Thousands Are Sailing

[Dropofpoison]

Has this song ever been in a film or somthing, because when i heard it again quite reccently as i began to get into the Pogues, it sounded very familiar, and i realised that i had heard it long before i was listening to The Pogues, or any music for that matter, i think i must have heard it from a very young age

[philipchevron]

Has this song ever been in a film or somthing, because when i heard it again quite reccently as i began to get into the Pogues, it sounded very familiar, and i realised that i had heard it long before i was listening to The Pogues, or any music for that matter, i think i must have heard it from a very young age

It's been in a couple of movies, though the only one that comes to mind right now is Gold In The Streets. It was also, I think, used in a TV commercial for Murphy's Stout.

[Dropofpoison]

I must have heard it in one of them then, cos it was very familiar to me before id even heard of the Pogues

[left]

hey, is there anybody who can give me the chords for Thousands? I've found in internet something like A-D-A-F#m-Bm-E for the first verse, and they sound pretty good on the album version... but on the live versions like in the UltimateCollection it sounds really different to me, like C-F-C..and something else...any help? thanks

[Mick Molloy]

hey, is there anybody who can give me the chords for Thousands? I've found in internet something like A-D-A-F#m-Bm-E for the first verse, and they sound pretty good on the album version... but on the live versions like in the UltimateCollection it sounds really different to me, like C-F-C..and something else...any help? thanks

Yeah I think when Shane sings it there's a capo on two but Mr. C probably knows more about that

[MacRua]

Hasn't Philip expalined it?

[philipchevron]

hey, is there anybody who can give me the chords for Thousands? I've found in internet something like A-D-A-F#m-Bm-E for the first verse, and they sound pretty good on the album version... but on the live versions like in the UltimateCollection it sounds really different to me, like C-F-C..and something else...any help? thanks

Yeah I think when Shane sings it there's a capo on two but Mr. C probably knows more about that

Shane sings the original IISFFGWG version in A, so most tabs and, indeed, the published sheet music, render it in that key. So that's A D A F#m Bsomething E. I call that chord Bsomething because it is a deliberately obfuscated minor. It's closest to Bm7 but there are discordant major notes in it from the accordion and the cittern does something modal-like. Choose whatever works for you. Very often, rock "sheet music" transfers are collated by a gang of chimps who got momentarily distracted from writing "Hamlet".

On The Ultimate Collection live CD, I sing it in C, so it's 3 semitones higher than Shane's version and the chords of the first verse are therefore C F C Am Dsomething G. In this case, the D something is further clouded. I usually start with a basic Dm7 but slip in a few transient D6 or D7 chords.

Don't worry if the long instrumental section foxes you - it occasionally still catches Jem and Darryl (and sometimes myself too) in mid air 20 years later. It's not that it's difficult, just awkward to remember long term.

[Eric V]

..... a deliberately obfuscated minor.

I was once one of these, but grew out of it by the 1990s. Sorry... couldn't resist.

[left]

Hasn't Philip expalined it?

Not really, there Mr.C just pointed out what is the first chord, but seen that I'm not a guitar hero it was helpful to know all the first chords

Shane sings the original IISFFGWG version in A, so most tabs and, indeed, the sheet music, render it in that key. So that's A D A F#m Bsomething E. I call that chord Bsomething because it is a deliberately obfuscated minor. It's closest to Bm7 but there are discordant major notes in it from the accordion and the cittern does something modal-like. Choose whatever works for you. Very often, rock "sheet music" transfers are collated by a gang of chimps who got momentarily distracted from writing "Hamlet".

On The Ultimate Collection live CD, I sing it in C, so it's 3 semitones higher than Shane's version and the chords of the first verse are therefore C F C Am Dsomething G. In this case, the D something is further clouded. I usually start with a basic Dm7 but slip in a few transient D6 or D7 chords.

