Phil Chevron, long-time guitarist for The Pogues, has passed away from cancer. He may be best known for having written the classic Irish diaspora song, the very poetic Thousands Are Sailing:
The island it is silent now
But the ghosts still haunt the waves
And the torch lights up a famished man
Who fortune could not save
Did you work upon the railroad
Did you rid the streets of crime
Were your dollars from the white house
Were they from the five and dime
Did the old songs taunt or cheer you
And did they still make you cry
Did you count the months and years
Or did your teardrops quickly dry
Ah, no, says he, 'twas not to be
On a coffin ship I came here
And I never even got so far
That they could change my name
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
To a land of opportunity
That some of them will never see
Fortune prevailing
Across the western ocean
Their bellies full
Their spirits free
They'll break the chains of poverty
And they'll dance
In manhattan's desert twilight
In the death of afternoon
We stepped hand in hand on broadway
Like the first man on the moon
And "the blackbird" broke the silence
As you whistled it so sweet
And in brendan behan's footsteps
I danced up and down the street
Then we said goodnight to broadway
Giving it our best regards
Tipped our hats to mister cohen
Dear old times square's favorite bard
Then we raised a glass to JFK
And a dozen more besides
When I got back to my empty room
I suppose I must have cried
Thousands are sailing
Again across the ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Postcards we're mailing
Of sky-blue skies and oceans
From rooms the daylight never sees
Where lights don't glow on christmas trees
But we dance to the music
And we dance
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Where e'er we go, we celebrate
The land that makes us refugees
From fear of priests with empty plates
From guilt and weeping effigies
And we dance
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"And we dance".... indeed, that's all we can do...
On Facebook, Billy Bragg wrote:
Sad to hear of the death aged 56 of Phil Chevron, founder of the Radiators from Space and member of the Pogues. The Radiators were label mates with my band Riff Raff on Chiswick Records in the late 70s and we did several support gigs with them at the Marquee Club in London's Wardour Street. He was a lovely guy back then and remained so all his life.
from The Irish Times....
Philip Chevron RIP
Founder member of the seminal Radiators from Space and guitarist with The Pogues
Very sad news about the death earlier today of Philip Chevron. A founder member of the Radiators from Space and later a member of The Pogues, Chevron was 56 years of age and had been diagnosed with cancer. A testimonial night in Dublin’s Olympia in August had attracted a gathering of the great and the good from amongst his musical peers and admirers.
Guardian Article here...
Pogues guitarist Philip Chevron dies
Pogues man – and one of the first Irish punks – dies of cancer, aged 56
Philip Chevron, who played guitar for the Pogues, has died at the age of 56. He had been treated for head and neck cancer in 2007 and was given a clean bill of health in April 2012. A new tumour appeared in August 2012, however, and was deemed inoperable. He died on Tuesday morning.
Chevron joined the Pogues following the release of their debut album, Red Roses for Me, initially on a temporary basis. He was a full-time member by the time they recorded their second album, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. Although the Pogues' songwriting was dominated by Shane MacGowan, Chevron contributed one of the band's best-loved songs, Thousands Are Sailing.
In 1976, Chevron had founded one of Ireland's first punk bands, the Radiators from Space. Their songs were later covered by folk singers including Christy Moore and Mary Coughlan.
In a message on their website, the Pogues sent condolences to Chevron's family.
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