Pogues, The - The Body Of An American Lyrics






The cadillac stood by the house
And the Yanks they were within
And the tinker boys they hissed advice
'Hot-wire her with a pin'
Then we turned and shook as we had a look
In the room where the dead man lay
So big Jim Dwyer made his last trip
To the shores where his father's laid

But fifteen minutes later
We had our first taste of whiskey
There was uncles giving lectures
On ancient Irish history
The men all started telling jokes
And the women they got frisky
At five o'clock in the evening
Every bastard there was pissed

And fare thee well going away
There's nothing left to say
Farewell to New York City boys
To Boston and PA
He took them out
With a well-aimed clout
He was often heard to say
I'm a free born man of the USA

He fought the champ in Pittsburgh
And he slashed him to the ground
He took on Tiny Tartanella
And it only went one round
He never had no time for reds
For drink or dice or whores
And he never threw a fight
Unless the fight was right
So they sent him to the war

Fare the well gone away
There's nothing left to say
With a slainte Joe and Erin go
My love's in Amerikay
The calling of the rosary
Spanish wine from far away
I'm a free born man of the USA

This morning on the harbour
When I said goodbye to you
I remember how I swore
That I'd come back to you one day
And as the sunset came to meet
The evening on the hill
I told you I'd always love you
I always did an' I always will

Fare thee well gone away
There's nothing left to say
'cept to say adieu
To your eyes as blue
As the water in the bay
And to big Jim Dwyer
The man of wire
Who was often heard to say
I'm a free born man of the USA





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Pogues, The The Body Of An American Comments
  1. Q.... C....

    "Cause brother, when you were good, you were the best we had"

  2. P.... O....

    Love The Pogues... just ran out of weed... but I turned and shook seeing myself in a mirror ☠️

  3. M.... A....

    I`m from Galicia, but when I hear Shane I`d love to be an Irish

  4. C.... W....

    who come here from the wire

  5. A.... L....

    he was called, he served, he was counted - is this one of the best songs used in a tv show scene? I would put in my top 3

  6. P.... O....

    Going back to Monster Magnet Freak Shop USA

  7. P.... O....

    Yeah well...any of yuze still standing?

  8. G.... A....

    Damn The Wire and related stuff is still sooo good in 2019! Happy new year, all!

  9. J.... w....

    Mc gowans genius songwriting at its best

  10. m.... ....

    I loved this song until I just realized he wants to sing adieu when he sings "ad-you". Damn.

  11. d.... ....

    Wmd right chair

  12. M.... B....

    Everyone gets mad when I play the pogues on the jukebox. Fucking uncultured Philistines

  13. Z.... ....

    Ok, I’ve clearly missed something. What the hell is everyone talking about?

    Z.... ....

    The Wire, you are welcome

  14. F.... F....

    Were the lyrics done with voice dictation? I'm sure you could have found them somewhere, properly, online.

  15. M.... N....

    The wire brought me here

  16. B.... O....

    That I be.

  17. N.... T....

    Shane grew up in London and went to one of the top public schools (that means private to Americans). It was on a scholarship. I think it was the Westminster boys school.

  18. m.... c....

    Thumbs up if your a free born man of the USA! 👍

    m.... c....

    Double thumbs up if your last name is actually McNulty.

  19. C.... W....

    This makes me sadly happy :')

  20. P.... O....

    Beautiful.... love this song..... whenever I hear it ... but mostly at a cool bar on St Paddy's Day!

  21. J.... B....

    Singing this song drank feels like heaven 😄

  22. s.... h....

    Lyrics are miles out dude.

  23. r.... c....

    Hello, possibly my favourite pogues song ever

  24. S.... M....

    Lyrics up there with Sir Bob Dylan.

  25. M.... ....

    These lyrics are way off

  26. J.... B....

    "What the fuck did I do?" - JM

  27. B.... R....

    Ahhh the wire!!

  28. R.... a....

    Tiocfaidh ar la

  29. J.... R....

    What a beautiful song the Irish sing of the American man! Cheers

  30. S.... p....

    Man of words👌👌☘️🤪🍺🍺

  31. p.... n....

    Mcnulty❤️

    p.... n....

    McNulty means son of the Ulster man.

  32. P.... T....

    The band that invented the Dropkick Murphys.

