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
How Come
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you always draw the ace of spades
how's it when your best friend
brings you lillies on your birthday
hey, how come, hey how come
well i ain't superstitious, but well these things i see
how come, how come
how come when your local clergy calls
he tells me that you shouldn't wear black
what kind of bread are you going to bake
with that hemlock in your spice rack
hey how come, hey how come
well i ain't superstitious, but well these things i see
how come, how come
i ain't superstitious, but it worries me
the spider's run, the cobweb's gone
did you eat it when the moon was new
i drowned your cat, hwat do you say about that
i've even broken up your broom
how come, how come
well i ain't superstitious, but well these things i see
how come, how come
i aint a superstitious fella, but it worries me
well how come, how come
well i ain't superstitious but it worries me
well how come, how come
well i ain't superstitious and these things i see
how come, how come
i ain't superstitious, but it worries me
The Pogues' song "How Come" is a playful yet dark exploration of superstition and paranoia. The opening lines, "How come when I got the ace of hearts, ya always draw the ace of spades," suggest a feeling of bad luck and a lover whose presence seems to attract the opposite. The idea of superstitious beliefs is explored further in the second verse, as the singer shares that the local clergy warns against wearing black and questions what kind of bread could be made with hemlock in the spice rack. The third verse introduces even more sinister elements, including eating spiders and drowning cats.
While the song's lyrics may seem jarring at times, they are delivered with a sense of humor and a catchy, upbeat melody. The repeated refrain of "how come" serves to emphasize the singer's confusion and paranoia about the world around him.
Ultimately, "How Come" serves as a commentary on the irrationality of some beliefs and the often humorous ways in which people attempt to make sense of them. The Pogues' unique blend of traditional Irish music with punk rock influences provides the perfect backdrop for this exploration of superstition and human behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
How come when I got the ace of hearts
How is it that when I have the best, luck seems to turn against me?
Ya always draw the ace of spades
You always seem to end up with something negative?
How's it when your best friend
Why is it that even someone close to me can do something unexpected?
Brings you lillies on your birthday
When someone close to me does something outside of the norm?
Hey how come, hey how come
Why do these things keep happening?
Well I ain't superstitious, but well these things I see
I don't believe in superstition, but I can't help but notice patterns.
How come, how come
Why does this keep happening?
How come when your local clergy calls
Why is it that even when a trusted authority figure speaks, I can't shake this feeling?
He tells me that you shouldn't wear black
Why is he giving me this warning and what does it mean?
What kind of bread are you gonna' bake
Why is there a potential danger lurking in something as simple as making bread?
With that hemlock in your spice rack
Why is there a potential danger lurking in something as harmless-looking as spices?
The spider's run, the cobwebs gone
Why do strange things keep happening when I'm not looking?
Did you eat it when the moon was new
What is the explanation for something so strange?
I drowned your cat, what do you say about that
Why would someone I know do something so cruel and senseless?
I've even broken up your broom
Why are even the most ordinary things going wrong?
Well how come, how come
Why isn't there a logical explanation for all of these bizarre happenings?
I ain't a superstitious fella, but it worries me
Even though I don't believe in superstition, I can't help but worry about what all of these things mean.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
soph scots
Spider did an admirable job as singer
Fr. McGreer
Although i own just about everything The Pogues ever released (including this album on CD) i can't ever remember hearing this song before. I suppose i must have played the CD when i bought it (26 years ago!!!!!!!). It's been on the shelf ever since and will stay there.
Paul McCluskey
Thanks for uploading this. Due to the practically zero promotion Warners gave the single and album I've never seen it.
darragh omalley
@ajhsom yes have to agree video is awful but not a bad song 👍
ajhsom
@darragh omalley come on. It's utter rubbish. You can tell its been knocked together in 10 minutes. The song - rubbish. The Video - embarrassingly poor.
ajhsom
Maybe Warners knew it was utter crap.
gerard reilly
Good job Spider ♥️
Paolo Angaroni
Got the LP since releasing..first time to cheer the clip! Delight!
Jerry Walters
Spider lives in New Orleans now. I'm a longtime Pogues fan and I want to drive over from Houston TX sometime and give him a fist bump! Or handshake, whatever's in fashion at the time.
Eric Ambler
They just about held it together for a little while after Shane left, but with Fearnley gone too it was game over.