# It was Christamas Eve, Babe, **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305 "2010-12-24T19:09:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/21 "2010-12-24T23:05:35Z")
Came in eighteen to one. I’d never heard of The Pogues before the SDMB, where the posters talked about them all the time. Then I happened across **If I Should Fall from Grace with God** (the documentary, not the song) on Sundance halfway through the program, and this was the first Pogues song I heard. I went out and bought their greatest hits album the next day and soon had all of their CDs with Shaney Mac on vocals. That was 7 1/2 years ago, and I still go through withdrawal if I spend more than a week without listening to their music. I even like the Popes’ **Crock of Gold**. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/22 "2010-12-24T23:09:16Z")
Uplifting? Maybe in the way that a Hans Christian Anderson story is uplifting: at the end, you’re left with this incredible sense of relief that you aren’t any of the people you just read about. This is a song about two hopeless drunks, trapped in an utterly dysfunctional relationship. You get the impression that they’ve done this, “I hate you! You ruined my life! DON’T LEAVE ME!” routine a hundred times, and they’re going to keep doing it until one of them drops dead from cirrhoses. Even the end, with the kinda-sorta happy ending where they admit that as bad as things are in their lives, they still love each other, is made bittersweet at best by the recognition that these two people are likely incredibly unhealthy for each other, that neither is going to be able to sober up and fix their lives so long as they’re trapped in this circle of co-dependence. I really fucking love this song. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/23 "2010-12-24T23:15:07Z")
Yeah, that’s pretty much it. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/24 "2010-12-24T23:21:56Z")
I’ve got a feeling ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/25 "2010-12-24T23:56:11Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > BTW, I play this song every year at my parent’s house during Christmas. My mom hates it, because it’s so sad. I love it because it’s the only Christmassy song I know that contains the words, “Cheap lousy faggot.” Even better: “You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot”. This is Ms. Attack’s favorite Christmas song also. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/26 "2010-12-25T00:08:12Z")
Skipping forward… And the boys of the NYPD choir… ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/27 "2010-12-25T00:58:52Z")
were singing Galway Bay Got my tickets a couple of weeks ago to see the Pogues and Titus Andronicus in DC this March. I’ve had the iPod on Pogues shuffle since then. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/28 "2010-12-25T01:10:41Z")
…and the bells were ringing out for Christmas day… ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/29 "2010-12-25T01:16:02Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Uplifting? Maybe in the way that a Hans Christian Anderson story is uplifting: at the end, you’re left with this incredible sense of relief that you aren’t any of the people you just read about. This is a song about two hopeless drunks, trapped in an utterly dysfunctional relationship. You get the impression that they’ve done this, “I hate you! You ruined my life! DON’T LEAVE ME!” routine a hundred times, and they’re going to keep doing it until one of them drops dead from cirrhoses. Even the end, with the kinda-sorta happy ending where they admit that as bad as things are in their lives, they still love each other, is made bittersweet at best by the recognition that these two people are likely incredibly unhealthy for each other, that neither is going to be able to sober up and fix their lives so long as they’re trapped in this circle of co-dependence. > > I really fucking love this song. This song always makes me sad because it reminds me of the crazy fucking way that Kirsty MacColl died. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/30 "2010-12-25T02:16:48Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > I’ve got a feeling This year’s for me and you ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/31 "2010-12-25T02:59:45Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > This year’s for me and you So Happy Christmas, I love ya Baby. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/32 "2010-12-25T04:06:32Z")
I can see a better time ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/33 "2010-12-25T12:31:44Z")
When all our dreams come true. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/34 "2010-12-25T13:50:39Z")
They’ve got cars big as bars {just learned this song this year to play at a local Irish pub} I noticed updated versions changed “cheap lousy fagot” to something and haggard. How gay is that? ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/35 "2010-12-25T19:40:56Z")
They got rivers of gold … Si ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/36 "2010-12-25T20:43:12Z")
But the wind goes right through you, it’s no place for the old ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/37 "2010-12-25T21:05:59Z")
when you first took my hand on a cold Christmas Eve . . . ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/38 "2010-12-25T22:03:06Z")
you promised me Broadway was waiting for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/39 "2010-12-25T22:07:48Z")
By the way, the BBC produced a documentary a while ago about the making of this song. It’s available on YouTube in six parts. It includes interviews with the members of the band, as well as producer Steve Lillywhite and Kirsty McColl’s mother. [Part 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW_WSQpewNY) [Part 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j_ZcdxAAkc) [Part 3](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-2iAkqtylY) [Part 4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d11s0w9UNlg) [Part 5](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knau6er2yow) [Part 6](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47lNr5jK8QE) ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2010, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-was-christamas-eve-babe/565305/40 "2010-12-26T10:20:38Z")
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