Dirty Old Town

Album: Alan Lomax and the Ramblers with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger (1956)
Play Video
  • I found my love by the gaslight crawls
    Dreamed a dream by the old canal
    Kissed my girl by the factory wall
    Dirty old town, dirty old town

    I heard a siren from the docks
    Saw a train set the night on fire
    Smelled the spring on the smoky wind
    Dirty old town, dirty old town

    Clouds are drifting across the moon
    Cats are prowling on their beat
    Springs a girl in the streets at night
    Dirty old town, dirty old town

    I'm going to make a good sharp axe
    Shining steel tempered in the fire
    We'll chop you down like an old dead tree
    Dirty old town, dirty old town Writer/s: Ewan MacColl
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

  • Neal Lewing from Polson Montana UsaWho owns the recording rights to Dirty Old Town?
  • Karen Pidcock from Kaslo, Bc CanadaSO grateful for Ewan MacColl’s songs! From Dirty old Town to The First Time ever I saw your face (not a better love song’s been written)!
  • Dh from Lancashire The correct lyric is "Salford wind". The song is written about Salford.
  • Jeff from MichiganI believe the first verse is gas works "croft".
    I believe the third verse is "screams" a girl in the street at night.
  • Paolo from CaliforniDavid Byrne did not cover this. He did a completely different song by the same name.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.