Fairy Tale Of New York
The Pogues Lyrics


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It was Christmas Eve babe
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
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 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

Overall Meaning

Fairytale of New York is a classic Christmas song by The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl. The song is about two lovers, an Irish immigrant and his girl, spending Christmas in New York City. The song starts with the man in jail on Christmas eve, feeling terrible about himself and lamenting that he may never get to see another Christmas. However, he soon starts singing a song, called the Rare Old Mountain Dew, with an old man in the cell who has clearly had a bit too much to drink. He then turns away and dreams about his lady.


The song then moves to the man and his girl, who is described as the "Queen of New York City." They talk about their future and the promise that delicious opportunities of the city will bring them. They seem to have found success and happiness as they spent Christmas together, kissing and dancing in the city streets. However, the song takes a dark turn in the third verse, where they start fighting and cursing each other out.


The most famous line of the song is its controversial opening lyric, "You’re a bum, you’re a punk, you’re an old slut on junk." While critics have argued that the language is inappropriate, others say that it makes the song's story and characters more authentic. The song continues to be popular and is recognized as one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time.


Line by Line Meaning

It was Christmas Eve babe
The singer is telling a story about a past Christmas Eve


In the drunk tank
The singer is in jail for being drunk on Christmas Eve


An old man said to me, won't see another one
A fellow prisoner tells the singer he won't live to see another Christmas


And then he sang a song
The old man sings a song to the artist


The Rare Old Mountain Dew
The song the old man sings to the artist


I turned my face away
The singer looks away


And dreamed about you
The singer thinks about the person they love


Got on a lucky one
The artist was lucky to win a bet


Came in eighteen to one
The odds of winning the bet were 18 to 1


I've got a feeling
The artist has a hunch


This year's for me and you
The singer believes that this is the year for them and their loved one


So happy Christmas
The artist is wishing their loved one a Merry Christmas


I love you baby
The singer is telling their loved one that they love them


I can see a better time
The singer can envision a brighter future


When all our dreams come true
The singer hopes that their and their loved one's dreams will come true


They've got cars big as bars
There are people in New York City who are very wealthy


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


But the wind goes right through you
Despite New York City's wealth, it's not a comfortable place to be homeless or poor


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


When you first took my hand
The artist is reminiscing about when their loved one first held their hand


On a cold Christmas Eve
The artist is recalling the specific time and place of that moment


You promised me
The artist's loved one made a promise to them


Broadway was waiting for me
The promise was that the singer would become successful in Broadway


You were handsome
The artist is complimenting their loved one's looks


You were pretty
Another compliment from the singer to their loved one


Queen of New York City
The singer sees their loved one as the embodiment of New York City


When the band finished playing
The music stopped playing


They howled out for more
The audience wanted an encore


Sinatra was swinging,
Frank Sinatra had been singing


All the drunks they were singing
The audience was drunk and singing along


We kissed on a corner
The singer and their loved one shared a kiss on a street corner


Then danced through the night
They danced together throughout the night


The boys of the NYPD choir
The New York Police Department choir


Were singing "Galway Bay"
The choir was singing a traditional Irish song


And the bells were ringing out
The sound of the church bells could be heard


For Christmas day
It was now Christmas Day


You're a bum
The singer is insulting their loved one


You're a punk
Another insult directed at their loved one


You're an old slut on junk
Another insult directed at someone else


Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
The person being insulted is sick and bedridden


You scumbag, you maggot
The artist continues to insult their loved one


You cheap lousy faggot
Another insult directed at someone else


Happy Christmas your arse
The singer is wishing an unpleasant Christmas upon their loved one


I pray God it's our last
The artist hopes that this will be the last Christmas they spend with their loved one


I could have been someone
The artist is contemplating their life choices


Well so could anyone
Anyone has the potential to become successful


You took my dreams from me
The singer is blaming their loved one for their unfulfilled dreams


When I first found you
The artist is recalling the time they met their loved one


I kept them with me babe
The singer held onto their dreams, even after meeting their loved one


I put them with my own
The singer's dreams became a part of them


Can't make it all alone
The singer realizes they need help to achieve their dreams


