The Pogues - The Old Main Drag
Vložit
- čas přidán 16. 06. 2008
- BBC radio session 1985
When I first came to London I was
only sixteen
With a fiver in my pocket and my ole dancing bag
I went down to the dilly to check out the scene
But I soon ended up upon the old main drag
There the he-males and the she-males paraded in style
And the old man with the money would flash you a smile
In the dark of an alley you'd work for a fiver
For a swift one off the wrist down on the old main drag
In the cold winter nights the old town it was chill
But there were boys in the cafes who'd give you cheap pills
If you didn't have the money you'd cajole and you'd beg
There was always lots of tuinol on the old main drag
One evening as I was lying down by Leicester Square
I was picked up by the coppers and kicked in the balls
Between the metal doors at Vine Street I was beaten and mauled
And they ruined my good looks for the old main drag
In the tube station the old ones who were on the way out
Would dribble and vomit and grovel and shout
And the coppers would come along and push them about
And I wished I could escape from the old main drag
And now I'm lying here I've had too much booze
I've been shat on and spat on and raped and abused
I know that I am dying and I wish I could beg
For some money to take me from the old main drag - Hudba
That was pure McGowan. He could mix the most sordid with the most tender. No other song moves me like this one does.
This is the absolute essence of Shanes writing. How to capture the soul and spirit of the era, the people, well... of everything. Rest easy Shane! ❤️
The most McGowan song he ever wrote I.M.O.
Popular? NO
Amazing, gritty and real??
Oh Yeah!
This road will never end. It probably goes all around the world.
It does.
the world goes round, so I'll go round
The Pogues would be proud of that line
A road like a f*****-up face . Indeed, you are correct. There is no better song for that movie. Nice job of scoring it. Gus Van Zandt is a genius. He is to film what The Pogues R2 music.
Yeah I've been on it for last six months and still never made it 50 yards in any direction.Still trying tho.
Shawn MacGowan, farewell to a true poet and madman. Thanks for sharing some time with us.
Amen!
Well said there will never be another phone had the pleasure of see in in action afew times over the years in Glasgow rip my friend
My Private Idaho is what introduced me to The Pogues with this song. R.I.P. River Phoenix😢
Few song writers can see in the darkness and describe it so vividly as McGowan.
So true.
Absolutely correct
Something to slowdance to when you have no-one to slowdance with.
My Own Private Idaho brought me here!!
R.I.P. River Phoenix
+dnek1 same here exactly. that film though with scruffy river phoenix made me realise how u didnt used to have to be air brushed picture perfect back then to be considered a handsome star.
I just got back from a free screening of "My Own Private Idaho" at the Main Street Landing Theater in Burlington, VT. HAVE A NICE DAY.
Listen to Chris Connelly --The Early Nighters, elegy for River
Rest in peace Shane. Thank you for the music and words
One of my all-time favorite Irish dirges. It was also the end credit song for the
fantastic 1991 film "My Own Private Idaho" starring the late, great River
Phoenix.
RIP Shane this song is sad yet so beautiful.
One of the greatest songwriters and renderers of the past 50 years whose work will be remembered long after we're all gone.
Nobody does song like this these days and will never forever. I love love Shanes ' s wonderful wonderful and sweet voice. R.I.P. dear Shane. !!!!!!! 🎶🎶
RIP Shane MacGowan. The songs will live on!
why the man is one of greatest poets of his time
Amazing tune, They don't write songs like this these days.
This song, Mary Gauthier's "Drag Queens In Limousines", and Tom Waits, in general, all take me back to a time long passed.
Ah Shane, I'm glad I existed in the world for the same 65 years as you. RIP you wonderful lyricist ❤
If you grew up in NYC in the 60s and 70s you knew The Drag. We called it The 40 Deuce. It was 53d Street too.
RIP my brother
It was a nice surprise to hear this song at the end of My own private Idaho.
is it dated? I saw it at the theaters years ago.
Made the movie for me
Great song. B 52s.
Was it? I must have seen the film just before I borrowed and taped this CD from a friend of a friend and listened to it almost obsessively, especially this song. (Me and my friend and his friend and two others later got to see the Pogues live in LA. A dammed highlight of my life.) "I've been spat on, and shat on, and raped and abused" --- this line never goes out of my head
And not surprising considering the films theme and these lyrics.. Main drag being heroine
McGowan, 100% legend!
RIP Shane
so deep from his soul
Back in the 60s, my dad often had to run away from home. in the 80s, he had to see a therapist, and one of the issues he dealt with was ridding the sorrow he felt when listening to this song. I don't know the details of what happened to him, but this song paints a depressingly insightful picture.
that make this song so beautiful
Yeah. Things like this have happened to many of us in some ways or another, including me. But for me it was my father, at "home," before I could legally escape. Jesus. The f ing coppers made me stay there and keep taking it when I tried to run away. And many things like this never really heal, physically or inwardly. It was my mom's side that was Irish. After I got out he beat her too.
