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
The Broad Majestic Shannon
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was whiskey on Sunday and tears on our cheeks
You sang me a song that was pure as the breeze
Blowing up the road to Glenaveigh
I sat for a while at the cross at Finnoe
Where young lovers would meet when the flowers were in bloom
Heard the men coming home from the fair at Shinrone
Their hearts in Tipperary wherever they go
Take my hand, and dry your tears babe
Take my hand, forget your fears babe
There's no pain, there's no more sorrow
They're all gone, gone in the years babe
I sat for a while by the gap in the wall
Found a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
Heard the cards being dealt, and the rosary called
And a fiddle playing Sean Dun na nGall
And the next time I see you we'll be down at the Greeks
There'll be whiskey on Sunday and tears on our cheeks
For it's stupid to laugh and it's useless to bawl
About a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
Take my hands, and dry your tears babe
Take my hands, forget your fears babe
There's no pain, there's no more sorrow
They're all gone, gone in the years babe
So I walked as day was dawning
Where small birds sang and leaves were falling
Where we once watched the row boats landing
By the broad majestic Shannon
The Pogues' song "Broad Majestic Shannon" is a nostalgic reflection of a past love and simpler times. The singer describes the last time he saw his love at a gathering in the Irish community, where they drank whiskey and cried together. His love sang him a song that was as pure as the breeze that blew up the road to Glenaveigh, a place of natural beauty in Ireland. The singer then reminisces about sitting at a crossroads where young lovers met when flowers were in bloom, and he listened to the men returning from the fair with their hearts back in Tipperary.
The second verse finds the singer sitting by a gap in the wall, discovering an old rusty tin can and a hurley ball, as he hears cards being dealt and Rosary called. He recalls a fiddle playing Sean Dun na nGall, an Irish tune evocative of traditional music that suggests a connection to the past. The song concludes by stating that the next time the singer sees his love, they will return to the Greeks, drink whiskey, and cry together. The singer recognizes that laughing or crying over an old rusty can and a hurley ball is pointless, and that they should focus on what really matters, which is their love and memories.
Overall, the song is a beautiful reflection on love, nostalgia, and the simplicity of life. It highlights the importance of cherishing memories and valuing relationships, rather than being preoccupied with material things.
Line by Line Meaning
The last time I saw you was down at the Greeks
I last saw you down at the Greek Pub.
There was whiskey on Sunday and tears on our cheeks
It was Sunday and we had tears on our cheeks while drinking whiskey.
You sang me a song as pure as the breeze
You sang me a song that was pure and refreshing, like a cool breeze on a warm day.
Blowing up the road to Glenaveigh
The song was so beautiful that it felt like the breeze carrying the melody to Glenaveigh.
I sat for a while at the cross at Finnoe
I sat at the crossroads of Finnoe for some time.
Where young lovers would meet when the flowers were in bloom
This place was where young lovers would rendezvous when the flowers were blooming.
Heard the men coming home from the fair at Shinrone
I heard the men returning home from the fair at Shinrone.
Their hearts in Tipperary wherever they go
Their hearts always belong to Tipperary, no matter where they go.
Take my hand, and dry your tears babe
Take my hand, wipe away your tears, my love.
Take my hand, forget your fears babe
Hold my hand, don't be afraid, my love.
There's no pain, there's no more sorrow
There's no more pain or sorrow anymore.
They're all gone, gone in the years babe
All of the pain and sorrow are gone now, left behind in the past.
I sat for a while by the gap in the wall
I sat for a while next to the hole in the wall.
Found a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
While I was sitting there, I discovered a rusty can and an old hurley ball.
Heard the cards being dealt, and the rosary called
I heard the sound of cards being shuffled and the rosary being said.
And a fiddle playing Sean Dun na nGall
In addition, I heard a fiddle playing an Irish tune called Sean Dun na nGall.
And the next time I see you we'll be down at the Greeks
Next time I'll see you, we'll be back at the Greek Pub.
There'll be whiskey on Sunday and tears on our cheeks
We'll still be drinking whiskey on a Sunday and crying together.
For it's stupid to laugh and it's useless to bawl
There's no need to laugh or cry over a simple, rusty can and hurley ball.
About a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
We shouldn't get upset over a rusty can and hurley ball.
So I walked as day was dawning
As the sun was rising, I walked out.
Where small birds sang and leaves were falling
During my walk, I passed a place where small birds were singing and leaves were falling.
Where we once watched the row boats landing
I remembered a time when we watched row boats landing in the same place.
By the broad majestic Shannon
This place was by the beautiful and expansive Shannon River.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind