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
Wild Rover
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I've spent all my money on whiskey and beer
And now I'm returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay, never, no more
And I'll play the wild rover
I went to an alehouse I used to frequent
And I told the landlady my money was spent
I asked her for credit, she answered me, "Nay"
Saying, "Custom like yours, I can have any day"
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay, never, no more
And I'll play the wild rover
No never, no more
I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight
She said, "I have whiskeys and wines of the best
And the words that I told you were only in jest"
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay, never, no more
And I'll play the wild rover
No never, no more
I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son
And when they have kissed me as oft-times before
I never will play the wild rover no more
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay, never, no more
And I'll play the wild rover
No never, no more
"The Wild Rover" is a traditional Irish folk song that has been covered by many artists and is popular in pubs and on St. Patrick's Day. The song is sung from the perspective of a man who has spent his life as a "wild rover," spending all his money on whiskey and beer. He now returns home with "gold in great store" and promises to never play the wild rover again. The chorus repeats the phrase "no, nay, never," emphasizing the singer's resolve to leave his wild ways behind.
The verses describe the singer's attempts to get credit from a pub landlady, who denies him at first but then offers him the best whiskeys and wines when he reveals he has money. The singer seems to be using his newfound wealth as a way to escape his past, but ultimately decides to go home to confess to his parents and seek forgiveness.
The song has become a popular Irish anthem due to its catchy melody and simple lyrics, but it also speaks to the Irish cultural and historical context of heavy drinking and wild behavior. The singer's journey and eventual decision to turn away from his former lifestyle can be seen as a metaphor for the Irish struggle to resist the temptations of alcohol and find redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been a wild rover for many a year
I have been an aimless wanderer without a sense of responsibility for a long time.
And I've spent all my money on whiskey and beer
I have squandered all my wealth on alcohol.
And now I'm returning with gold in great store
I have become wealthy through hard work and determination and am now coming home.
And I never will play the wild rover no more
I am resolved to change my ways and give up my wild and reckless lifestyle.
And it's no, nay, never
I will never go back to that way of life again.
No, nay, never, no more
I am determined to break the cycle of my destructive behavior.
And I'll play the wild rover
I will no longer be consumed by my addiction to alcohol.
No never, no more
I refuse to go back down that path of destruction.
I went to an alehouse I used to frequent
I revisited a place I would regularly visit to feed my addiction to alcohol.
And I told the landlady my money was spent
I was honest with the establishment's owner, admitting my inability to purchase any more drinks.
I asked her for credit, she answered me, "Nay"
I requested that the landlod avoid charging me for a while but she turned down my request.
Saying, "Custom like yours, I can have any day"
She alluded to the broken promise of others who were not able to pay their debts in the past.
I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright
I took out 10 coins, each worth a pound, from my pocket.
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight
The establishment owner was happy to see I had the means to pay off my debts.
She said, "I have whiskeys and wines of the best
The owner offered me her best alcohol beverages for assistance in lightening my wallet.
And the words that I told you were only in jest"
The landlady's denial of being able to loan to me was a joke, and my offer of payment allowed her to continue her business while laughing at me in the process.
I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
I will tell my parents about my years of aimlessness and violent dependency on alcohol.
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son
I humbly request that they forgive me for my past transgressions.
And when they have kissed me as oft-times before
I anticipate being greeted warmly by my parents due to their forgiveness of me.
I never will play the wild rover no more
I am determined not to allow my addiction to alcohol to have control over me any longer.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: FRANK IFIELD, NORRIE PARAMOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ss3gf9ie6q
I've been a wild rover for many's the year
And I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer
But now I'm returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
I went to an alehouse I used to frequent
I told the landlady my money was spent
I ask her for credit, she answered me nay
Such a custom as yours I can have any day
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
I brought from me pocket ten sovereigns bright
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight
She said:'I have whiskeys and wines of the best
And the words that you told me were only in jest'
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son
And when they've caressed me, as oft times before
I never will play the wild rover no more
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
And it's no, nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
@thatstephenwelch4474
Farewell to the wildest of wild rovers. Sure if they'd told me that you'd outlive both Kirsty McColl and Joe Strummer by many years I'd never have believed them. RIP Shane McGowan. Your music and spirit will live on.
@combatdoc
Hell of a thing to wake to. 😢
@KernriverMerle
God bless Irish people, we Croats love your songs. Greetings from Croatia.
@puelladvie6317
The Pogues are English and so is this song
@Buddy303.
za dom
@conorhaddock3956
@Puella d'Vie like fuck is it, go to any celtic match or irish pub
@DaleyLFC
🇮🇪🍀
@DaleyLFC
@Puella d'Vie you’ve no idea what your talking about brother 😂😂😂🇮🇪🍀
@Nathrw
This song make me want to quit my job and start drinking professionally
@therealbadguy
I did