Lyrics for Fairytale Of New York as interpreted by iKickDogs

Fairytale Of New York Lyrics
It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true

They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

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musicaddict
05-19-2002

Rated 0 
doesnt anyone else like this song? ohh well...:D

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gandalfe
06-12-2002

Rated 0 
Personally, it's one of my favorites. But, like much of the Pogues, it's a story, and most people don't comment on storys that are this blatant.

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x-ray cat
07-20-2002

Rated 0 
just a great song, no denying that

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ThenTheRoseRepeats
09-27-2002

Rated 0 
this is a wicked good song....i love The Pogues.

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StarmanDX
03-08-2003

Rated 0 
Beautiful song. And, yes, a "story song" is called a "ballad" :p

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All_almost
11-09-2004

Rated 0 
Beautiful song. My favorite from the Pogues. Not the typical Xmas song

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sethbrown
12-07-2004

Rated 0 
My all time favourite christmas song.

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bongo
12-18-2004

Rated 0 
how can you not love a christmas song where they hurl insults like 'slut' and 'faggot' at eachother.

merry christmas your arse = best line ever

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melodic_trash
12-20-2004

Rated 0 
'Complete antithesis of a Christmas Song'. I love it so much. I am of the opinion that it was about a young, reckless mand and woman who constructed their dreams around each other so much, they failed to realise it was doomed from the outset. However, there is a realisation that the young man in question appears to have stolen all that was pivotal for the young woman, and now it's all gone to rack and ruin, drink, drugs, sex. Happy Christmas your arse, I love it. It's going in all my Christas cards this year. The lines that get me are 'you were handsome, you were pretty'....evidently this has all been lost to some pipe dream that ended with lying on a bed on a drip in hospital.
It is completely sad, and like I mentioned an antithesis to a true Christmas song, and a bloody welcome relief too.

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thereisnoiinteam
12-26-2004

Rated 0 
This is the best Christmas song ever.

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Androgynous
03-04-2005

Rated 0 
It also makes me think of the lonely misery the many Irish immigrants of the 80's must have gone through around Christmas time. These two cling to each other for happiness amid the drunken despair, but it all turns to shit in the end.

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kernkraft
03-31-2005

Rated 0 
I think melodic trash is right about the song- it's one of the few songs that make me cry almost everytime I hear it- I see it as esplaining how life is genrally shit- it's only the other people that make it good- these two people may be in a bad place but at least they love each other, and thats all that matters...

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FeistyIrishGirl
05-20-2005

Rated 0 
"I've built my dreams around you".....heartbreaking.

This is my favorite Christmas song as well as it can make me laugh (Happy Christmas your arse) and then break my heart in the 2nd to last verse.

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still stupid
09-28-2005

Rated 0 
When you see the ould couples in the ould pubs in the Irish ghettos who spend the night getting drunker and and giving each other hell yet going home together at the end of the night cos all they have is each other then you know you're where this was written.

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kirotourmaline
11-11-2005

Rated 0 
I've always seen it as the song of a couple who start off remembering the past on Christmas Eve, then get into a long argument and scream at everyone how much they hate each other. Yet somehow, as the bells ring out for Christmas Day, they realise how much they depend on one another. He may be drunk and she may be cold, but their dreams still belong together. (I like the way the last verse seems to tie the two different melodies of the song together.)

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AngelLover
12-08-2005

Rated 0 
I Love It So Much!!! it is my favourite Christmas song because it is not just cheesy happiness(though thats good to!) It is a bit of a more realistic portrayal of Christmas!-people still argue! I love the way it starts off slow and speeds up. Everything about it is brilliant

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Doberman Pharoah
12-10-2005

Rated 0 
What nobody has mentioned yet is that the girl dies in this song.
The above comments have it fairly right, although you'll probably find that it depicts how the poor irish live, even in ireland.
So yeah, old couple on christmas eve, looking back at when they first met on christmas eve long ago and built their lives around each other, how their dreams were never realised, and now the woman is lying in hospital dying and dies as the bells ring out for christmas.

Ultimate christmas song. Such a pity about poor Kirsty, so talented. Just like shane. It's such a beautiful song, yet so sad, which strangely makes it all the more beautiful. A subtle realisation that christmas isn't all smiles and happyness. Can't wait til the pogues concert this christmas

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ThankYouForTheVenom
12-12-2005

Rated 0 
awwww does anyone know where i can download this???? Please!!!

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Adele88
12-13-2005

Rated 0 
It's the best christmas song - so true

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Sark
12-14-2005

Rated 0 
ThankYouForTheVenom - Still want the song? I'll send it over MSN if you like...

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GoNimrods
12-20-2005

Rated 0 
I love this song, since i was really little this has been my favourite christmas song. It's so bittersweet, and happy christmas your arse is a genius line!

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quiffporn
12-23-2005

Rated 0 
It is only recently that I really 'got' this song (not the concept, but what makes it great).

I love this image of this couple arguing, after he comes home drunk and blaming each other because they are not where they wanted to be at this point in their lives, her strung out on smack and him a washed up piss head.

I think it is so cool how he sounds like he is actually drunk (even though that is actually just his voice).
This is one of the best Christmas songs of all time.

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Doberman Pharoah
12-28-2005

Rated 0 
quiffporn,

she's not strung out on smack, she's lying on her deathbed in hospital. seriously, that is what it actually IS.

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time4heroes_
12-28-2005

Rated 0 
th best xmas song of all time not lyk th usual mariah carey crap tha every chav nd poser n cheesy creep sing every yr. its actually a decent song great lyrics luv th video luv thinsults ther brilliant luv how its a story luv th accent luv it all reli reli great!

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time4heroes_
12-28-2005

Rated 0 
did ne1 hear thm play on johnathon ross obviously minus kirsty mac coll RIP they wer erm quiet comical put it that way shane mcgowan was pissd and katie melua who was in place of kirsty wasnt up2 kirstys standards but never th less tried hard to with it but it jus wasnty happenin lol th worst ive herd it and probably th funniest ive seen it performed lol

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