But yeah, this song can be therapy. And it can make some of us bawl like babies. I tried talking about this during the beginning of MeToo and people said that "MeToo" is a women's movement, period. So what about males it's happened to?, I asked. One person said "then start your own movement." As if anyone would give a dam. I'm proud of the MeToo women but can't say Me Too.
Shit.. that is is frickin sad...sorry for your dad. I feel hollow right now really 😔
Male prostitution, addiction and police brutality to name but a few
Shane was such an incredible songwriter, he is irreplacable
Best lyricist...bar none..
No one can convey raw emotion and the story the way Shane does, nobody!!
A genius. An a drunk. Perfection.
RIP Shane an absolute legend 🇮🇪
Never fails to send a shiver down the spine
he is so king hearted : dispite harshness never a word of hate, but hope always
A genius wordsmith. Rest in Peace with the angels Shane.
London's violence has increased so much in recent years that this beautiful song's story is almost quaint.
RIP Shane 🥃
just opened the christmas bottle of port early so me and my woman can raise a glass to shane macgowan. I am 65 and was lucky enough to be at some great gigs. The pogues were always a great memory. My fondest and most fun music with my mates, after and before the bar..... but this is the first time i have ever shed a tear at the passing of someone i didnt have the pleasure and experience to know. But i danced and sang your music and still do shane macgowan. i am not irish but heres to ya!
you're a real one my man
You are Irish enough and I'm Irish enough to say that.
RIP Shane MacGowan. This song tears me to pieces.
I feel the same.
RIP Shane.
Just grieving at the loss of another Irish giant.
One of his masterpieces... one among many
One of the few songs ever that almost made me cry.
I never met you,
But I bet you,
We'd have got on like a house,
On fire, you'd require,
Nothing but some good craic,
I lack nothing, nor you,
And the things that we do,
Reflect on the world as it turns,
Meyy Christmas to you,
Up in heaven adieu,
This is farewell to you,
Shane, Legend,
We'll remember you well,
And your Fairytale spell.
RIP Shane MacGowan. Gone today: far too soon. 30 November 2023.
Shane McGowan thankyou . The old main drag is a song of degration and sadnesss. what can I say pretty near a masterpiece
perfetc ...in the style of Dylan, Lou Reed and especially Tom Waits
Nagy Ciprian Mihai Nagy I agree with your comment about Mr Waits. Such a beautiful picture and lyrics- raw, pure and full of emotion as always ☘️🇨🇮💋
Absolutely genius lyrics so powerful rip Shane
Yes. Regardless. I couldnae hear anyone else doing such a deep and wonderful song like this.
It doesn't need a comment. It's already perfect.
The only song that can start and finish a genuine Irish Wake ;-)
I brought myself here because I've been a fan of the Pogues for over 15 years and fancied listening to some of their music.
I met Shane when I was younger and he bought me a can of beer on the train and sat with me and my friends even though Victoria(a lot of you will have to Google her) and another woman that was with then sat in different seats. He took out a bottle of gin from his bag and drank and chatted away to us until we got to where we were going.
His relationship with alcohol is a shame but he is a very down to earth man who would talk to anyone and has a great sense of humour.
Only writing this because I don't understand this new craze of "blah,blah,blah" brought me here.
What is the point of that? Noone cares to be honest
I would love to meet Shane, I don't believe in idols but he is my favourite personality
I love that story. He's always struck me as a very pained, very kind person. Generally, I don't get the "____ brought me here" thing, either. (I was just thinking today how irritated I was that most comments on Violent Femmes' "Good Feeling" are "Some awful TV show brought me here.") I mean, I really, really love My Own Private Idaho, and this song is a beautiful interjection at the end... But I'm not going to proudly announce that the only reason I'm listening to a song is I saw it in a movie.
@@theliamofella that is a good old contradiction
Dean, I’m not sure that admiring someone’s personality and idolising somebody is the same but I probably do idolise the fella if I’m honest
Closest I came to meeting Shane was in Hollywood at a club he was playing at in the early 90’s. He stumbled, but didn’t fall, after stepping on my heel. I thought he was going to kick my ass, but he turned back around. I was terrified. Wish I could meet him at a pub and buy him a pint.
this song is for everyone who had it hard and struggled to survive growing up..
Rent boys. never been one
Patrick Clayton think your better than us Patrick
@@patttrick not just rent boys. It's for anyone who's been picked up by the coppers and kicked in the balls/ beaten and mauled/ shat on and spat on and raped and abused, or the functional equivalent. Women and men and others. There's no "girls" or "boys" left if we manage to survive these kinds of things. Also white and black and brown.
@@patttrick So yeah Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter. There's no contradiction. Female lives and male lives and queer lives matter. Solidarity, my fellow human beings around the world.
@@ObamaFromKenya Does Patrick Clayton think he's better than the rest of us? ... because he's "never been one"? ... One what? A rent boy? Someone who's suffered more than they can possibly express or even bear? Let's tear down this sick capitalist racist misogynist society and the staggering inequality that causes so much unspeakable suffering.
