Dark Streets of London

[TheDrunkenScot]

Hi everyone,

now I have been racking and picking my brains for years over Dark Streets of London. I never could find the exact meaning in it. I can understand something about "Shane" being institutionalized and receiving ECT, but I never could figure ouot why he in the first verse loves winter, later hates it and why the summer time always reminds him of the mental institution...

Can any one please help me. I'd be ever so grateful
Thx in advance

[Cdn Steve]

this link has been posted before - but I think it's worth repeating - a great Pogues resource -http://www.poguetry.com/

Dark Streets of London
Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT is the current euphemism for "electroshock therapy;" so the place where they gave ECT would be a mental institution. Shane spent at least some time at St. John of Gods, a mental hospital in Dublin, a theme which recurs thoughout his writing (see "Cotton Fields," "Sunnyside of the Street," and "St. John of Gods"). In A Drink With Shane MacGowan (2001, Grove Press, ISBN: 0-8021-37900-3, p.86) Shane relates that he did not receive ECT while he was institutionalized, but it was in use at the hospital:

.Victoria: "Did you have ECT?"
Shane: "No, but they were prepared to use it if someone wasn't controllable by any other method. So, I'll always sign a petition against ECT... I think it's disgusting" [ellipsis in the original].

[MacRua]

Shane's character says I liked to walk in the summer breeze.. Then the winter came down and I loved it so dearly.. Dear dirty delightful old drunken old days - to make a long story short. I.e. once everything was great and lovable. But then - bang - irretrievable thing happened. He was institutionalized and, what is more, badly ECTed. And this morbid event completely changed his once so positive attitude. Shite happens..

[Irishbookish]

I.e. once everything was great and lovable. But then - bang - irretrievable thing happened. He was institutionalized and, what is more, badly ECTed. And this morbid event completely changed his once so positive attitude...

Shane didn't have ECT, and without knowing him personally would still doubt whether this period in his life made him all of a sudden negative (if he indeed was) - think about how he actually arrived at that point in the first place. There are many things that shape a person's personality, attitude & experiences, and it's a difficult thing to place any individual into a particular box. Nobody wants to be put into any box.

[meowhouse]

I thought MacRua meant the "I" character in the song, not Shane the actual person himself. But I am sure he will be 'round to clarify!

[Sandyfromvancouver]

I can still hear one of my English profs, the author Eric McCormack, declaim in his Glaswegian accent, "The persona [main character] is not the author!". It would follow Shane was not necessarily writing biographically. As for Andrew Ranken's take on Shane's troubles, check out this link,(it's about 46 minutes in): http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/doc ... gues.shtml

[jennylois]

Yeah we shouldn't get confused with Shane and the character in the song even if it is inspired by true events.

Anyway, regarding Shane, many true artists are troubled souls. They are on a different plane to most and some people accept this but some try to 'fix' them, they feel uncomfortable around anyone who doesn't conform to the normal mould. Shane is an incredible character and unique from an early age so it seems, whether or not he has had ECT and whether or not he has abused himself with drugs/alcohol. And this goes for all the beautiful unique characters we have in the world.

[Sandyfromvancouver]

To change the subject a little, I've always been struck by the song's upbeat tune paired with its grim words. Nifty bit of irony.

[Irishbookish]

I thought MacRua meant the "I" character in the song, not Shane the actual person himself. But I am sure he will be 'round to clarify!

The inferred correlation confuses some folk because the personification in this case is somewhat relevant.

Translation: I knew that, you knew that, but I still think he doesn't and if he did it doesn't matter.