Fiesta
The Pogues feat. Joe Strummer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am welcome to Almeria
We have sin gas and con leche
We have fiesta and feria
We have the song of the cochona
We have brandy and half corona
And Leonardo and his accordione
And Kalamari and macaroni
Come all you rambling boys of pleasure
And ladies of easy leisure
We must say Adios! until we see
Almeria once again
There is a minstrel, there you see,
And he stoppeth one in three
He whispers in this one's ear
"Will you kindly kill that doll for me"
Now he has won cochona in the bingo
All the town has watched this crazy gringo
As he pulls off the dolls head laughing
And miraldo! throws its body in the sea
El veinticinco de agosto
Abrio sus ojos Jaime Fearnley
Para el bebe cinquante cincampari
Y se tendio para cerrarlos
Y Costello el rey del America
Y suntuosa Cait O'Riordan
Nor vompere mis calliones
Los gritos fuera de las casas
The Pogues's song "Fiesta" is a vibrant celebration of life in the Spanish city of Almeria. Francisco Vasquez Garcia, the singer, welcomes listeners to Almeria, emphasizing the town's pleasures: "sin gas and con leche," "fiesta and feria," and great food and drink ("brandy and half corona," "kalamari and macaroni"). The song conjures a festive atmosphere, inviting "all you rambling boys of pleasure/And ladies of easy leisure" to join in the revelry.
The song also includes a macabre twist. The singer shares the tale of a minstrel who stops one in three people and asks them to "kill that doll for me." Eventually, the minstrel wins "cochona in the bingo" and pulls the doll's head off before tossing the body into the sea. While this may seem strange and morbid, it adds an intriguing layer to the song's celebration of life–perhaps suggesting that there is darkness beneath every party.
The song's final lines reinforce this sense of complexity. Jaime Fearnley opens his eyes on August 25th, and the others listed in the song's final stanza (including "the king of America" and "the sumptuous Cait O'Riordan") dance and shout outside of their houses. The lines suggest both joy and chaos, an acknowledgement that while life may be full of pleasures, it is also unpredictable and often wild.
Line by Line Meaning
I am Francisco Vasquez Garcia
I introduce myself as Francisco Vasquez Garcia
I am welcome to Almeria
I am greeted into Almeria
We have sin gas and con leche
We have no gas but have coffee with milk
We have fiesta and feria
We have celebration and festivity
We have the song of the cochona
We have the song of a woman-wearing pig
We have brandy and half corona
We have brandy and a small cigar
And Leonardo and his accordion
And we have Leonardo playing his accordion
And calamarí and macaroni
And we have squid and macaroni to eat
Come all you rambling boys of pleasure
Come all you wanderers who seek enjoyment
And ladies of easy leisure
And women who live freely without care
We must say adios! until we see
We say goodbye until we meet again
Almeria once again
In Almeria once more
There is a minstrel, there you see,
You can see a wandering musician
And he stoppeth one in three
And he stops every third person
He whispers in this one's ear
He whispers in someone's ear
"Will you kindly kill that doll for me"
"Will you please kill that doll for me?"
Now he has won cochona in the bingo
Now he has won a doll in the bingo game
All the town has watched this crazy gringo
The entire town watched this crazy foreigner
As he pulls off the doll's head laughing
As he laughs while pulling off the doll's head
And miraldo! throws its body in the sea
And finally throws the doll's body into the sea
El veinticinco de agosto
On the 25th of August
Abrió sus ojos Jaime Fearnley
Jaime Fearnley opened his eyes
Para el bebe cinquante cincampari
For the baby fifty-five centiliters of Campari
Y se tendió para cerrarlos
And went back to sleep
Y Costello el rey del America
And Costello, the king of America
Y suntuosa Cait O'Riordan
And the sumptuous Cait O'Riordan
No comperes mis calliones
Don't compare my testicles
Los gritos fuera de las casas
The screams outside the houses
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EDMUND KOETSCHER, RUDI LINDT, SHANE PATRICK LYSAGHT MACGOWAN, JEREMY MAX FINER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind