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 Limerick Rake
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In Castletown Conner I'm very well known;
In Newcastle West I spent many a night
With Kitty and Judy and Mary.
My parents rebuked me for being such a rake
And for spending my time in such frolicsome ways,
But I ne're could forget the good nature of Jenny,
There's some say I'm foolish, there's some say I'm wise,
And I will find that there are women that think its no crime;
The son of King David had ten thousand wives
And his wisdom was highly regarded.
In Euclid and grammar they taught me to write
But my heart, it was stolen by a pair of brown thighs
That came from the mountains, her stockings are white,
I'd love to be tied to her garter.
And some you'll fuss over, and some you'll forego
In there Devonshire's treasure's are twenty times more,
But he's lying on his back amongst nettles and stones,
Agus fagaimid mar a ata se.
And when I am dead and I'm laid to my rest
My women and children will keen at my wake,
They'll gather around and they'll offer a prayer
To the Lord for the soul of their father.
The Pogues’ song The Limerick Rake is a lively and playful tune that tells the story of a young fellow who is known around his hometown for being easy and bold. The first verse alone speaks volumes about the character of the rake who spends his nights with different women in different places. Though his parents reprimand him for his wayward and carefree lifestyle, he can never forget the “good nature of Jenny”, the woman who stole his heart.
Throughout the song, he is both praised and criticized for his ways, with some calling him foolish and others thinking he’s wise. Interesting to note is the reference to King David, who was believed to have had ten thousand wives but was highly regarded for his wisdom. The rake may not have that level of wisdom, but he knows what he likes.
The last verse takes a more somber turn as he speaks of his death and his eventual wake. Even then, his women and children will gather around to mourn and offer prayers for his soul. The Limerick Rake is a fun and lighthearted song that represents the spirit and liveliness of the Irish people, their love for music, and their way of life.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a young fellow that's easy and bold,
I am a bold and carefree young man, well-known in Castletown Conner.
In Newcastle West I spent many a night
With Kitty and Judy and Mary.
I have spent many nights in Newcastle West with women named Kitty, Judy, and Mary.
My parents rebuked me for being such a rake
And for spending my time in such frolicsome ways,
But I ne're could forget the good nature of Jenny,
Agus fagaimid siud mar ata se.
My parents criticize me for my promiscuous behavior, but I cannot forget the kindness of a woman named Jenny.
There's some say I'm foolish, there's some say I'm wise,
And I will find that there are women that think its no crime;
The son of King David had ten thousand wives
And his wisdom was highly regarded.
Some people see me as foolish, while others see me as wise. Some women don't see my behavior as a problem. Even King David had many wives and was still considered wise.
In Euclid and grammar they taught me to write
But my heart, it was stolen by a pair of brown thighs
That came from the mountains, her stockings are white,
I'd love to be tied to her garter.
I was educated in Euclid and grammar, but my heart was captured by a woman's brown thighs from the mountains. I would love to be tied to her garter while she wears white stockings.
And some you'll fuss over, and some you'll forego
In there Devonshire's treasure's are twenty times more,
But he's lying on his back amongst nettles and stones,
Agus fagaimid mar a ata se.
Some women you will pursue while others you will forget about. In Devonshire, there are women with more wealth, but they end up alone.
And when I am dead and I'm laid to my rest
My women and children will keen at my wake,
They'll gather around and they'll offer a prayer
To the Lord for the soul of their father.
When I die, my women and children will mourn at my wake and pray for my soul.
Contributed by Lillian O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.