The Broad Majestic Shannon Lyrics

Lyric discussion by epiwoosh 

Cover art for The Broad Majestic Shannon lyrics by Pogues, The

The more I listen to this song, the more it sounds like he's talking to a loved one who's just died, and he's reassuring her in his mind that there's no more pain or sorrow for her anymore now that she's dead. For some reason it also makes me think of Andrew Ranken's harrowing non-Shane era Pogues song "Four O'Clock in the Morning" where he says:

"They took her to the hospital In the darkest hour of the night

It was silent as the grave As my baby lay beneath the light

They turned on the gas and cut her open She didn't feel no pain They turned on the gas and cut her open She didn't feel no more pain

Daylight was breaking And down came the rain"

In Ranken's song, there's the implication that his girl died from the emergency surgery and therefore felt no more pain, and then the daylight breaks just like in this song and we can liken the rain coming down to Shane seeming to walk home at dawn alone while reminiscing about their past. So now I can't help but feel really sad even as Shane sounds like he's trying to cheer someone up. :/