If You Ever Go To Dublin Town

[Nate]

On Kufen's FTP there is a clip of Shane singing "If You Ever Go Down To Dublin Town" (apparently) from a show in Zaandam.

I was wondering if anybody had some information on this song, specifically who its written about. As far as I know there is no information on The Parting Glass: Annotated Pogues Lyrics Page (available at http://www.poguetry.com) Here's what I've got, any help on interpretation and extra information would be brillant.

The song is actually a poem by the great Irish poet Patrick Kavanaugh, with the title "If You Ever Go To Dublin Town." The words (which, excluding Shane's garbles, match the live performance) are below:

IF EVER YOU GO TO DUBLIN TOWN
IN A HUNDRED YEARS OR SO
INQUIRE FOR ME IN BAGGOT STREET
AND WHAT I WAS LIKE TO KNOW.
O HE WAS A QUEER ONE,
FOL DOL THE DI DO,
HE WAS A QUEER ONE
I TELL YOU.

My great-grandmother knew him well,
He asked her to come and call
On him in his flat and she giggled at the thought
Of a young girl's lovely fall.
O he was dangerous,
Fol dol the di do,
He was dangerous,
I tell you.

On Pembroke Road look out for my ghost,
Dishevelled with shoes untied,
Playing through the railings with little children
Whose children have long since died.
O he was a nice man,
Fol do the di do,
He was a nice man
I tell you.

Go into a pub and listen well
If my voice still echoes there,
Ask the men what their grandsires thought
And tell them to answer fair,
O he was eccentric,
Fol do the di do,
He was eccentric
I tell you.

He had the knack of making men feel
As small as they really were
Which meant as great as God had made them
But as males they disliked his air.
O he was a proud one,
Fol do the di do,
He was a proud one
I tell you.

If ever you go to Dublin town
In a hundred years or so
Sniff for my personality,
Is it Vanity's vapour now?
O he was a vain one,
Fol dol the di do,
He was a vain one
I tell you.

I saw his name with a hundred others
In a book in the library,
It said he had never fully achieved
His potentiality.
O he was slothful,
Fol do the di do,
He was slothful
I tell you.

He knew that posterity has no use
For anything but the soul,
The lines that speak the passionate heart,
The spirit that lives alone.
O he was a lone one,
Fol do the di do
Yet he lived happily
I tell you.

(This was mercilessly swiped from : http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/01 ... anagh.html)

I don't know much about Kavanaugh or what this poem is about, so what do you think? There are obviously references to Dublin (Baggot street etc.) but what do notice?

And for the gig itself? Was anybody there? Information gleaned from the FTP can be suspect (as the discrepancies in the title illustrate) so was this really in Zaandam, Holland?

This song actually made me feel pretty sad listening to it. It sounds like an old Shane singing a terribly beautiful song to a crowd that seems to be ignoring him. At the end of the song when Shane announces the next song is "Streams of Whiskey" (with some slurred mumblings about Brendan Behan) it elicits a mild response from the crowd with one (clearly audible) person saying "Streams of Whiskey!" and applauding alone. Shane, however, seems to be having a grand old time with his now trademark "kkkrrrrkkss." Well does this recording have the same effect on you? Try out Kufen's FTP and give the song a listen. It's located in the Shane MacGowan section, I believe.

Nate

[kufen]

is it the song "Dublin_Town.mp3" located in the
"live singles" ?

cant listen to it right now (working).

[Nate]

So it is.