs away with him chasing her. Throughout the song, the man is enamored with the Spanish lady and speaks to her in a way that displays his admiration and awe towards her beauty.
The song is a classic Irish folk tune that has been around for centuries and is often sung in pubs throughout Ireland. The lyrics and melody have been passed down through generations of Irish musicians and have been adapted and recorded by various artists. Although the origin of the song is unknown, it is believed to have originated in the 18th century and has since become a staple in Irish music. The song has been featured in movies and TV shows and is often performed at Irish-themed events.
Line by Line Meaning
As I went out through Dublin City
The singer is walking through Dublin.
At the hour of twelve o'clock at night
It is late at night.
Who should I see but the Spanish lady
The singer sees a woman from Spain.
Washing her feet by candlelight
She is washing her feet with the light of a candle.
First she washed it
She washed her foot first.
Then she dried it
She dried her foot after washing it.
Over a fire of amber coals
She used amber coals to dry her foot.
In all my life I never did see
The artist has never seen anything like it before.
A maid so sweet about the soul
The woman seems pure or good-hearted.
Whack for the tur a lur a laddy
This is a nonsensical refrain.
As I went our through Dublin City
The singer is still walking through Dublin.
At the hour of half past eight
It is now half past eight in the morning.
Who do I see but the Spanish lady
The singer sees the same woman.
Combing her hair so trim and neat
She is combing her hair and it looks nice.
First she brushed it
She brushed her hair before combing it.
Then she combed it
She combed her hair after brushing it.
On her lap was a silver comb
She is holding a silver comb in her lap.
In all my life I never did see
The singer once again emphasizes his surprise.
A maid so sweet since I did roam
He hasn't seen a woman so lovely in a while.
As I walked out through Dublin City
The artist is still walking.
As the sun began to set
The sun is starting to go down.
Who should I see but the Spanish lady
The artist sees the woman yet again.
Catch a moth in her golden net
She is catching a moth in a net that appears to be gold.
First she spied me then she fled me
The woman noticed the artist and ran away.
Hitchin' her petticoat over her knee
She hiked up her skirt to run more easily.
In all my life ne'er did I see
The singer is surprised once again.
A maid so fair as the Spanish Lady
The woman is very beautiful.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHAUNCY OLCOTT, ERNEST BALL, GEORGE GRAFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@williammitchell9974
Excellent Lyrics By Our Shane 🎉🍀❤️
@danielleoldham6088
Best version of this song by far
@joel641
Best version ever!
@mromero521
Proud to be part Spanish Gaelic! Galicia!
@matthewcoyne2767
The Pogues are great. Cheers!!
@xMTxcameron
Definitely! This is the Popes though ;)
@suerockett556
Thanks for the info David. We formed out very first band last year, I play the whistle and flute. We play mostly irish or English folk music. My favourite at the minute is Irish Rover and Galway girl - the Poques and Dubliners together version of Irish Rover and Steve Earle Galway Girl. Seeing as Im 63 its not bad for a start! Also trying the REM losing my religion too.
@DavidHughesEire
+sue rockett Very good! I'm a musician too. I play a lot of Irish music, as well as music of ALL genres! Check out my channel, you might enjoy some of my recordings. It's cool that you've formed a band. Will you record some of your music and upload it here so I can give ya a listen. You've great taste in music so I'd say I'd really enjoy your band! All the best, your new friend, David from Longford, Ireland :)
@carrieannlongdon3160
💯 best version yet 👌
@suerockett556
Great music as always by the POGUES