fairytale of new york

I personally thought it was 18/1.  Wonder if he laid it off in running though.

doesnt sound anything like 18\1

I always thought 10/1

I thought it was 10-1 but all the lyric sites have

It was christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me: won't see another one
And then they sang a song
The rare old mountain dew
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
Where all our dreams come true.


The trouble is Shane probably hasn't got a clue either

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

from the Pogues site

Must have drifted.

Shane was pi ssed but got BOG on his bet

I can remember reading the lyrics on the cover of the cassette, and being shocked that it was 18/1. It still sounds like 10/1 when he sings it though.

What a song that is. The Pogues rule!!

How many people have just gone on to You Tube to play the song?

They changed it to 12/1 when the pc charge came in

the person who started this fred should be ashamed. I've been listening to a Christmas song on the 10th of November

Lyric Sites all copy each other like online scoreboards

10/1 makes the most sense . Maybe it was written that way but he misremembered and then the 'wrong' version became what he sung .Doesn't seem like the most organized guy in the world.

did a win double with Bottle of Smoke

It's 'Came in 18/1' end of fred.

I'm on about my 5th xmas song cdog!

Definitely 18/1. Nice double with Bottle of Smoke at 20****5s.

He wrote the song in his Ford Fiesta whilst driving round the Streets of Sorrows.

18/1   Was the number 4 at Aqueduct ,came from off the pace.

Anybody ever hear the Christy Moore version ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwXBtmRTsFs

I've put the youtube one through nuance ( american speech recognition programme ) - it's 10/1.
The lyric site writers have made a mistake.

Should mention that nuance can differentiate between over 200 different accents, including some that Mr McGowan has ( West of Ireland, drunk and singing ). Admittedly, genius, mad and brilliant are not included in the list of accents it will recognise.

I agree it certainly sounds like 10/1, but I can remember reading 18/1 on the sleeve of the cassette when it was first released. Surely after all these years it would've been corrected?

Doesn't matter what is in print or what was ontended it's deffo 10/1

18/1 on the exchange and 10/1 on the sportsbook.

Hey  don't be silly now , both Shane and Christy sing it as 18/1

Just listened to the official video and he definitely says came in at ten to one.

Probably confusing as he says it came at  ate ten to wan

I mean he says came in ate ten to wan

Christy sings "at 18/1". Now to listen to Shane.

Shane sings either "18/1" or "at 10/1" (and Christy has combined the two). Tbh Shane seems to sing "eight ten to one", such is his accent.

You can put it through all the speech recognition programs you like. It's still 18/1 - as intended.

always thought he sang 10-1, but listening to it closely now and with his accent pretty sure he's singing 18-1.

What about his songs about McCoys other 3,999 wins?

Lets call it 14/1 and that'll be the end of it.

I always thought it was 10/1 until I heard Christy Moore (who is a genius and an awesome live act) sing 18/1.

Definitely 'at 10/1' imo.

I always thought it was 10/1 until I heard Christy Moore (who is a genius and an awesome live act) sing 18/1.


Christy Moore sings "at 18/1" which is a whole extra word compared with "18/1" or extra syllable from "at 10/1" so Christy's evidence is at best unreliable.

More likely Christy is trying to emphasise that it's 18s and not fecking 10s.

Tbh I'm not sharing the love for Christy.

Unless he backed the horse on the tote not many horses return winning sp's of 18/1.

Ah yes but he is in New York so its the American tote .

Would you say your horse came in 18/1 or at 18/1.

Nobody in their right mind would say 'thunder and lightning, very very frightening, me' either.

It's 18. Not sure why people cannot grasp this.

Didn't Van Morrison after time one with Piggott on board at 10s?

He sure did. Any excuse to stick on a bit of Van is good for me..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLOlmrsNye8

Ladbrokes have just been in touch and McGowen`s bet will be settled at 10`s

In the official video by the Pogues he either says came in 18 to one or came in at 10 to one. The confusion is due to the way the words are not very clear. What he does not say is came in at 18 to one. That much is fact.

However, when Christy Moore sings the song he clearly says came in at 18 to one. So he is not singing the original lyrics by the Pogues. It therefore stands to reason that the Pogues said came in at 10 to one.

If the Pogues had said came in 18 to one there would be no reason for Christy Moore to change the wording to came in at 18 to one.

The way McGowan says the phrase is ate tein ta wan which sounds like 18 to one but its actually at 10 to one so subsequent versions are misquoating the original version.

Compelling argument, paddletoe. But...

And can we trust the narrator anyway? "The guy is a bum who is living on the street," says MacGowan. "And he's just won on a horse at the unlikely odds of 18-to-one, so you're not even sure he is telling the truth." He says that both characters are versions of himself. "I identified with the man because I was a hustler and I identified with the woman because I was a heavy drinker and a singer. I have been in hospitals on morphine drips, and I have been in drunk tanks on Christmas Eve."

came in, 18-1. (nap)

end of thread.

