Medley
The Pogues (With Joe Strummer) Lyrics

As I was walking down the road
The singer is casually strolling and enjoying their day.

A feeling fine and larky oh
The singer is in good spirits and feeling happy.

A recruiting sergeant came up to me
A military recruiter approaches the singer.

Says he you'd look fine in khaki oh
The recruiter suggests the artist would look good in a military uniform.

For the King he is in need of men
The British monarchy is looking for more soldiers.

Come read this proclamation oh
The recruiter attempts to persuade the singer to enlist by showing them a message from the King.

A life in Flanders for you then
The recruiter offers the singer the opportunity to fight in Flanders.

Would be a fine vacation now
The recruiter falsely suggests that fighting in Flanders would be a pleasurable vacation.

That maybe so says I to him
The artist responds to the recruiter's offer.

But tell me sergeant dearie-oh
The artist addresses the recruiter informally.

If I had a pack stuck upon my back
The singer questions whether they would be able to handle the physical demands of being a soldier.

Would I look fine and cheerie oh
The artist wonders whether they would still be in good spirits while carrying the weight of a pack.

For they'd have you train and drill until
The recruiter's response to the singer's question.

They had you one of Frenchies oh
The military would train the singer until they were able to fight against the French.

It may be warm in Flanders
The recruiter continues to falsely suggest that fighting in Flanders would be pleasant.

But it's draughty in the trenches oh
The conditions in the trenches would be cold and uncomfortable.

The sergeant smiled and winked his eye
The recruiter responds to the artist's hesitation in a flirtatious manner.

His smile was most provoking oh
The recruiter's expression was intended to be charming, but also insincere and manipulative.

He twiddled and twirled his wee moustache
The recruiter is depicted as a stereotypical caricature of a military officer.

Says he I know you're only joking oh
The recruiter falsely suggests that the artist is not serious about their hesitations.

For the sandbags are so warm and high
The recruiter continues to mislead the artist about the comfortable conditions of fighting in the trenches.

The wind you won't feel blowing oh
The recruiter suggests that the high sandbags would protect the artist from the wind.

Well I winked at a cailin passing by
The singer flirts with a young woman walking by.

Says I what if it's snowing oh
The artist brings up the possibility of harsh winter weather.

Come rain or hail or wind or snow
The singer lists several types of inclement weather.

I'm not going out to Flanders oh
The singer definitively rejects the recruiter's offer.

There's fighting in Dublin to be done
The singer suggests that the conflict in their home city of Dublin is more important than fighting abroad.

Let your Sergeants and your Commanders go
The artist suggests that military leaders should be the ones fighting in foreign conflicts.

Let Englishmen fight English wars
The artist calls for individuals of the same nationality to fight against each other, rather than enlisting those from foreign lands.

It's nearly time they started oh
The singer implies that the English should begin fighting their own wars.

I saluted the Sergeant a very good night
The singer uses military terminology to politely end the conversation with the recruiter.

And there and then we parted oh
The recruiter and speaker separate.

As I went down to Galway Town
The artist transitions to a new narrative about traveling to Galway Town.

To seek for recreation on the 17th of August
The artist goes to Galway Town in search of fun and relaxation on a specific date.

Me mind being elevated
The singer is in good spirits and excited for the day ahead.

There were passengers assembled
There were many people gathered at the station.

With their tickets at the station
The passengers are waiting with their train tickets in hand.

And me eyes began to dazzle
The singer is impressed by the crowd and excitement at the station.

And they off to see the races
The passengers are traveling to watch horse races.

There were passengers from Limerick
The artist identifies travelers from the city of Limerick.

And passengers from Nenagh
The artist identifies travelers from the town of Nenagh.

The boys of Connemara
The singer identifies young men from the region of Connemara.

And the Clare unmarried maiden
The singer identifies a young, unmarried woman from the region of Clare.

There were people from Cork City
The artist identifies travelers from the city of Cork.

Who were loyal, true and faithful
The artist describes the people from Cork as being dedicated and steadfast.

Who brought home the Fenian prisoners
The Cork travelers are credited with bringing back prisoners who took part in a nationalist, anti-British uprising.

From dying in foreign nations
The Cork travelers brought the prisoners back to Ireland to avoid them death in other countries.

And it's there you'll see the pipers
The scene shifts to the horse race grounds where bagpipers are performing.

And the fiddlers competing
The singer identifies fiddlers who are taking part in a competition.

And the sporting wheel of fortune
The singer describes a game of chance that is taking place at the event.

And the four and twenty quarters
The singer describes a game of chance that involves dividing a pie into 24 sections.

And there's others without scruple
The artist identifies some individuals who are not behaving morally.

Pelting wattles at poor Maggie
These individuals are throwing sticks at a woman named Maggie, who is likely an object of ridicule.

And her father well contented
Despite the bullying of his daughter, Maggie's father appears to be happy and content.

And he gazing at his daughter
Maggie's father is watching her with affection.

And it's there you'll see
The artist shifts the focus of the narrative again, back to the horse races.

The jockeys and
The artist is introducing the riders who will be competing in the race.

They mounted on so stably
The riders mounted their horses with ease and look secure in their saddles.

The pink, the blue, the orange, and green
Each rider is wearing a different colored jockey jersey: pink, blue, orange, or green.

The colours of our nation
Each of the colors worn represent different groups or regions of Ireland.

The time it came for starting
The race is about to begin.

All the horses seemed impatient
The animals are restless and eager to begin running.

Their feet they hardly touched the ground
The horses are moving so quickly that their hooves barely touch the ground.

The speed was so amazing!
The artist is impressed with the speed of the horses.

There was half a million people there
The artist notes the enormity of the crowd gathered to watch the horse races.

Of all dominations
The audience is comprised of people from various religions and backgrounds.

The Catholic, the Protestant, the Jew
The crowd includes people of various religious groups.

The Presbyterian
Another religious group is mentioned.

Yet no animosity
Despite their different backgrounds and beliefs, the crowd is not hostile towards one another.

Not matter what persuasion
No matter who someone is or what they believe, they are welcome at the races.

But failte hospitality
Despite their differences, the crowd is welcoming and hospitable to each other.

Inducing fresh acquaintance
The races provide an opportunity for people to meet and form new bonds.