Shane MacGowan Has Raised The Parting Glass

[moecurlythanu]

Shane MacGowan, former front man of The Pogues, poet, and prodigious drinker has shuffled off this mortal coil.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67546785

[mozo-pg]

This is a MASSIVE loss the the music community world wide. Shane was brilliant and did suffer from health problems. His music was the tapestry of my youth. Rum Sodomy & Lash and If I Could Fall From Grace from God are incredible albums. I love the Pogues. Fairytale Of New York is their best known tune. It's a controversial and Powerful tune. I'm really crushed.

[headcrash]

If I Should Fall From Grace With God is a desert island disc for me. The 30 Years compilation includes a live disc featuring Joe Strummer.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

[arturs]

The two famous Pogues albums were indeed a lot of fun. Punk and Irish trad music were a surprisingly effective combination and it took some real genius to put them together in such an enticing way. But frankly based on all the stories about the guy's habits and antics back then, I think he was very lucky to make it to 65. RIP.

[thedunno]

I am very sad to hear this. For me Shane is one of the greatest songwriters although his period of greatness was relatively short; the first 4 Pogues albums. ON the 5th album, Hell's Ditch, the effects of alcohol abuse become evident. After the Pogues Shane started his own band ' the popes'. They were a lot of fun but never reached the heights of what he did with the Pogues.

Shane has written so many ' evergreens' that I know I will take with me to the grave, Dark streets of London, Stream of whickey, The old main drag, A pair of brown eyes, Sally McLennane, Turkish song of the damned, Fairy tale of New York, Fiesta, Lullaby of London, The Broad majectic Shannon, White city, Down all the days, London you are a lady, Rainy night in Soho....all absolute classics in my book. A Pair of brown Eyes is probably my favorite of them all. A lyric that never ceases to amaze and that always keeps a bit of mistery.

Goodbye Shane. I will put on Rum, Sodomy and the Lash and raise a glass tonight!

One summer evening drunk to hell
I stood there nearly lifeless
An old man in the corner sang
Where the water lilies grow
And on the jukebox johnny sang
About a thing called love
And its how are you kid and whats your name
And how would you bloody know?

In blood and death neath a screaming sky
I lay down on the ground
And the arms and legs of other men
Were scattered all around
Some cursed, some prayed, some prayed then cursed
Then prayed and bled some more
And the only thing that I could see
Was a pair of brown eyes that was looking at me
But when we got back, labeled parts one to three
There was no pair of brown eyes waiting for me

And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
For a pair of brown eyes

I looked at him he looked at me
All I could do was hate him
While Ray and Philomena sang
Of my elusive dream
I saw the streams, the rolling hills
Where his brown eyes were waiting
And I thought about a pair of brown eyes
That waited once for me

So drunk to hell I left the place
Sometimes crawling sometimes walking
A hungry sound came across the breeze
So I gave the walls a talking
And I heard the sounds of long ago
From the old canal
And the birds were whistling in the trees
Where the wind was gently laughing

And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
A rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
For a pair of brown eyes
For a pair of brown eyes
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
For a pair of brown eyes
For a pair of brown eyes

[Unfrankie Valli]

https://twitter.com/RealPaulPutner/s...63989530009795

"My fave Shane fact was that he adopted the Record & Tape Exchange, Camden Town, as his personal ATM. Yer man would stagger in, buy a 2nd hand Pogues LP, scrawl some lyrics on the sleeve, sign it & immediately sell it back for beer money."

[Dave (in MA)]

Not the first person who would come to mind for doing a Pogues/Shane tribute:
https://thorstenquaeschning.bandcamp...-rest-in-peace

[Sunlight Caller]

I am very sad to hear this. For me Shane is one of the greatest songwriters although his period of greatness was relatively short; the first 4 Pogues albums. ON the 5th album, Hell's Ditch, the effects of alcohol abuse become evident. After the Pogues Shane started his own band ' the popes'. They were a lot of fun but never reached the heights of what he did with the Pogues.

Shane has written so many ' evergreens' that I know I will take with me to the grave, Dark streets of London, Stream of whickey, The old main drag, A pair of brown eyes, Sally McLennane, Turkish song of the damned, Fairy tale of New York, Fiesta, Lullaby of London, The Broad majectic Shannon, White city, Down all the days, London you are a lady, Rainy night in Soho....all absolute classics in my book. A Pair of brown Eyes is probably my favorite of them all. A lyric that never ceases to amaze and that always keeps a bit of mistery.

Goodbye Shane. I will put on Rum, Sodomy and the Lash and raise a glass tonight!

