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 Gentleman Soldier
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
as sentry he did stand
He saluted a fair maiden
by a waiving of his hand
So then he boldly kissed her
and he passed it off as a joke
He drilled her up in the sentry box
wrapped up in a soldier's cloke
And the drums are going a rap a tap tap
And the fifes they loudly play
Fare you well Polly my dear
I must be going away
All night they tossed and tumbled
till the daylight did appear
The soldier rose, put on his clothes,
saying, Fare you well my dear
For the drums they are a beating
and the fifes they so sweetly play
If it weren't for that Polly my dear
with you I'd gladly stay
And the drums are going a rap a tap tap
And the fifes they loudly play
Fare you well Polly my dear
I must be going away
Now come you gentleman soldier,
won't you marry me?
Oh no my dearest Polly
such things can never be
for I've a wife already
children I have three
Two wives are allowed in the army
but one's too many for me
And the drums are going a rap a tap tap
And the fifes they loudly play
Fare you well Polly my dear
I must be going away
If anyone comes a courting you,
you can treat them to a glass
If anyone comes a courting you,
you can say you're a country lass
You needn't ever tell them,
nor pass it off as a joke
That you got drilled in a sentry box
wrapped up in a soldier's cloke
And the drums are going a rap a tap tap
And the fifes they loudly play
Fare you well Polly my dear
I must be going away
Oh it's come my gentleman soldier,
why didn't you tell me so? My parents will be angy
when this they come to know When nine months had been and gone
the poor girl she brought shame
She had a little militia boy
and she didn't know his name
And the drums are going a rap a tap tap
And the fifes they loudly play
Fare you well Polly my dear
I must be going away
"The Gentleman Soldier" by The Pogues is a traditional folk song that tells the story of a soldier who falls in love with a young woman while on duty. The song begins with the soldier standing guard, when he sees a beautiful maiden and salutes her. He then kisses her and disguises it as a joke, proceeding to make love to her in the sentry box. The drums and fifes playing in the background imply a sense of urgency and impending departure. The next morning, the soldier must leave to the sound of marching drums and playful fifes. The woman asks him to marry her, but he reveals he is already married and cannot, leaving her with a child and the shame of being an unwed mother.
The song is a cautionary tale about the dangers of wartime romances and the consequences that can result. The soldier, despite being a gentleman, is ultimately unfaithful and leaves the woman behind to deal with the fallout of their brief encounter. The music is fast-paced and cheery, but the lyrics tell a darker story that highlights the harsh realities of war and the broken hearts left in its wake.
Line by Line Meaning
It's of a gentleman soldier
There was a soldier who was also a gentleman
as sentry he did stand
He was standing guard as a sentry
He saluted a fair maiden
He greeted a beautiful woman
by a waiving of his hand
He waved to her
So then he boldly kissed her
He kissed her boldly
and he passed it off as a joke
He pretended it was just a joke
He drilled her up in the sentry box
He had sex with her in the sentry box
wrapped up in a soldier's cloke
Under the guise of a soldier's cloak
And the drums are going a rap a tap tap
The drums are playing a beat
And the fifes they loudly play
The fifes are also playing a tune
Fare you well Polly my dear
Goodbye to you, Polly my dear
I must be going away
I must leave now
All night they tossed and tumbled
They spend the night together
till the daylight did appear
Until morning came
The soldier rose, put on his clothes,
The soldier got dressed
saying, Fare you well my dear
Saying goodbye to his lover
For the drums they are a beating
The drums continue to play
and the fifes they so sweetly play
The fifes are still sounding very pleasant
If it weren't for that Polly my dear
If not for Polly, my love
with you I'd gladly stay
I would be happy to stay with you
Now come you gentleman soldier,
Now you, gentleman soldier,
won't you marry me?
Will you marry me?
Oh no my dearest Polly
Oh no my dear Polly
such things can never be
That can never happen
for I've a wife already
I am already married
children I have three
And I already have three children
Two wives are allowed in the army
It is allowed for soldiers to have two wives
but one's too many for me
But one is already too many for me
If anyone comes a courting you,
If anyone comes to court you,
you can treat them to a glass
You can offer them a drink
If anyone comes a courting you,
If anyone comes to court you,
you can say you're a country lass
You can say that you are from the countryside
You needn't ever tell them,
You don't have to tell them
nor pass it off as a joke
Or pretend it was just a joke
That you got drilled in a sentry box
That you had sex in the sentry box
wrapped up in a soldier's cloke
Under the guise of a soldier's cloak
Oh it's come my gentleman soldier,
Oh, my gentleman soldier,
why didn't you tell me so?
Why didn't you tell me earlier?
My parents will be angry
My parents will be upset
when this they come to know
When they find out about this
When nine months had been and gone
Nine months later
the poor girl she brought shame
The girl felt ashamed
She had a little militia boy
She gave birth to a baby boy
and she didn't know his name
And she didn't know who the father was
And the drums are going a rap a tap tap
The drums continue to beat
And the fifes they loudly play
The fifes continue to play loud and clear
Fare you well Polly my dear
Goodbye to you, Polly my dear
I must be going away
I must leave now
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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