Dirty Old Town lyrics

Song Details

Words & Music: Ewan MacColl, 1949

Ewan MacColl: Playwright, folksinger, labour activist - born James Henry Miller on the 25th January, 1915 in Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England. His parents were Scottish.

Brief: The song was originally written about a town called Salford, in Lancashire — the town where Ewan MacColl was born. It was originally composed for an interlude to cover an awkward scene change in his 1949 play Landscape with Chimneys, set in a northern England industrial town. However, with the growing popularity of folk music, the song became a standard, and was popularized by The Dubliners and Irish-British folk punk band, The Pogues, whose version of the song, released in 1985, is one of the best-known recordings.

The song's lyrics paint a vivid portrait of a grimy, industrial town, but they also express a sense of nostalgia and affection for the place. The singer reminisces about the people, the relationships, and the memories associated with the town.

Genre: Celtic Rock

Covers: The Levellers, The Waterboys, Jackie Washington, The Spinners, The Settlers, Donovan, Gary Shearston, Chad & Jeremy, Roger Whittaker, The Dubliners, Rod Stewart, The Clancy Brothers, Townes Van Zandt, The Specials, Emscherkurve 77, The Mountain Goats, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Frank Black, Lorraine Leckie, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Nolwenn Leroy, Bettye LaVette...

Featured Artists The Pogues - Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band

Album: Rum Sodomy & The Lash
Released: 5 August 1985
Country: UK
Format: 12" Vinyl
Label: Stiff Records