Lyrics of
Fairytale Of New York

Fairytale of New York was written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and is performed by The Pogues, featuring Kirsty MacColl. It is a Christmas song that tells the story of an Irish couple in New York, reflecting on their dreams and failures. The song was released in 1987 and has become one of the bands biggest hits, as well as being considered one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time.

It was Christmas Eve babe, in the drunktank
An old man said to me, won't see another one And then he sang a song
'The Rare Old Mountain Dew' And I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one, came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling this year's for me and you
So Happy Christmas, I love you baby
I can see a better time when all our dreams come true

They've got cars
Big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on the corner
Then danced through the night

The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing 'Galway Bay'
And the bells were ringing
Out for Christmas day

You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Living there almost dead on a drip
In that bed
You scum bag
You maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God
It's our last

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing 'Galway Bay'
And the bells are ringing
Out for Christmas Day

I could have been someone
Well, so could anyone
You took my dreams
From me when I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing 'Galway Bay'
And the bells are ringing
Out for Christmas Day