  33. s.... ....

    Shane MacGowan, arguably, the greatest poet of the late 20th century. And feck alla yaz who'd argue.

  34. f.... ....

    Jay to Jimmy: "If I was laying there dead on some Baltimore street corner, I'd want to be you standing over me catching the case."
    Bunk : "Shit if you was layin' there dead on some corner it was probably Jimmy that done ya !"

  35. E.... Q....

    The Wire brought me here 👌😊

  36. l.... u....

    Fare thee well John Wayne. ...ha! unhear that!

  37. S.... S....

    Being old enough to own the single but to drunk to play brought me here.
    Now where's London girl?

    S.... S....

    That's an insanely well written song, can't believe it's a b side

  38. G.... L....

    Thanks uncle Shane.

  39. c.... m....

    A poem not a song,love it

  40. C.... W....

    *PLAY THE FUCKEN SONG!*

  41. R.... S....

    Will always make me think of Baltimore, where my mother was born.

  42. D.... Y....

    We are pow leece.
    So no lies between us.
    He wasn't the greatest detective, and he wasn't the worst.
    He put down some good cases and he dogged a few bad ones.
    But the motherfucker had his moments.
    Yes, he fucking did.
    You remember the Mississippi extradition? The arson murders? - Right.
    - He brought that case home.
    And the triple at the after-hours over on Hudson Street, that was Ray
    Cole at his best.
    And Fayette Street in '93, the drug wars.
    He took a lot of hot corners and cooled them.
    Yes, indeed.
    He won as much as he lost.
    Much as any of us.
    Did he piss off a wife or three? No fucking doubt.
    I think the last one actually kind of got used to him, thank God.
    Did he say the wrong shit now and then? Did he bust balls and cheat on
    his taxes and forget to call his mother and fuck the wrong broad for the
    wrong fucking reason every now and then? Who fucking doesn't? Christ!
    Was he as full of shit as every other sad-sack motherfucker wearing a
    badge of Baltimore City Police? Abso-fucking-lutely.
    His shit was as weak as ours, no question.
    But Ray Cole stood with us, all of us, in Baltimore, working, sharing a
    dark corner of the American experiment.
    He was called.
    He served.
    He is counted.
    Old King Cole.

    Robert Colesberry † February 9, 2004

  43. N.... P....

    On a fucking stair master!! Like that !!!!

  44. G.... G....

    sheeeeeeeeeet

  45. J.... R....

    Does anyone else remember the FULL name of the band and what it means in English?

    J.... R....

    Pogue Mahone Kiss My Ass!

    J.... R....

    Pogue Mahone Kiss My Ass

  46. D.... B....

    mcnulty! we will miss u - born po lice

  47. H.... H....

    A normal wake in Ireland

  48. S.... H....

    God bless Oregon, U.S.A.

  49. K.... ....

    Nice work

  50. W.... M....

    Play the fucking song hugh!

  51. J.... S....

    I always thought it was "With Sargeant Joe and a year to go, my loves in Amerikay."

  52. U.... ....

    Love this song and especially love the Pittsburgh shout out.

  53. P.... k....

    I’m going out like this

  54. D.... M....

    Everything right about the pogues

  55. j.... n....

    2019!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  56. P.... ....

    Irish Whisky brought me here... Sláinte!

  57. C.... L....

    The Wire is why I am here bit as an Irish-American myself I'd be lying if i said this wasn't a beautiful homage

  58. D.... ....

    As the sunset came to meet the evening on the hill...,the Bard MacGowan at his finest.

    D.... ....

    Correct, Mr "Abides". The last verse and chorus are heart achingly beautiful

  59. K.... A....

    Jimmee!

  60. B.... D....

    I went to "Like" this, only to find that I already did that previously.  So, add a +1 to whatever the Total "Likes" are as of today ...

  61. P.... P....

    I have the cd but thxs anyway 🙏😊🍀

  62. e.... g....

    Natural po-leece. Not sure where you got them lyrics though.

  63. J.... W....

    I swear I always love you always did always will

  64. V.... ....

    I give zero fucks about the wire and crappy tv writing in general

  65. V.... ....

    These lyrics are clearly wrong in places

  66. L.... E....

    McNutty!

