| U2 – I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[mqmninezero:24564] "We all know U2 is an Irish Catholic band" Do we really? Bono's mother was Church of Ireland (protestant), his father was Catholic, Bono attended CoI services with his mother as a child. The Edge was born in England to Welsh parents, and moved to Dublin as a child, he attended a church of ireland primary school, so while I don't know exactly what religion he was raised it was probably some form of Anglican/Church of Ireland protestantism. Adam was also born in England and also moved with his parents to Ireland and also attended Church of Ireland schools. Larry was born into a catholic family. The band formed in Mount Temple school which is church of Ireland run school. The band was formed in Ireland, but it is in no way an Irish Catholic band (whatever that even means). I don't disagree that there is a spiritual element to this song or that U2 in general are quite religious/interested in religion and spirituality but to describe them as Catholic is nonsense. "Not many people know this but this song was very controversial back in Ireland where the band is originally from. The Catholic Church hit hard at the rock band for writing this song and demanded an apology" I have no idea where you got this information from but I have absolutely no recollection of this being controversial (I am from Dublin). I know you're unlikely to see this 14 years after writing it but just correcting the misinformation for future readers. |
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| The Pogues – Waxie's Dargle Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| "Monto was supposedly the biggest red light district in the early 20th century" should say "Monto was supposedly the biggest red light district in Europe in the early 20th century" | |
| The Pogues – Waxie's Dargle Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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As others have said, aul wan is Dublin slang for a woman, your aul wan is your mother or your wife, depending on context, in this context it's wife. The waxie's dargle was an annual summer excursion/picnic near Ringsend in south Dublin. It could also have a second meaning as rhyming slang for booze. Waxie's dargle rhymes with gargle which is Dublin slang for alcohol. Monto was a notorious red light district in Dublin in the late 19th and early 20th century, The area got its name from Montgomery Street (now called Foley street) which is just off O'Connell Street/Talbot Street/Amien Street. A farthing was the smallest unit of currency in the old punds/shillings and pence system used in Britain and Ireland, a farthing was half a halfpenny. A half crown was a more valuable coin worth 2 shillings and sixpence. Capel Street is another Dublin Street, it is on the opposite side of O'Connell Street from the Monto running roughly parallel to O'Connel Street it used to have a lot of pawnbrokers and money lenders shops. So in the first verse the first woman asks the second if she's going to the Waxie's Dargle, the second says she has no money so she went up to Monto to see Uncle McArdle but he wouldn't give her half a crown. So basically she went to the red light district to make some money but was not successful. The second verse is about going to the Galway Races, this time she goes to Capel street to pawn her husband's braces/suspenders but the Jewish moneylender wouldn't give her any money for them. In the final verse the women have no meat so again go up to Monto to make some cash. The chorus is about ordering a drink before they get thrown out of the pub, it's this that makes me think that the title might also be a rhyming slang reference to alcohol. Monto was supposedly the biggest red light district in the early 20th century, Dublin was one of the poorest cities in Europe and the slums and tenements of Dublin were notorious for their poverty, it was common for poor women to pawn clothes and household goods to make ends meet and then when their husband got paid buy the items back, similarly many women would go to Monto to make a few shillings when times were tough. My reading of the song overall is that the verses are the men discussing conversations between their wives and the chorus is a reminder to buy another drink before they get thrown out. Basically two drunk men in Dublin bitching about their aul wans in the pub (not realising or caring that one of the reasons the aul wans have to go to Monto or Capel Street to make some extra money is because the husbands are spending their wages in the pub) The song Monto, which the Dubliners used to sing is also about this area and time (and makes a reference to the Waxie's Dargle in the first verse). |
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| The Pogues – The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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It's a bit more complicated than Frank Ryan visited Nazi Germany. He was captured in Spain in 1938 and held in prison in Madrid until 1940 when the Spanish handed him over to German Intelligence. He was brought to Berlin where he was reunited with Sean Russell, Russell was at that time Chief of Staff of the IRA and HE had gone to Berlin on behalf of the IRA to forge links with the Nazis. It's not as bizarre as it might seem, after all most of the guns for the 1916 rising came from the Kaiser's Germany, Wolfe Tone and Emmett got support from Napolean's France, essentially both sides were thinking along the lines of "my enemy's enemy is my friend". When Ryan arrived there was a plan underway to transport Russell back to Ireland to make contact with German operatives there, Ryan agreed to go with him, Russell died on the way and they decided to abort the mission and Ryan was brought back to Berlin where he lived until his death in 1944. He had reconciled his political differences with the IRA leadership (he split from the IRA in the 1930s to form a left wing party called Republican Congress) and was effectively the IRA representative in Germany from 1940-1944 although after 1942 when the US had entered the war the potential for an invasion of Ireland by either Britain or Germany had pretty much vanished so the usefulness of the IRA to the Nazis and the usefulness of the Nazis to the IRA reduced massively. |
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| The Pogues – The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[Moonwood:24559] I think you are confusing Frank Ryan with the line in Viva La Quinta Brigada "Bob Hilliard was a Church of Ireland pastor". Ryan wasn't a minister, he was a teacher, journalist, politician and fighter. |
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| The Pogues – And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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While this song is about World War 1 and Gallipoli, it's also worth noting that Bogle wrote it in the 70s inspired by/reacting to the Vietnam war and especially the treatment of returning Australian soldiers. Especially the later verses and how the returning injured soldier is shunned when he arrives back in Australia. Incidentally if anyone is unaware Eric Bogle also wrote The Green Fields of France (AKA No Man's Land AKA Willie McBride) another great anti war song about a soldier in WW1. |
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