This is a perfect song. To these ears at least. What perfect imperfection.
ive loved The pogues since this album,scooter rallies in the 80s brill timesxxxxx
"picked up the coppers and kicked in the balls". Best lyrics by a human ever.
the best lyrics that anyone can beg, or drag.
I was pulled in by the coppers and beaten in..........ahhh the old main drag....
Ah such inspiration i love the pogues so much always will be my favourite band
Yes that is a good quote and was a perfect song choice for that movie.
A beautiful song, grim, but beautiful.
The best...forget all that Christmas shite. This is Sean''s masterpiece. God bless you, peace and death in Ireland.
Poetry in motion
The band that inspired the novel, by Thomas C. Stuhr, SPRINKLED WITH EMOTION.
Mister Kirkwood would like to know if you'd like to hear his voice that way?
this is an absolute tune. one of my favourite pogues songs.
Hey I don't know why but every time I hear these bastards I feel like crying. They were just AWESOME
Fuck me too. Fucking hell.
HAVE A NICE DAY....
"If you don't know in Croatia was a fricking war and i was solider 5 year's(1991-1996)..."There is a scar's on my hart and time don't meen nothing....Now i Cry!!!...sorr.4 my English" ...Punkie d'Dog
OK. Let it out.
No one defines you.
@@crystalbluewire3339 Other ppl do define us when we're young. At some point we've got to take that power back and define ourselves. That doesn't take the pain away though.
Robert Kovac: Thanks for opening up online. This song's for all of us who've been permanently scarred by brutal sh*t. The pain will probably never leave me either, but go ahead and cry; it can be therapy. As long as you know that someone else cares, at least. I actually do care about you now, tho i know nothing else about you. If that makes any difference. Hit me up if you want.
amazing song happy bday ol boy
0:08-0:32 What an intro; so sad, but so beautiful
:) a man that lived in this age but from from another place in time:) now I personally cannot imagine young Shane resting these days:) it was never in his nature:)
Have a nice day
Perfection...Thank you VERY much for posting.A real gem.
Such a brilliant ending…
So happy i found thiz song. Its so easy to relate to. I always felt a comfort from this song, because it's something to relate too. A drug filled/alcohol filled life.
"I've been spat on and shat on and raped and abused" --- I'm glad that Shane was willing and able to sing this, cause it can and does happen to boys and men too
sorry: it sometimes plays in my head this way but I guess it's really "i've been shat on and spat on and raped and abused." Like the order makes any f ing difference when most or all of these things have really happened to you. Also "... picked up the coppers and kicked in the balls ... I was beaten and mauled" etc. Finally, I thought. A song that at least reflects some of my pre-adult life.
R.I.P. Shane
OK, I confess - I'm a Brit (apologies to all concerned) and while I love English folk, when I want to go on the lash there is only one song I go to!!! (My Sligo roots come out!!!)
RIP Shane McGowan x
Rest in peace
Quê música tão linda
Eu adoro todas as músicas deste excelente cantor turco.
RIP Shane. Timeless
Great !!!
Mom hated when I sang this song - LOve The Pogues
What a great picture
Sad but strangely life affirming. A contemporary version of Sweet Molly Malone.
brilliant, brilliant, bravo
Used to be my party piece i don't get asked anymore happy trails Shane for the good times
suprising to hear this at the end of my own private idaho
why?
How? It were perfect for the film.
Son of Ireland, master wordsmith, demon of the drink,...
Legend...Such was McGowan.
One of their best!
Thanks for this classic Shane R.I.P.
An absolute champion of lyrics and emotions,god bless you for your powerful songs ,rip
Blocked from being watched in Ireland? Well that makes perfect sense...
aha! Unbroken Continuity, TAL32. And fuck censorship obsessed antisex Puritans!
+Molly Mag Uidhir How so?
Odd...I'm watching / listening to it right now in Dublin 😀 R.I.P. Shane.
This is the best song ever that represents the Irish fellas that were on he dragggggg> Having been there i relate to it, so all others go have a bit of sympathy, please> so now i am lying here typing this defence.
I lost keys thanks the Pogues and the spirit are helping just call home and y'd saved
Love that!
I like the composition at 1'47, like a scratched vinyl...
Hmm, an experience id rather not have! haha, nice one Shane!
Superb! love you Shane RIP XXX
Just got housed from the drag and never been so fuckin lonely.
This song makes me so emotional
'There was always lots of Tuinal on the Old Main Drag'. Ha, ha, brings back memories, horrible drug, but cheap.
thank you also for posting the lyrics. I once formally rec'd this song to Radio Free Hawaii through a friend who worked there and asked me to rec something. But I heard that many listeners and callers thought it was "I wish I could escape from/ the old man in drag" etc. I had to explain what it was about before they played it again.
"cajole"....brilliant usage
RIP Phil :(