  67. Y.... C....

    I don’t know what the fuck the wire is but may mr. macgowan and the mighty isle reign fore’er

  68. D.... ....

    Fuckn shit birds

  69. r.... ....

    Fuck the police

  70. I.... M....

    Natural Po lice

  71. g.... ....

    The Pogues and Creedence Clearwater - if you don't find yourself wanting to sing along to either, you have no soul.

  72. S.... ....

    I’m here about the bodies

  73. F.... A....

    It's every bastard there was pissed...or at least that's what Shane used to sing.

  74. p.... ....

    the body of E.T xxx

  75. S.... H....

    Wire brought me here

  76. J.... J....

    For Christsake, Hugh, play the fucking song already.

  77. S.... F....

    I'm a free born man of the USA 😊😊😊

  78. Y.... ....

    To my great grandfather Oskar, who went to America to start a new life because of family issues. He fought in WW1 for the United States and got injured. He later worked on the railroads and sadly got hit by a train and killed. I am namned after him and I am proud of being namned after Oskar.

    Y.... ....

    Her for the same. A Joseph Michael, missing his grandpa, Michael Joseph, on St. Pat's. Raise a glass to those who took tremendous risk for our betterment!

    Y.... ....

    @Joseph Ortiz I didn't lose any immediate family in war, but I've had plenty of family who fought in em, myself included.

    I'll raise one to you and yours Joseph, and to your family as well Oskar.

    POW/MIA - you are not forgotten

    Y.... ....

    ​@Gary same to you Gary and Joseph! Honor and remember them.

    Y.... ....

    I'll drink to the proud Oskars, lad

  79. S.... B....

    Lyrics are genius...great tune

  80. G.... J....

    Got to love it, a room full of narcotics agents singing a song written by a heroin addict.

  81. M.... I....

    The wire finale 😢😢😢

    M.... I....

    ...and pilot.

  82. I.... C....

    Saw Pogues in London in 80s and The Wire (a bit later). Loved both. Doesn't matter why you're here appreciate both.

    I.... C....

    Being Irish, it galls me to say that I first heard it from watching The Wire. However, in my defense, all people were listening to in my day was apparently the only 2 reggae artists in existence, those being Bob Marley and UB40!

    I.... C....

    @Timothy Graham It kind of annoys me when people get sniffy about where someone first heard a band or a song. I saw the Pogues a few times back in the day (I think late 86 was the first) but there's lots of music I've only discovered because it was in a movie or a TV show long after it came out.

    I.... C....

    @Not Dave's Channel yeah as long as you hear the music and appreciate it doesn't matter how it came about. I watched the wire and got turned on to this which eventually led me to IDLES who is now one of my favorite bands and their relatively new. Good music brings about more good music!!!

  83. K.... H....

    Bunk usually pukes in the street after this song is played.

  84. L.... R....

    Timeless....

  85. M.... 8....

    Mcnulty

  86. J.... Q....

    God, this is good

  87. D.... L....

    Ireland, England, and Shane McGowan brought me here. I don't give a f*ck about the Wire, whatever that is. I'm glad you like T.V. Do you know who Michael Collins is? How about Eamon Devalera, Oliver Cromwell, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde? TV doesn't impress me. Your knowledge does. Read a fucking book.

  88. D.... A....

    It's sad that the wire had to bring you here

    D.... A....

    No it isn't. Great song, great series. Not everyone was born at the right time to encounter this song when first released.

  89. J.... ....

    Used to sing this to my partner when drunk, which a few years ago was very often.

  90. 1.... ....

    I love the Pogues. That's what brought me here.

  91. I.... ....

    I'm a free born man of the USA ...'

  92. J.... K....

    James "Jameson" McNulty

  93. N.... W....

    It's poetry. Mix this with the Wire and understand blue collar USA.

  94. F.... C....

    i hate usa i shit on usa

  95. C.... B....

    Shane's lyrics are pure barbed wire.........

  96. A.... ....

    Brilliant

  97. e.... g....

    Jesus. Took some liberty with these lyrics, huh

  98. L.... P....

    Cole was a natural PAHW-LEES

  99. C.... C....

    JOHN MCFARLAND FROM MANAYUNK!!!!!

  100. e.... ....

    If someone is not here because of The Wire, get the fuck out of here you're a PUNK