The Longest Johns formed in June 2012 after first singing together at a friend's barbecue. The original line up consisted of Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathan Darley and Dave Robinson. About a week later, they posted their first video on YouTube, singing "Haul Away Joe." They released their debut EP, Bones in the Ocean, in 2013, the title track of which is still one of their most popular. Their first full album, Written in Salt, was released in 2016, featuring tracks such as Drunken Sailor, Old Maui and Randy Dandy-O.
In June 2018 they released their second album, Between Wind & Water, which contained the smash hit "Wellerman". This recording, as well as the one used in the bands' Sea of Thieves series "Open Crewsing" would go on to cause the viral sensation in the years to come.
In October 2019, the band announced that Anna Cornish would be leaving the band to focus on her other band, The Norfolk Broads.
In March 2020, they released a song titled "Flatten the Curve", urging people to stay indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2020, the band released their third studio album, Cures What Ails Ya. This album was the Johns' first album featuring a full array of instruments on half of the songs.
In March 2023, The Longest Johns released a collab album, The Longest Pony, featuring collabs with the Barcelona folk group, El Pony Pisador. The album features the song "Al Pirata Joan Torrellas" which sung only in Catalan.
On 1 May 2023, the band announced the departure of founding member Dave Robinson.
Fairytale of New York
The Longest Johns 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 Longest Johns's song Fairytale of New York tells a Christmas story of a couple, an unnamed narrator and a character called Kathleen. The singer is in a drunk tank on Christmas Eve when an old man sings a traditional Irish song to him. He turns his face away, dreaming of Kathleen who he is in love with. Despite being down on his luck, he believes that this year will be better for him and Kathleen. They had previously talked about moving to New York, believing it to be a place where all their dreams could come true.
The singer reflects on the contrast between the wealthy and the poor in New York. While the people he sees have cars and rivers of gold, the wind goes right through them, making it no place for the old. However, he remembers a time when Kathleen promised him that Broadway was waiting for him, and the couple danced through the night. The song takes a dark turn as the couple's relationship turns sour. The singer expresses his anger towards Kathleen, calling her an old slut on junk, and she retorts by calling him a scumbag, a maggot and a cheap, lousy faggot. However, despite this, the singer still feels that he cannot make it without Kathleen as he has built his dreams around her. The song finishes with the boys of the NYPD choir singing "Galway Bay," and the bells ringing out for Christmas Day.
Line by Line Meaning
It was Christmas Eve babe
The story begins on Christmas Eve
In the drunk tank
The singer is in jail, probably for being drunk
An old man said to me, won't see another one
An old man tells the singer that he won't live through another Christmas
And then he sang a song
The old man starts singing a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
The song the old man sings is called 'The Rare Old Mountain Dew'
I turned my face away
The singer turns away from the old man while he's singing
And dreamed about you
The singer starts thinking about someone they miss
Got on a lucky one
The artist got lucky with something
Came in eighteen to one
The artist had good odds and won 18 times their bet
I've got a feeling
The artist has a strong feeling
This year's for me and you
The singer believes that this year will be good for them and the person they miss
So happy Christmas
The artist wishes a happy Christmas to the person they miss
I love you baby
The singer expresses their love to the person they miss
I can see a better time
The singer is optimistic about the future
When all our dreams come true
The singer imagines a future where their dreams are fulfilled
They've got cars big as bars
Rich people have extravagant cars
They've got rivers of gold
Rich people have a lot of money
But the wind goes right through you
Despite the wealth, the cold wind still affects everyone
It's no place for the old
New York is not a suitable place for elderly people
When you first took my hand
The artist is reminiscing about when they first met the person they miss
On a cold Christmas Eve
The moment of meeting happened on a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
The person the artist misses made a promise
Broadway was waiting for me
The promise involved Broadway (a famous street in New York)
You were handsome
The person the artist misses was attractive
You were pretty
The person the singer misses was beautiful
Queen of New York City
The loved one is metaphorically referred to as the queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
The singer is recalling a specific moment when they were listening to a band play music
They howled out for more
The audience asks for another song to be played
Sinatra was swinging,
Frank Sinatra (a famous singer) was performing
All the drunks they were singing
The drunk audience members were singing along
We kissed on a corner
