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
Whiskey in the Jar
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met with captain Farrell and his money he was counting
I first produced my pistol and I then produced my rapier
Saying "Stand and deliver" for he were a bold deceiver
[Chorus]
Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da
Wack fall the daddy-o, wack fall the daddy-o
I counted out his money and it made a pretty penny
I put it in me pocket and I took it home to Jenny
She sighed and she swore that she never would deceive me
But the devil take the women for they never can be easy
[Chorus]
I went up to my chamber, all for to take a slumber
I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure 't was no wonder
But Jenny blew me charges and she filled them up with water
Then sent for captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter
[Chorus]
And 't was early in the morning, just before I rose to travel
Up comes a band of footmen and likewise captain Farrell
I first produced me pistol for she stole away me rapier
I couldn't shoot the water, so a prisoner I was taken
[Chorus]
There's some take delight in the carriages a rolling
and others take delight in the hurling and the bowling
but I take delight in the juice of the barley
and courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early
[Chorus]
And if anyone can aid me 't is my brother in the army
If I can find his station in Cork or in Killarney
And if he'll go with me, we'll go rovin' through Killkenney
And I'm sure he'll treat me better than my own a-sporting Jenny
[Chorus]
The Pogues's "Whiskey in the Jar" tells the story of an Irish highwayman who robbed and killed Captain Farrell, but was later betrayed by his lover, Jenny. The song starts with the highwayman encountering Captain Farrell counting his money in the Kerry mountains, and the highwayman pulling out his pistol and rapier, demanding the captain's money. The chorus, "Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da, wack fall the daddy-o, wack fall the daddy-o, there's whiskey in the jar," highlights the joy and excitement the highwayman feels about his successful robbery.
After counting the money and taking it home to Jenny, she betrays him by filling his charges with water and alerting Captain Farrell. The second half of the song describes the aftermath, as the highwayman is apprehended by Captain Farrell and his footmen, and ultimately asks for his brother in the army to help him escape. The final chorus emphasizes the highwayman's love for "the juice of the barley" and "courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early."
While the lyrics themselves are fictional, the story of the Irish highwayman was a popular tradition in Ireland and England during the 17th and 18th centuries, with various versions of the story circulating in ballads and folk songs. "Whiskey in the Jar" was popularized in the 1960s by the Irish folk group, The Dubliners, and has since been covered by numerous artists.
Line by Line Meaning
As I was a goin' over the far famed Kerry mountains
While traveling over the famous Kerry mountains
I met with captain Farrell and his money he was counting
I met captain Farrell, who was counting his money
I first produced my pistol and I then produced my rapier
I first showed my gun and then my sword
Saying "Stand and deliver" for he were a bold deceiver
I demanded his money as he was a bold liar
[Chorus]
Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da
Wack fall the daddy-o, wack fall the daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus: A nonsensical refrain indicating that there is whiskey in a jar
I counted out his money and it made a pretty penny
I counted his money and it was a substantial amount
I put it in me pocket and I took it home to Jenny
I put the money in my pocket and took it home to my lover, Jenny
She sighed and she swore that she never would deceive me
She promised with a sigh that she would never betray me
But the devil take the women for they never can be easy
But women are traitors and can never be trusted
[Chorus]
Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da
Wack fall the daddy-o, wack fall the daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus: A nonsensical refrain indicating that there is whiskey in a jar
I went up to my chamber, all for to take a slumber
I went up to my room to sleep
I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure 't was no wonder
I dreamed of riches, but it was unsurprising
But Jenny blew me charges and she filled them up with water
But Jenny emptied my gun and filled it with water
Then sent for captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter
Then she called for captain Farrell to be prepared for his death
[Chorus]
Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da
Wack fall the daddy-o, wack fall the daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus: A nonsensical refrain indicating that there is whiskey in a jar
And 't was early in the morning, just before I rose to travel
It was early in the morning, just before I was going to leave
Up comes a band of footmen and likewise captain Farrell
A group of soldiers and captain Farrell arrived
I first produced me pistol for she stole away me rapier
I tried to use my gun, as they had stolen my sword
I couldn't shoot the water, so a prisoner I was taken
Unable to shoot my gun due to the water, I was captured
[Chorus]
Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da
Wack fall the daddy-o, wack fall the daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus: A nonsensical refrain indicating that there is whiskey in a jar
There's some take delight in the carriages a rolling
Some enjoy watching carriages roll by
and others take delight in the hurling and the bowling
Others enjoy playing hurling or bowling
but I take delight in the juice of the barley
But I enjoy drinking barley juice (whiskey)
and courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early
And pursuing beautiful women in the early morning
[Chorus]
Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da
Wack fall the daddy-o, wack fall the daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus: A nonsensical refrain indicating that there is whiskey in a jar
And if anyone can aid me 't is my brother in the army
If anyone can help me, it's my brother in the army
If I can find his station in Cork or in Killarney
If I can locate him in Cork or Killarney
And if he'll go with me, we'll go rovin' through Killkenney
And if he comes with me, we'll wander through Killkenney
And I'm sure he'll treat me better than my own a-sporting Jenny
I'm sure he'll treat me better than my cheating lover, Jenny
[Chorus]
Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da
Wack fall the daddy-o, wack fall the daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus: A nonsensical refrain indicating that there is whiskey in a jar
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEREMY MAX FINER, SHANE PATRICK LYSAGHT MACGOWAN, PHILIP CHEVRON, JAMES THIRKHILL FEARNLEY, DARRYL GATWICK HUNT, ANDREW DAVID RANKEN, PETER SPIDER STACEY, TERRY WOODS
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