White City is a place in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to the north of Shepherd's Bush. This song refers to the tearing down of the White City stadium. The stadium was demolished in 1985 to make way for the BBC White City building.
White City
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once stood gleaming in the night
Where now there's just the rubble
In the hole here the paddies and the frogs
Came to gamble on the dogs
Came to gamble on the dogs not long ago
Oh the torn up ticket stubs
Now washed away with dead dreams in the rain
And the car-parks going up
And they're pulling down the pubs
And it's just another bloody rainy day
Oh sweet city of my dreams
Of speed and skill and schemes
Like Atlantis you just disappeared from view
And the hare upon the wire
Has been burnt upon your pyre
Like the black dog that once raced
Out from trap two
The Pogues' song White City tells the story of the decline of a once-thriving neighborhood in London. It begins with an image of a shining tower that stood tall and proud, but now only rubble remains. The paddies and the frogs, a slang term used to refer to Irish and French gamblers, used to gather to bet on greyhound racing at the local track. The ticket stubs of their lost bets and broken dreams litter the streets. The neighborhoods around them are rapidly changing, with car parks replacing iconic local pubs. The song is a lament to a vanishing world, a city that has been swallowed up by progress and erased from view.
The song speaks to the poverty, loss, and displacement that is the legacy of urban renewal. The White City neighborhood was once a vibrant working-class community that fell victim to demolition and redevelopment. The song captures the sense of nostalgia and longing for a time when things were still intact, when community was still present, and a time when the speed and skill of the greyhound races represented the neighborhood's hopes and dreams. The song also uses the image of the burnt hare on the wire to suggest that even the spirit and soul of the community has been irreparably damaged and distorted by urban decay.
Line by Line Meaning
Here a tower shinning bright
The story begins with a tower standing tall, illuminating bright light
Once stood gleaming in the night
The tower was once shining like a star in the beauty of the night
Where now there's just the rubble
Now the tower is destroyed, leaving only ruins behind
In the hole here the paddies and the frogs
Where the tower once stood, the locals nicknamed 'paddies and frogs' begin to gather
Came to gamble on the dogs
They used to come for gambling on dog races held there
Came to gamble on the dogs not long ago
It's been recently when people used to come and gamble on dog races
Oh the torn up ticket stubs
There were numerous torn tickets, owned by around 100 thousand individuals
From a hundred thousand mugs
Each of the ticket belonged to one person, making it a total of 100 thousand individuals
Now washed away with dead dreams in the rain
All of these were dreams that washed away in the rain long ago
And the car-parks going up
Currently, car-parks are being constructed at the very site
And they're pulling down the pubs
Pubs around the site are being demolished recently
And it's just another bloody rainy day
The demolition is taking place under the rain, which happens to be just another rainy day in the city
Oh sweet city of my dreams
The singer used to have sweet dreams about this charming city
Of speed and skill and schemes
That city stood for speed, skill and various noticeable and ingenious plans
Like Atlantis you just disappeared from view
Just like how Atlantis once disappeared, this city too vanished unexpectedly
And the hare upon the wire
The imagery conveys a race between hares, where one stumbled upon a wire and burnt
Has been burnt upon your pyre
The dead hare was burned on a pyre in the city
Like the black dog that once raced
Similarly, like this dog, which once took part in the dog race competitions in the area
Out from trap two
This dog used to start from trap 2 during its racing days
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@estremonias1112
Very nostalgic song from the album PEACE AND LOVE dedicated to London (White City).
The song tells about a place where it was celebrated races of dogs and now "paddies and the frogs came to gamble on the dogs".
Congratulations to Shane McGowan for this excelent song.
Here a tower shinning bright
Once stood gleaming in the night
Where now there's just the rubble in the hole
Here the paddies and the frogs
Came to gamble on the dogs
Came to gamble on the dogs not long ago
Oh the torn up ticket stubs
From a hundred thousand mugs
Now washed away with dead dreams in the rain
And the car-parks going up
And they're pulling down the pubs
And its just another bloody rainy day
Oh sweet city of my dreams
Of speed and skill and schemes
Like Atlantis you just disappeared from view
And the hare upon the wire
Has been burnt upon your pyre
Like the black dog that once raced out from trap two
@cooperjackson614
This album introduced me to The Pogues. Rest in Peace Shane.
@miguelsequeira9240
Either
@otaku1524
Likewise. My gateway to the Pogues. One thing Tower Records got right, recommending these blokes.
@otaku1524
Likewise. Back in '89 out in San Diego when I was in USN when I first bought this, on cassette! Lot of wonder under the bridge since. RIP Shane!
@regwedde
Like Atlantis you just disappeared from view. God bless and thanks for the music
@kurthauenstein7149
Goodbye Shane, my hero since I was 12, am sat here now at 50 listening to this lyrical genius.
D.I.P.
Drink In Peace.
@Fintan23754
"The torn up ticket stubs of a hundred mugs, now wash away like dead dreams in the rain" How poetic is that line ? Genius "Shane" ! R.I.P😥
@johngreenfield4555
The pogues are one of the best bands ever! Seen them in the famous barras , one of the best nights of my life! Don't get bands like that no more!
@johnmanley7392
Rest in peace big guy. I'll be playing your music to my kids
@jonnyjaywick
theyre my boys fave band