A perfect selection of songs and summation of the man’s lyrical genius. I saw them so often in their prime, I loved The Pogues back then. Shane was never going to make old bones, he lived too far over the edge. I found out today that my mate took the cover shot for The Pair Of Brown Eyes 45, I hadn’t realised and didn’t know him back then. He said they were all absolute gentleman to work with.

I too am playing Rum, Sodomy & The Lash, it’s my favourite but there’s lovely music on those first three albums. RIP Shane.

[Dave (in MA)]

This probably won't mean much to our friends across the pond, but:

[Dana5140]

Huge loss! One of the greatest lyricists and songwriters ever.

The island, it is silent now
But the ghosts still haunt the waves
And the torch lights up a famished man
Who fortune could not save
Did you work upon the railroad?
Did you rid the streets of crime?
Were your dollars from the White House?
Were they from the Five-and-Dime?
Did the old songs taunt or cheer you?
And did they still make you cry?
Did you count the months and years
Or did your teardrops quickly dry?
"Ah, no", says he, "it was not to be
On a coffin ship I came here
And I never even got so far
That they could change my name"
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
To a land of opportunity
That some of them will never see
Fortune prevailing
Across the western ocean
Their bellies full
Their spirits free
They'll break the chains of poverty
And they'll dance
In Manhattan's desert twilight
In the death of afternoon
We stepped hand in hand on Broadway
Like the first man on the moon
And a blackbird broke the silence
As you whistled it so sweet
And in Brendan Behan's footsteps
I danced up and down the street
Then we said goodnight to Broadway
Giving it our best regards
Tipped our hats to Mister Cohen
Dear old Times Square's favourite bard
Then we raised a glass to JFK
And a dozen more besides
When I got back to my empty room
I suppose I must have cried
Thousands are sailing
Again across the ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Postcards we're mailing
Of sky light skies and oceans
From rooms the daylight never sees
And lights don't glow on Christmas trees
And we danced to the music
And we danced
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Where e'er we go, we celebrate
The land that makes us refugees
From fear of priests with empty plates
From guilt and weeping effigies
Still we dance to the music
And we dance

[mozo-pg]

Keep in mind, this out pouring of love for the mightly Pogues is coming from prog fans who enjoy celtic punk! Glad to see an open mind here.

[spellbound]

Rest in peace, Shane.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Aaargh. Well, given the season, it's clearly time to play "Fairy Tale of New York."

[JKL2000]

RIP! What everyone else said. We were clearly born at the right time to be his primary audience (age-wise, anyway). We listened to the 2nd and 3rd album so much in college. Yeah, I didn't know many details of his life, but it was still pretty apparent that with a lifestyle like his, he wouldn't live to an old age.

[spacefreak]

Rum Sodomy & Lash and If I Should Fall from Grace with God have classic status albums to my ears.

[taliesin]

Huge loss! One of the greatest lyricists and songwriters ever.

The island, it is silent now
But the ghosts still haunt the waves
And the torch lights up a famished man
Who fortune could not save
Did you work upon the railroad?
Did you rid the streets of crime?
Were your dollars from the White House?
Were they from the Five-and-Dime?
Did the old songs taunt or cheer you?
And did they still make you cry?
Did you count the months and years
Or did your teardrops quickly dry?
"Ah, no", says he, "it was not to be
On a coffin ship I came here
And I never even got so far
That they could change my name"
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
To a land of opportunity
That some of them will never see
Fortune prevailing
Across the western ocean
Their bellies full
Their spirits free
They'll break the chains of poverty
And they'll dance
In Manhattan's desert twilight
In the death of afternoon
We stepped hand in hand on Broadway
Like the first man on the moon
And a blackbird broke the silence
As you whistled it so sweet
And in Brendan Behan's footsteps
I danced up and down the street
Then we said goodnight to Broadway
Giving it our best regards
Tipped our hats to Mister Cohen
Dear old Times Square's favourite bard
Then we raised a glass to JFK
And a dozen more besides
When I got back to my empty room
I suppose I must have cried
Thousands are sailing
Again across the ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Postcards we're mailing
Of sky light skies and oceans
From rooms the daylight never sees
And lights don't glow on Christmas trees
And we danced to the music
And we danced
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Where e'er we go, we celebrate
The land that makes us refugees
From fear of priests with empty plates
From guilt and weeping effigies
Still we dance to the music
And we dance

Just noting that McGowan didn’t write Thousands are Sailing - Phil Chevron did.

But Shane’s delivery of the song was stunning - we played the song for years with my Celtic rock band and trying to sing it with the passion he brought to it was always a huge challenge.

RIP Shane.