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
Love You 'Till The End
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're all alone
I just want to catch you if I can
I just want to be there when the morning light explodes
On your face it radiates
I can't escape, I love you 'till the end
I just want to tell you nothing
All I want is for you to say
"Oh, why don't you just take me where I've never been before?"
I know you want to hear me catch my breath
I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
I just want to be there
When we're caught in the rain
I just want to see you laugh, not cry
I just want to feel you
When the night puts on its cloak
I'm lost for words don't tell me
'Cause all I can say, I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
All I can say is, I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
It's all I can say, I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
I love you 'till the end
The Pogues' Love You 'Till the End is a poignant love song that expresses the singer's unwavering adoration for his beloved. The lyrics speak of a deep and abiding love that transcends time, distance, and circumstance, and the singer's desire to be with his partner in both good times and bad.
In the first verse, the singer expresses his desire to be there for his beloved in all moments, whether it be catching them when they fall, witnessing the morning light on their face, or simply being there when they are alone. The imagery used to describe these moments is deeply romantic, and the singer's devotion to his significant other is apparent throughout.
The chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer loves his partner until the end, emphasizing that this love is enduring and everlasting. The second verse continues this theme, with the singer expressing his wish to see his beloved happy rather than sad, and to experience all of life's ups and downs together. The singer ends with the simple but powerful message that all he can say is "I love you 'till the end," which serves as a declaration of undying love and devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
I just want to see you
I desire to see you
When you're all alone
During times when you are by yourself
I just want to catch you if I can
If possible, I want to be there to support you
I just want to be there when the morning light explodes
I desire to witness and experience your joy and happiness
On your face it radiates
I can see your happiness on your face
I can't escape, I love you 'till the end
I am deeply devoted to you and will love you forever
I just want to tell you nothing
There is nothing I need to convey
You don't want to hear
There is nothing that needs to be listened to
All I want is for you to say
I want your willingness to express
"Oh, why don't you just take me where I've never been before?"
"Show me a new experience or adventure"
I know you want to hear me catch my breath
You desire to perceive my speechlessness with emotions
I just want to be there
I want to be with you
When we're caught in the rain
During instances when we find ourselves in the rain
I just want to see you laugh, not cry
My wish is to witness your happiness, not your sadness
I just want to feel you
I want to be close to you
When the night puts on its cloak
During the time where the darkness of the night takes over
I'm lost for words, don't tell me
I am speechless, no need to inform me
'Cause all I can say, I love you 'till the end
My feelings for you are unwavering, I will love you forever
It's all I can say, I love you 'till the end
My feelings for you are incomparable, I will love you always
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DARRYL GATWICK HUNT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind