A Pair of Brown Eyes
The Pogues| Original | Irish transcreation by Gabriel Rosenstock |
| A PAIR OF BROWN EYES One summer evening drunk to hell I stood there nearly lifeless An old man in the corner sang Where the water lilies grow(1) And on the jukebox Johnny(2) sang About a thing called love And it's how are you kid and what's your name And how would you bloody know? In blood and death 'neath a screaming sky I lay down on the ground And the arms and legs of other men Were scattered all around Some cursed, some prayed, some prayed then cursed Then prayed and bled some more And the only thing that I could see Was a pair of brown eyes that was looking at me But when we got back, labeled parts one to three There was no pair of brown eyes waiting for me And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go For a pair of brown eyes I looked at him he looked at me All I could do was hate him While Ray and Philomena sang(3) Of my elusive dream I saw the streams, the rolling hills Where his brown eyes were waiting And I thought about a pair of brown eyes That waited once for me So drunk to hell I left the place Sometimes crawling sometimes walking A hungry sound came across the breeze So I gave the walls a talking And I heard the sounds of long ago From the old canal And the birds were whistling in the trees Where the wind was gently laughing And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go For a pair of brown eyes | PÉIRE SÚL DONN Tráthnóna samhraidh, siar ó thuaidh Mé suite ann gan anam Bhí seanfhear insa chúinne ’chan ‘Where the Water Lillies Grow’. Is Johnny ón jukbox 'canadh faoin rud ar ‘dtugtar grá Agus conas taoi, cé thú féin ar sé, Is cá bhfios duitse, a amadáin? Le fuil is bás ag liú faoin spéir, Shín mé siar ar thalamh Bhí cosa ’s géaga na bhfear óg scaipthe faoin ngréin Iad ag guí, ag eascainí, ‘s ag guí, Ag guí is ag eascainí fola Is an t-aon rud ann a chonaic mé, Ná an péire súl donn ag stánadh orm féin Nuair a thánamar thar n-ais, ‘nár gcodanna i bpéin Ní raibh péire súl donn ag féachaint orm féin Is ar fán mé, ar fán mé, ar fán mé go deo, Le haghaidh péire súl donn. D’fhéachas air is d’fhéach sé orm, Ní raibh agam dó ach fuath Bhí Ray is Philomena ag ceol, Faoin aisling d’éalaigh uaim Chonac an sruth is fós an cnoc, Is a shúile donna ag feitheamh Agus smaoinigh mé ar phéire súl donn, Bhí tráth ag feitheamh liom Sna meisce bhíos is d’imíos liom, Ag crúbáil romham nó mé ag siúl Is bhí fuaim ocrach ar an ngaoth, Leis na ballaí a bhíos ag liú Is chuala mé glór ón am fadó, Ón seana chanáil Is bhí scol ó na héin i mbarr na gcrann Is an ghaoth go séimh ag gáire Is ar fán mé, ar fán mé, ar fán mé go deo Is ar fán mé, ar fán mé, ar fán mé go deo Is ar fán mé, ar fán mé, ar fán mé go deo Le haghaidh péire súl donn. Le haghaidh péire súl donn |
(2) "Johnny" might refer to Johnny McEvoy (a country artist who came to prominence on the Irish music scene in the 1960s, and was likened to an "Irish Bob Dylan") since among his hits were a version of "Muirshin Durkin" and a tune called "Those Brown Eyes." However in an interview Shane says it refers to the "Man in Black," Mr. Johnny Cash. Cash recorded an album and song (released in 1972) called "A Thing Called Love":
(3)
Ray Lynam and The Hillbillies became a fixture on the Irish record charts in the late 1960s and one of the leading country music artists in Ireland. During the 1980s Lynam had a weekly gig at Dublin's Harcourt Hotel. He is still singing and touring throughout Ireland. Philomena Begley is also an active country artist in Ireland. Indeed, in January 2000 she was awarded the 'Millennium Inspirational Award' from Country Music Ireland at its inaugural awards ceremony.
Notes from Poguetry.com