Five Green Queens and Jean

**Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:22 pm**

What is this song about?

"Five green queens in a black bin bag"????

At a guess, I'd say it was a drugs reference, or a reference to some sort of sexual act. Anyone know?

**Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:37 pm**

Tiocfaidh Ar La wrote:What is this song about?

"Five green queens in a black bin bag"????

At a guess, I'd say it was a drugs reference, or a reference to some sort of sexual act. Anyone know?

At a guess:.

Five green (dead, rotting) queens (homosexuals) in a black bin bag (dumped like rubbish) meant all the world to me...

Shane (apparently) used to strongly dislike homosexuals, so perhaps he's looking back on that with embarassment/shame.

**Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:48 pm**

I've always been confused by this song, too. But here's a suggestion (among others) from the Parting Glass website: http://www.poguetry.com

<<Here's another take I got from Noel in Wexford (go raibh maith agat!) who says he got it straight from Shaney Mac and I'm willing to believe him. Here's what he wrote:

"I asked him [Shane] once about this song and he told me that the five green queens refer to a dice game. On the dice you have 6 "cards" (9, 10 Jack, Queen, King and Ace) and you throw them against a wall and they bounce back onto a black bag (or strip of carpet or whatever) and whatever would be face up would be your hand. The "cards" all have different colours King red, Ace black etc, and Queens green hence 5 Green Queens. I imagine Shane played this game somewhere in Thailand (but that's only a guess) and as for Jean, Shane never mentioned and I didn't pursue him on it."
On the downside, then, we still don't know who Jean is.>>

**Sun Apr 03, 2005 1:46 am**

Jean was Shane's landlady at the time after what i know Shane played the game in his London flat.and after a while when the dizes always ended up with 5 green queens Shane got spooked and Jean went up to his apartment after some trahing of furnitures or something so then it went Five Green Queens and Jean

**Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:30 pm**

I'm guessing it has to do with the a location in New York. 5 green is a street in Queens, New York.

**Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:35 pm**

do they have black bin bags in new york?

**Sun Feb 05, 2017 6:45 pm**

in Canada we call them green garbage bags but I know from watching Corrie that they use black bin bags. Poker dice which we use to play Liar's Dice have face cards on them and the queens are green. Five green queens is a very good hand when you are in a back alley playing for money, rolling your dice on a black bin bag.

**Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:02 pm**

I figured green queens could be a reference to money since english money would most certainly have the Queen on it and would likely be green in color (i assume, haven't handled British money in years). Black bin bag i guessed was a garbage can liner bag. Figured it was just about being poor on the street, but maybe the reference to gambling in alleyways like have some have stated is on point... Not a whole lot to go off of in the lyrics though.

Always thought this was one of the prettier songs they ever wrote, especially with that bittersweet Cajun sounding accordion wailing away.

**Sat Apr 22, 2023 7:27 am**

Tiocfaidh Ar La wrote:What is this song about?

"Five green queens in a black bin bag"????

At a guess, I'd say it was a drugs reference, or a reference to some sort of sexual act. Anyone know?

Sex?? lol

This was Shane showing his unhappiness of still being in the Pogues at this period which reflects on a couple of songs on Hell's ditch and he was reminiscing of happier days when "5 green queens" (5 £1 notes) "an a black bin bag* (which was a common way of transferring one's belongings from squat to squat "Meant all the world to me"

And as for the last part "5 Green Queens & Jean" An Ex sorely missed