He's not sure himself. Emailed him and got this response from his manager


not sure myself, always thought 18

Best Regards,
Gerry O' Boyle 

www.theboogaloo.co.uk
www.telegreen.co.uk

they've carts big as barns, they've got reefers of coal

I think I'm gonna stick to arguing with 9/11 nutjobs in future. They're more easily persuaded than the bunch of deaf fookers on here!

MIK........if you think its clearly 18/1 you need a deaf test.....ever worked in a noisy factory you could be eligible for compo

Ok, it was 10s.

Also, no plane flew into the Pentagon.

you really think it sounds like 18........you must have the hearing of 110 year old man

Why did you even start the thread if you are so certain? It sounds like 18 because it is 18, same as it did when I was 18.

The manager says 18 ....Shane says 18...Christy Moore says 18 ....

Some people you just cant reach.

Although im still confused about that invisible plane.

According to Shane's notebook, in which he wrote the original lyrics, the unusual odds of 18/1 were due to a Rule 4 deduction, the 2nd favourite having been withdrawn on the way to post.

After discussion with his co-writers it was decided to drop this line from the final version and leave the listener with an enigma to speculate upon subsequently on betting forums. Pure genius imvho.

is this even a question? i've heard this song every single xmas countless times and it's clearly 18/1

ayers rock deaf.........nap

http://www.martindardis.com/fairytale_of_new_york_lyrics_chords_the_pogues.html

doesn't matter........its defo 10/1

Well he doesn't say 'I' got on a lucky one, so probably not going to convince anyone. Least of all, cardifffc, who is surely trolling at this point.

A spokesman for Baldies explained; although it opened at 18s Shane was that far gone he didn't ask for a price. The bet will therefore be settled at SP., which,due to there only being four layers at the track, we managed to shorten to 11/8.

1.00 Ludlow
Got on Ivanhoe. Came fourth, 18-1.

M D......I will never be convinced its anything but 10/1

M D.........your namesake is running at clonmel........chance??...I wouldn't rule him out.....worth a small bet

if they have sorted out his jumping he would be as good as any of these

Absolutely 18. I would suggest those that think it's 10 are the ones needing a hearing test, not the other way around.

cardiffc - next you'll be telling us the NYPD don't have a choir!

A better Pogues song is 'Bottle of Smoke'

'20 fckin 5 to 1 me gambling days are done
I bet on a horse called Bottle o smoke
And my horse won'

One of the funniest threads on here.
By the way it is 18 to one but it was a pricewise tip

The Pogues are one of the specialist subjects on Mastermind tonight.

no one will ever convince me its anything  but 10\1

lets have a vote on it   10\1 for me 1-0......

Just checked the original version of this song and it is indeed 18/1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBaS_anCmu0

https://tinyurl.com/yad8l3w4

Excellent, Fishy!

It's good to see the Chit-Chat Christmas tradition still continuing!

10s or 18s its the greatest xmas song of all time.

10s or 18s its the greatest xmas song of all time.

10/1 for certain. 18/1 was an extremely unusual price back then. 10/1 much more logical and sounds like that anyway when Shane sings. Someone at the record company who knows nothing about betting just misheard it and put the wrong lyric.

And undoubtedly the greatest xmas song.

now on the the ever growing must-be-banned list

Deserves banning for anyone who thinks it's 10s!!

10s certainly scans better , they stole the tune also

18

forget the name of the composer , it’s from the 1600s or something like that , a piece for  3 mandolins or lute
Heard it on classic fm and thought ah
That’s where the pogues lifted that tune from

1958 Mr What 18-1
1964 Team Spirit 18-1
1970 Gay Trip 15-1
1983 Corbiere 13-1
1984 Hallo Dandy 13-1

1988 Bottle of Smoke 25-1

Being an American race, Shane hadn't stipulated he wanted the show price of 18/1 so Hills settled it at their industry odds of 10/1 after it had won with a bit in hand. I think this is where the confusion lies because he clearly says 18/1.

Watched a documentary the other night, `The Making Of Fairytale`;  in it, Shane`s a bit more coherent than usual, and it is unmistakably `10/1` that he sings. Beyond doubt, indisputable.

End of thread.

Here it is

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUSNzqqLFT0

is it an irish thing...........to a man they say 18 but in the uk we seem to think its 10

Of course it's 10/1

I listened to it tonight and for the first time I could hear eighteen......

was convinced it was 10 but I think its the irish accent........now I am convinced the other way

Anybody who mistakenly believes it's 18 is a right mug.

Loved the song but ffs get it off the air now.