Boys From The County Hell by The Pogues

Album: Red Roses For Me (1984)

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

Written by Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, "Boys From The County Hell" is part of their first album, Red Roses For Me. Typical of their early work, it's a bawdy drinking song about a group of guys who tip a few back and set out to get revenge on their boss.
One of its more interesting lyrics in this song is:

The boys and me are drunk and lookin' for ya'
We'll eat your frickin' entrails and we won't give a damn
My father was a blueshirt my mother a madam
My brother earned his medals at My Lai in Vietnam

Some translation: The blueshirts were the Irish fascist party in the 1930s, his mother was a prostitute and his brother was involved in the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. >>>
Suggestion credit:
Dan - Roslyn, NY
The Pogues were a six-piece at the time, signed to Stiff Records, home to Elvis Costello and Madness. This song is a great example of their punk-folk sound that merged with traditional Irish music. Instrumentation includes Jem Finer on banjo, James Fearnley on accordion, and Spider Stacy on Tin Whistle. The same year the song was released (1984), the group toured with Costello, who produced their next album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, in 1985.

Comments: 2

Jayme from Brooklyn Nope and no.
Hell's Kitchen is located in the lower part of Mid-Town NOT the Bronx and tho it was largely Irish, it was NEVER called "County Hell"
The Pogues have a song by the same name recorded in 1984 and in the song it states a father being a blueshirt which where a facist party in Ireland during the 1930s and never mentions anything American while it does mention "Pounds" and other things that are part of the Irish/ UK landscape...
Michael from White Rock, BcIreland is made up of 32 Counties. Durring the mass exodus from Erin to America many of the Irish settled in New York. More specifically in the South Bronx. A section of which came to be known as Hells Kitchen. To this day Hells Kitchen is often referred to as the 33rd County of Ireland

see more comments

More Songfacts:

She BangsRicky Martin

The Ricky Martin song "She Bangs" found new life when William Hung performed it so horribly on a 2004 episode of American Idol that it went viral.

Big Yellow TaxiJoni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" is about the commercialization of Hawaii. On her first trip to the islands, she looked out of her hotel window and saw a parking lot as far as the eye could see.

Rock LobsterThe B-52s

Sea creatures mentioned in "Rock Lobster" by The B-52's include a jellyfish, piranha, bikini whale and narwhal.

PillowtalkZayn

Zayn's "Pillowtalk" reached #1 on the Hot 100, something his former One Direction bandmates never achieved.

I Kissed a GirlKaty Perry

Katy Perry's breakout hit, "I Kissed A Girl," was surprising to those familiar with her past: Her parents were pastors and she started off singing Christian music.

I'm A BelieverThe Monkees

Neil Diamond wrote "I'm A Believer" early in his career. It was a hit for The Monkees and revived by Smash Mouth in 2001 for the movie Shrek, helping make Diamond cool again.