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5 Green Queens And Jean Lyrics

I recall the moment
Before it slipped away
When 5 green queens
On a black bin bag
Meant all the world to me

And I recall the moment
More distant than it seems
When 5 green queens
On a black bin bag
Meant all the world to me

And I recall the moment
Much closer than it seems
When 5 green queens
On a black bin bag
Meant all the world to me

And I recall the moment
Before it slipped away
When 5 green queens
On a black bin bag
Meant all the world to me

5 green queens and Jean
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Cover art for 5 Green Queens And Jean lyrics by Pogues, The

This is about a card game.

It is (like most McGowan songs) about drink. The green queens are bottles.

Cover art for 5 Green Queens And Jean lyrics by Pogues, The

lol. This has NOTHING to do with a card game from what i can hear. 5 green Queens is about money.... Five Pund Note (Green) and al the contents he has is in the black bag....

So in all... he had

5x £5 notes (£25) 1 Black Bag with all his cloths and other things.

Thats what its about

Cover art for 5 Green Queens And Jean lyrics by Pogues, The

No, it is about a game of cards. Shane has said so himself.

Cover art for 5 Green Queens And Jean lyrics by Pogues, The

Whether Shane intended for it to be or not, I think this song is actually very symbolic. The narrator has 'won' the card game of his life. He seems to be looking back on harder times, and for some reason, he actually misses them. Why? Was it the simplicity of it all? Yes, and no. Just before the song end's, he gives us another clue to why he yearns for his past. It is a different, more powerful simplicity - the love of a human being. When all this guy had was a handful of cards to bet on and a black bin bag, he relied on the love of a woman, but once he moved up in the world, he didn't think he'd need that anymore. Later, he looks back on the simplicity and innocence of that time, and he finally understands that nothing can compensate for love, which makes everything - even the most meager of possessions - meaningful. An incredibly emotional song, especially for such few words. Shane MacGowan, though he will never admit it, is a true poet - I just hope he lives long enough to grace us with another album, full of the songs he does best.

Cover art for 5 Green Queens And Jean lyrics by Pogues, The

It's a beautiful song, and I think it's possible to read it as talking about both a card game and a simpler part of his life - the five green queens would probably be the Irish one pund notes from the early 80s, which had Queen Medb (Maeve) on them, and with all his worldly goods in a black bin bag, the only other thing that mattered to him was Jean - presumably an early/innocent love?

 
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