The singer and the person they miss shared a kiss on a street corner
Then danced through the night
After the kiss, they danced together all night
The boys of the NYPD choir
The artist hears the NYPD choir singing
Were singing 'Galway Bay'
The choir is singing a traditional Irish song called 'Galway Bay'
And the bells were ringing out
The church bells are ringing
For Christmas day
The ringing bells indicate it's Christmas day
You're a bum
The singer is angry at someone
You're a punk
The singer insults the person further
You're an old slut on junk
The singer continues to insult the person
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
The person being insulted is in the hospital and close to death
You scumbag, you maggot
The artist continues to insult the person
You cheap lousy faggot
The singer uses a homophobic slur to insult the person
Happy Christmas your arse
The singer offers a sarcastic 'Merry Christmas'
I pray God it's our last
The artist hopes this is the last Christmas they'll spend with this person
I could have been someone
The artist regrets not achieving their dreams
Well so could anyone
The artist comments that anyone could have achieved their dreams
You took my dreams from me
The person the singer misses prevented them from achieving their dreams
When I first found you
The moment of meeting with the person who took the artist's dreams is recalled
I kept them with me babe
The singer retained their dreams even though they failed to achieve them
I put them with my own
The singer combined their own dreams with the ones they couldn't achieve
Can't make it all alone
The singer realises that they can't achieve their dreams without help
I've built my dreams around you
The artist built their dreams around the person they miss
The boys of the NYPD choir
The song ends with the same words as before, about the NYPD choir
Still singing 'Galway Bay'
The choir is still singing 'Galway Bay'
And the bells are ringing out
The church bells are still ringing
For Christmas day
The ringing bells continue to indicate it's Christmas day
Writer(s): Shane Macgowan, Jeremy Finer
Contributed by Anthony P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@j.rosser9635
Lyrics: It was Christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank
When an old man said to me: won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The rare old mountain dew(wu!)
I turned my face away and dreamed about you
Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you Jaidy
I can see a better time
Where all our dreams come true.
They’ve got cars big as bars
They’ve got rivers of gold
But the wind blows 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 the corners
Then danced through the night.
And the boys from 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 sl*t on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag you maggot
You cheap lousy CARROT
Happy Christmas your arse I pray god it's our last.
The boys in the NYPD choir's 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
But 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 in the NYPD choir's still singing Galway Bay
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day.
The boys in the NYPD choir's still singing Galway Bay
And the bells were ringing out,
For Christmas day.
flutter flutter
WHEEEZE Merry Christmas!
@colonelmomo666
Two possible outcomes here: either my family will hate me for blasting this every single day this December or they'll end up singing along with me on Chrstmas day. I'll keep you posted.
@thelongestjohns
Very yes!! Please keep us updated with your progress :)
@sangay9361
What’s the progress?
@colonelmomo666
Brother is game, no questions asked, but surprisingly it's not as easy with my mum. A few more days should do the trick ;)
@sangay9361
colonelmomo666 ahahaha nice
@matejlieskovsky9625
It's the middle of May - are you still banned from going on YouTube? :-D
@j.rosser9635
Lyrics: It was Christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank
When an old man said to me: won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The rare old mountain dew(wu!)
I turned my face away and dreamed about you
Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you Jaidy
I can see a better time
Where all our dreams come true.
They’ve got cars big as bars
They’ve got rivers of gold
But the wind blows 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 the corners
Then danced through the night.
And the boys from 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 sl*t on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag you maggot
You cheap lousy CARROT
Happy Christmas your arse I pray god it's our last.
The boys in the NYPD choir's 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
But 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 in the NYPD choir's still singing Galway Bay
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day.
The boys in the NYPD choir's still singing Galway Bay
And the bells were ringing out,
For Christmas day.
flutter flutter
WHEEEZE Merry Christmas!
@hawkspiral
I think instead of "I love you Jaidy" it might be "I love you JD," but that's just a guess?
@isaac_aren
"The rare ol' mountain dew" mentioned at the start of the song is another great Irish song. Very traditional and upbeat
@thelongestjohns
We often start randomly singing the diddlyidle dum's when we're travelling