Thank you for this detailed explications Mr. C. Excepted the first two albums I tend to have some troubles to find out the chords, but my guitar skills will improve one day..
Usually I find pretty good tabs for the Pogues and similar kind of music, but, as any information on internet, it should be taken with prudence

[Behan]

BBC RECORDS (1991)

"BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME"

BBC CD 844 - later reissues on Hummingbird Records

THOUSANDS ARE SAILING

Philip Chevron (guitar/vocals)
Maire Breathnach (fiddle)
Seamus Glackin (fiddle)
Kevin Glackin (fiddle)
Paul Moran (drums)
Anto Drennan (guitar)
James Delaney (keyboards)

PRODUCED BY DONAL LUNNY

Recorded at Ringsend Road Studios, Dublin, April 9, 1990

[Gurrier]

Besides, we already were engaged in the lifelong debate about what Brendan Behan was or was not capable of doing "up and down the street".

Isn't the line "And in Brendan Behan's footsteps I danced up and down the street"? That would be indicating to the fact you yourself were dancing in his footsteps? Nothing about Brenno actually dancing though?

[philipchevron]

Besides, we already were engaged in the lifelong debate about what Brendan Behan was or was not capable of doing "up and down the street".

Isn't the line "And in Brendan Behan's footsteps I danced up and down the street"? That would be indicating to the fact you yourself were dancing in his footsteps? Nothing about Brenno actually dancing though?

Et tu, Brute? The implication is that tribute was paid to Mr Behan by dancing "up and down the street" because of his penchant for spontaneously tripping the light whenever he came across a busker playing Irish music. When I worked as general dogsbody on a 1977 album Behan tribute album in Ireland by McKenna Carroll Rowsome, one of them told me that Brendan's favourite dancing tune was "The Blackbird" and indeed, we included the tune on the album for that reason. Tenuous yes, but I'm a songwriter, not a biographer.

[Gurrier]

Besides, we already were engaged in the lifelong debate about what Brendan Behan was or was not capable of doing "up and down the street".

Isn't the line "And in Brendan Behan's footsteps I danced up and down the street"? That would be indicating to the fact you yourself were dancing in his footsteps? Nothing about Brenno actually dancing though?

Et tu, Brute? The implication is that tribute was paid to Mr Behan by dancing "up and down the street" because of his penchant for spontaneously tripping the light whenever he came across a busker playing Irish music. When I worked as general dogsbody on a 1977 album Behan tribute album in Ireland by McKenna Carroll Rowsome, one of them told me that Brendan's favourite dancing tune was "The Blackbird" and indeed, we included the tune on the album for that reason. Tenuous yes, but I'm a songwriter, not a biographer.

That's some nice imagery there, so Behan would dance up and down the street!

I guess an autograph is out of the question then, Julius?

[KathleenwithaK]

Besides, we already were engaged in the lifelong debate about what Brendan Behan was or was not capable of doing "up and down the street".

Isn't the line "And in Brendan Behan's footsteps I danced up and down the street"? That would be indicating to the fact you yourself were dancing in his footsteps? Nothing about Brenno actually dancing though?

Et tu, Brute? The implication is that tribute was paid to Mr Behan by dancing "up and down the street" because of his penchant for spontaneously tripping the light whenever he came across a busker playing Irish music. When I worked as general dogsbody on a 1977 album Behan tribute album in Ireland by McKenna Carroll Rowsome, one of them told me that Brendan's favourite dancing tune was "The Blackbird" and indeed, we included the tune on the album for that reason. Tenuous
yes, but I'm a songwriter, not a biographer.

Ah, see I had always thought like Gurrier, that the singer/narrator was dancing/reveling in the thoguht that he might be IN Behan's foosteps-the sheer JOY of it! I did not have the image of Behan actully dancing. Thank you Mr C for the clarification. Always good to check with the source! Probably won't change the image in my mind's eye though, I think I've got that too deeply ingrained.

[ohAonghusa]

It's always been my sense that the dancing was in the metaphorical footsteps of Mr. Behan. As we've already set the scene in Times Square, a nod to George M., and I feelof course we are in the Theater District (imagine the soused playwright walking the streets as the hack-tors tear his words to shreds during the 8-10PM hours -- he cannot bear to watch, is to full to drink more, and so must walk), the entire scene makes absolute, perfect, symmetrical, brilliant, sad sense and needs no explaining from Mr. C nor anyone.