I've built my dreams around you
The artist has included their loved one in their dreams and aspirations




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jem Finer, Shane Patrick Lysaght Macgowan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Mossadagent666

Simply the best Christmas song ever !! . Rest in peace Shane . Nothing compares to this !! . G-d bless you Shane , Kirsty and Sinéad O'Connor , all now rocking in heaven.
Near a shady wall a rose once grew,
Budded and blossomed in G-d’s free light,
Watered and fed by the morning dew,
Shedding it’s sweetness day and night.
As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall
Through which there shone a beam of light.
Onward it crept with added strength
With never a thought of fear or pride,
It followed the light through the crevice’s length
And unfolded itself on the other side.
The light, the dew, the broadening view
Were found the same as they were before,
And it lost itself in beauties new,
Breathing it’s fragrance more and more.
Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
And make our courage faint and fall?
Nay! Let us faith and hope receive–
The rose still grows beyond the wall,
Scattering fragrance far and wide
Just as it did in days of yore,
Just as it did on the other side,
Just as it will forever-more.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻🌹
SINCERE CONDOLENCES, FROM
DOCTOR. KÄSTIEN. MD
Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💯🫡
Ps , I’m listening to this absolutely beautiful song on Christmas Day, 2023. I’ve just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two weeks ago, and this song really makes me cry with joy but also with pain. It really takes you on a journey that everyone in the world can relate to. Everyone has “been through” this song! . Christmas is full of all the emotions one can imagine. Happiness, joy, and downright pain in the depths of despair. 15 years ago, on Christmas Day, my ex-fiancé stabbed me 18 times to my skull and 12 times to my chest, inches from my heart. I’d cooked Christmas lunch, and everything happened so fast that I had no time to react at all. I never knew I’d been stabbed until I saw the blood on the crisp white walls of our new house, which we’d just moved into. Next thing I know, I am collapsing in a pool of my own blood that swallowed me up like a lake. I had just managed to dial for the police and ambulance crews to save me. Luckily, they did, but I still get flashbacks and even pain in my head (an injury site) and my chest to this very day. Life can really send you curveballs at times, but the main thing is to realise that the entire world is a very narrow and precarious bridge that we all must cross in this life. However, the main thing is never, ever to fear! . There will always be someone who will reach out to you on your journey on the bridge of life. No matter what life throws at you, remember that you’re loved and cared for, and someone is always there for you, even if it’s a stranger like me. I’m reaching out to everyone who reads my comment: I’m here for you, you matter, I love you, I’m your friend if you need one, I’m your brother from another mother, so remember, "My precious loved one," yes, I’m talking to you!,, who’s reading these words of mine. I love you, and if you need a friend, just contact me here, and if you want my Facebook or email address, just ask, and I’m here for you forever, or as long as I have left this world.
I wish you peace, love, happiness, and the most important thing of all—my heart and my love as a person who loves you no matter what. Be happy. May 2024 be a great year for you. Let’s unite for peace, love, and happiness. Please pray for me. I need your prayers and support. I would love to hear some messages of support, and maybe I will start a channel to help others with what they are going through. Your dear friend and brother, Dr. Kästien. 🙏🏻🫶🕊️🤝😊🫡👍🏻



All comments from YouTube:

@RTGame

The season begins

@therealtedx5284

Indeed it does

@dianamaioru497

Ayyy Daniel’s here!!

@db_xo5259

Yes it doesssss

@CraicDealer

Best Christmas song ever. Happy to see you haven't been scared away from saying you like it

@SDART998

Rt is pog

268 More Replies...

@SoldadoTTV

Nowadays every time you hear this song, the vocals heard are the voices of angels from Heaven.
RIP Shane and Kirsty. 🙏🇮🇪🇬🇧
1957-2023
1959-2000

@tenahennessy5489

The tow best singer ubh all time
❤❤❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😢😢

@harryaustin4327

Let’s get this masterpiece to number 1 already. RIP Shane and Kirsty. ❤️🙏🏻

@paulasandford6516

Please download and get your friends to download too

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