The Body Of An American
The Pogues feat. Joe Strummer Lyrics

The cadillac stood by the house
A Cadillac car was parked next to the house

And the yanks they were within
American soldiers were nearby

And the tinker boys they hissed advice
The travelers advised to hot-wire the car with a pin

'Hot-wire her with a pin'
A suggestion was given to start the car using a pin

Then we turned and shook as we had a look
The artist and others felt nervous as they entered a room

In the room where the dead men lay
They entered a room where deceased people were lying

So big Jim Dwyer made his last trip
A man named Jim Dwyer passed away and his body was brought to a shore

To the shore where his father's laid
Jim Dwyer's body was taken to the place where his father was buried

But fifteen minutes later
After a short time had passed

We had our first taste of whiskey
The artist and others tried whiskey for the first time

There was uncles giving lectures
The uncles were giving talks

On ancient Irish history
The lectures were related to the history of Ireland

The men all started telling jokes
The men began to share humorous stories

And the women they got frisky
The women became playful or flirtatious

At five o'clock in the evening
At around 5 pm

Every bastard there was piskey
Every person there was likely drunk or inebriated

Fare thee well going away
Goodbye and safe travels

There's nothing left to say
There isn't anything else to add

Farewell to New York City boys
Goodbye to the men from New York City

To Boston and PA
Goodbye also to those from Boston and PA

He took them out
He defeated his opponents

With a well-aimed clout
Using a precise strike or punch

He was often heard to say
He used to say

I'm a free born man of the USA
He identified himself as a proud American citizen

He fought the champ in Pittsburgh
He battled the champion in Pittsburgh

And he slashed him to the ground
He defeated the champion with ease

He took on Tiny Tartanella
He challenged Tiny Tartanella

And it only went one round
The fight was brief and the artist emerged victorious

He never had no time for reds
He had no time for communism

For drink or dice or whores
He didn't drink, gamble, or engage with prostitutes

And he never threw a fight
He never lost intentionally

Unless the fight was right
He only lost when he knew it was the right thing to do

So they sent him to the war
He was sent to fight in a war

With a slainte Joe and Erin go
Cheers to Joe and goodbye to Ireland

My love's in Amerikay
The singer's lover is in America

The calling of the rosary
The recitation of a Catholic prayer

Spanish wine from far away
A Spanish wine that came from a distant place

This morning on the harbour
Earlier today at the port

When I said goodbye to you
When the singer parted ways with someone

I remember how I swore
The artist recalls making a promise

That I'd come back to you one day
A promise to return in the future

And as the sunset came to meet
As the sun set

The evening on the hill
The singer was on a hill during the evening

I told you I'd always love you
The artist expressed love for someone

I always did and I always will
The artist will always love that person

'cept to say adieu
Except to say goodbye

To your eyes as blue
A farewell to someone with blue eyes

As the water in the bay
Comparable to the color of the water in the bay

And to big Jim Dwyer
Also a farewell to Jim Dwyer

The man of wire
A tribute to Jim Dwyer, who may have been a skilled mechanic or electrician