The Pogues were founded in King's Cross, a district in north London, in 1982 as Pogue Mahone - "pogue mahone" being the Anglicisation of the Irish póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse". The band specialised in Irish folk music, often playing with the energy of the punk rock scene from which several of the members had their roots.
Their politically-tinged music was reminiscent of The Clash, with whom they played (Joe Strummer produced one of their albums and even joined the group briefly), and used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo, cittern, mandolin, accordion, and more. In the later incarnations of the band, after the departure of Shane MacGowan, electronic instruments such as the electric guitar would become more prominent. The first of The Pogues' albums, Red Roses for Me, borrows much from the punk tradition of MacGowan's previous band The Nipple Erectors (later dubbed The Nips).
Band history
Shane MacGowan (vocals), James Fearnley (accordion) and Spider Stacy (tin whistle) were the original members of the Pogues, in the days when they busked on the streets of London. Before the rest of the group formed, MacGowan and Stacy were rumoured to have played impromptu performances on street corners and city buses which attracted local interest to their talent. They later added Jeremy 'Jem' Finer (guitar, banjo), Cait O'Riordan (bass) and Andrew Ranken (drums). The band rapidly developed a reputation, started releasing independent work, and ended up opening for The Clash on tour in 1984. Shortening their name to "The Pogues" due to lack of radio play for the curse in their name, they released their first album Red Roses for Me that October.
Phil Chevron (guitar) joined the group soon after, then with the aid of punk and new wave forefather Elvis Costello they recorded the follow up, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, in 1985 (The album title is a famous comment attributed, probably falsely, to Winston Churchill and others in describing the traditions of the British Royal Navy). The album cover featured The Raft of the Medusa, though the faces on the characters in Géricault's painting have been replaced with those of the band members. While the first album had featured a higher percentage of traditional songs, Shane MacGowan came into his own as a songwriter with this disc, offering up poetic story-telling, such as "The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn" and "The Old Main Drag," as well as definitive interpretations of Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town" and Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," the latter of which has become more popular than the original recording.
The band failed to take advantage of the momentum created by the strong artistic and commercial success of their second album. They first refused to record another album (offering up the 4 track EP Poguetry in Motion instead); O'Riordan married Costello and left the band, to be replaced by bassist Darryl Hunt; and they added a multi-instrumentalist in Terry Woods, formerly of Steeleye Span. Looming over the band at this period (as throughout their entire career) was the increasingly erratic behaviour of their vocalist, principal songwriter and creative visionary, Shane MacGowan.
Success & breakup
The band remained stable enough to record If I Should Fall from Grace with God in 1988 (with its Christmas hit duet with Kirsty MacColl "Fairytale of New York") and 1989's Peace and Love. The band was at the peak of its commercial success, with both albums making the top 5 in the UK (nos. 3 and 5 respectively), but MacGowan was spiralling out of control. Following their next album, Hell's Ditch, MacGowan and the band parted company in 1991.
With his departure, the band was thrown into a state of flux. Without their singer, vocal duties were for a time handled by Joe Strummer, before Stacy finally took over permanently. Two politely received albums followed, the first of which, Waiting for Herb, contained the band's third and final top twenty single, "Tuesday Morning" which became their best selling single internationally. In 1996, the Pogues disbanded with just three members remaining.
Post breakup
Shane MacGowan founded Shane MacGowan and The Popes in 1994. They recorded two studio albums in the period up to their split in 2002. MacGowan's autobiography, A Drink With Shane MacGowan, co-written with his journalist girlfriend Victoria Mary Clarke, appeared in 2001. During this time the three other long-term members of the Pogues (Spider Stacy, Andrew Ranken and Darryl Hunt) played together briefly as the Vendettas.
Reunion
The band, including MacGowan, re-formed for a Christmas tour in 2001 and performed 9 shows in the UK in December [2004]. In 2002 Q magazine named The Pogues as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". Also in December 2004, VH1 Conducted a poll to find the best Christmas song ever, with "Fairytale of New York" coming number one with 2,650 of the 10,000 votes cast - over 25%. In early 2005, VH1 conducted another poll to find the 100 greatest number ones that never Were, With The Pogues coming in at number 27.
In July 2005, the band - again including MacGowan - played at the annual Guilfest festival in Guildford before flying out to Japan where they played three dates. Japan is the last place they all played together before MacGowan was originally sacked in 1991, and they have a strong following there. They played a date in Spain in early September. The reunited Pogues played dates in the UK with support from the Dropkick Murphys in late 2005, and re-released their 1987 Christmas classic "Fairytale Of New York" on 19th December, which went straight in at #3 in the UK Singles charts on Christmas Day 2005, showing the song's enduring popularity. On December 22nd 2005 the BBC broadcast a live performance (recorded the previous week) on the Jonathan Ross Christmas show with Katie Melua. "Fairytale of New York" was voted the greatest Christmas Record of all time for the second year running in a poll by UK Music Channel VH1, with "Fairytale of New York" taking in a whopping 39% of the overall vote.
The band was awarded the life-time achievement award at the annual Meteor Ireland Music Awards in February 2006.
In March 2011, the Pogues played a six-city/ten-show sell-out US tour titled "A Parting Glass with The Pogues". In August 2012, The Pogues undertook a 30th Anniversary European Tour.
Discography
Albums
Red Roses for Me - 1984, #89 UK
Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash - 1985, #13 UK
Poguetry in Motion (EP) - 1986, #29
If I Should Fall from Grace with God - 1988, #3 UK, #88 US
Peace and Love - 1989, #5 UK
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (EP) - 1990, #43 UK
Hell's Ditch - 1990, #11 UK
Waiting for Herb - 1993, #20 UK
Pogue Mahone - 1996
The Best of The Pogues - 1991, #11 UK
The Rest of the Best - 1992
The Very Best of The Pogues - 2001, #18
The Ultimate Collection including Live at the Brixton Academy - 2001, #15 UK
Dirty Old Town: The Platinum Collection
Hell's Ditch
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Black Hell
Hell's ditch, naked howling freedom
The killer's hands are bound with chains
At six o'clock it starts to rain
He'll never see the dawn again
Our lady of the flowers
The guy in the bunk above gets sick
In the cell next door the lunatic
Starts screaming for his mother
Black dildo, black hell,
As the Spanish cops ridiculed my gel
A mugshot I remember well
Little man how you have suffered
I could hear the screams from up above
If it ain't a fist it isn't love
As for our lady she kneels down
Her neck is bent, the blade comes down
Doing! There goes the breakfast bell
Back from heaven, back to hell
Naked howling freedom, Hell's ditch
The Pogues's song Hell's Ditch is a poem set to music, with vivid imagery and harsh realities of life. The opening line of "Life's a bitch, then you die" sets the tone for the entire song with a bleak outlook on life. The phrase "Hell's ditch" refers to the dangerous and uncertain situations in which people find themselves. The line "naked howling freedom" conveys the desperation and longing for escape from the violence and injustice we face.
The song's second verse describes the brutality of prison life, with the killer's hands bound with chains and the screaming of the lunatic in the cell next door. The line "Our lady of the flowers" is a reference to a novel by Jean Genet, who was also a criminal and writer. The third verse portrays a violent act of sexual humiliation by the Spanish police and the memory of it being captured in a mugshot. The phrase "if it ain't a fist it isn't love" speaks to the destructiveness of violence in intimate relationships. The final verse describes a beheading, with the breakfast bell ringing as if time marches on in the midst of violence and death.
Overall, the song paints a bleak picture of life and the harsh realities faced by criminals, prisoners, and those who are caught in the crosshairs of violence and oppression. It is a powerful meditation on freedom and the pursuit of it, even in the most disturbing and inhumane of circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Life's a bitch, then you die
Life is a cruel and unpredictable journey, and eventually it ends in death.
Black Hell
A metaphor for the harsh, unforgiving conditions of the song's setting.
Hell's ditch, naked howling freedom
Life in prison, where inmates are stripped of their dignity and basic rights.
The killer's hands are bound with chains
The prisoner is restrained and has no chance of escaping his fate.
At six o'clock it starts to rain
The pathetic fallacy, reflecting the dark mood of the song.
He'll never see the dawn again
The prisoner is facing execution at dawn and will never experience daylight again.
Our lady of the flowers
A reference to the novel by Jean Genet, which explores themes of homosexuality, prostitution, and criminality.
Genet's feeling Ramon's dick
An explicit reference to the novel, highlighting the taboo subject matter of homosexual relationships in the context of prison life.
The guy in the bunk above gets sick
The appalling living conditions and lack of medical care lead to illness and suffering among the prisoners.
In the cell next door the lunatic
A prisoner with a mental illness, left to suffer in isolation without proper treatment.
Starts screaming for his mother
A harrowing scene depicting the tragic effects of imprisonment on mental health.
Black dildo, black hell,
An offensive taunt from the prison guards, who take pleasure in humiliating and degrading the prisoners.
As the Spanish cops ridiculed my gel
A personal experience of the songwriter, highlighting the oppressive tactics of the Spanish authorities.
A mugshot I remember well
A lasting record of the songwriter's experience of being arrested and imprisoned.
Little man how you have suffered
A reflection on the unjust treatment of prisoners and the pain they endure.
I could hear the screams from up above
A horrifying image of other prisoners being tortured and abused by the guards.
If it ain't a fist it isn't love
A bitter observation on the perverse power dynamics of the prison system, where violence is the only form of affection available.
As for our lady she kneels down
A reference to the biblical story of the woman caught in adultery, who was brought before Jesus to be stoned.
Her neck is bent, the blade comes down
A graphic depiction of the prisoner's execution, emphasizing the cruelty and inhumanity of the death penalty.
Doing! There goes the breakfast bell
A sudden, jarring reminder of the mundane routine of life in prison, despite the intense suffering and violence.
Back from heaven, back to hell
A bleak epilogue, suggesting that even death cannot release the prisoners from their torment and suffering.
Naked howling freedom, Hell's ditch
A final, ironic comment on the lack of true freedom in prison, where even the most basic human dignity is stripped away.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEREMY MAX FINER, SHANE PATRICK LYSAGHT MACGOWAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind