A Pair of Brown Eyes

The Pogues

About A Pair of Brown Eyes

"A Pair of Brown Eyes" is a single by The Pogues, released on 18 March 1985. The single was their first to make the UK Top 100, peaking at Number 72. It featured on the band's second album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, and was composed by Pogues front man Shane MacGowan. Its melody is loosely based on that of “Wild Mountain Thyme" (also known as "Will Ye Go Lassie Go"), a song by Francis McPeake in a traditional Irish folk style. The song references the Johnny Cash version of the song A Thing Called Love: "And on the jukebox Johnny sang / About a thing called love".  


Year:
2006
5:02
1,479 
#3

 Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!

One summer evening drunk to hell
I stood there nearly lifeless
An old man in the corner sang
Where the water lilies grow
And on the jukebox johnny sang
About a thing called love
And its how are you kid and whats your name
And how would you bloody know?
In blood and death neath a screaming sky
I lay down on the ground
And the arms and legs of other men
Were scattered all around
Some cursed, some prayed, some prayed then cursed
Then prayed and bled some more
And the only thing that I could see
Was a pair of brown eyes that was looking at me
But when we got back, labeled parts one to three
There was no pair of brown eyes waiting for me

And a rovin a rovin a rovin Ill go
For a pair of brown eyes

I looked at him he looked at me
All I could do was hate him
While ray and philomena sang
Of my elusive dream
I saw the streams, the rolling hills
Where his brown eyes were waiting
And I thought about a pair of brown eyes
That waited once for me
So drunk to hell I left the place
Sometimes crawling sometimes walking
A hungry sound came across the breeze
So I gave the walls a talking
And I heard the sounds of long ago
From the old canal
And the birds were whistling in the trees
Where the wind was gently laughing

And a rovin a rovin a rovin Ill go
For a pair of brown eyes

 Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!


The Pogues

The Pogues are a Celtic punk band from London, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before breaking up in 1996. The band reformed in 2001, and has been playing regularly ever since, most notably on the US East Coast around St Patrick's Day and across the UK and Ireland every December. The group has yet to record any new music and, according to Spider Stacy on Pogues.com, has no inclination to do so. more »

2 fans

Written by: Shane Patrick Lysaght Macgowan

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

SONG GENRE
The song "A Pair of Brown Eyes" by The Pogues is within the folk rock music genre.
LYRICS COMPOSITION
The song's lyrics, written by the band's lead vocalist, Shane MacGowan, recounts a modern take of an Irish myth about a man who departed for war and promised his lover that her brown eyes would guide him back.
CHART PERFORMANCE
Released in 1985 as the second single from the band's second studio album "Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash," the song charted at number 72 in the UK singles chart.
CRITICAL RESPONSE
Critics have widely praised "A Pair of Brown Eyes" for its poetic and haunting depiction of trauma and loss, citing MacGowan's songwriting as one of the high points in The Pogues' discography.
INSPIRATION
Many believe the song's title and lyrics were inspired by a traditional Irish folk song called "The Brown Eyed Girl."
ALBUM NAME ORIGIN
The name "Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash" of the album where the song features, is a quote attributed to Winston Churchill describing the traditions of the British Royal Navy.
SONG THEME
"A Pair of Brown Eyes", similar to many other songs by The Pogues, effectively combines traditional Irish music with modern punk influences, creating a unique style and sound which enriched the general theme of the song - a struggle between violence and love.
SONG COVER VERSION
A cover version of the song was produced by the Canadian folk band, The Tossers on their album "Communication & Conviction: Last Seven Years."
IN POPULAR CULTURE
The song features in the 2004 film, "Troy", albeit as a sneakily smuggled addition - unbeknownst to movie producers - by actor Sean Bean, who was listening to the song on his iPod during a scene when he was supposed to be listening to battle sounds.
LIVE PERFORMANCES
In most live performances, MacGowan often altered the melody and lyrics, creating a new experience at each concert. This made it one of the most relevant songs in their live set-list.

Discuss the A Pair of Brown Eyes Lyrics with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "A Pair of Brown Eyes Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/8637604/The+Pogues/A+Pair+of+Brown+Eyes>.

    Missing lyrics by The Pogues?

    Know any other songs by The Pogues? Don't keep it to yourself!

    Watch the song video

    A Pair of Brown Eyes

    1.8M
    8,581     298

    Browse Lyrics.com

    Quiz

    Are you a music master?

    »
    What year was the album "Please Please Me" by the Beatles released?
    A 1967
    B 1963
    C 1982
    D 1978

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant explanation for any lyrics that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant explanation for any acronym or abbreviation that hits you anywhere on the web!

    The Pogues tracks

    On Radio Right Now

    Loading...

    Powered by OnRad.io


    Think you know music? Test your MusicIQ here!