Video hit The Pogues

The Pogues - Dirty Old Town (Live at BBC)

The song was written in reference to Salford, then in Lancashire in England, the town where MacColl was born and brought up.

It was originally composed for an interlude to cover an awkward scene change in Ewan MacColl's Salford-set, 1949 play Landscape with Chimneys, but with the growing popularity of folk music the song became a standard. The first verse referred to the Gasworks croft, which was a piece of open land adjacent to the Gasworks 53°28′50″N 2°16′36″W, and then speaks of the old canal, which was the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal.

When MacColl first wrote the song, the local council were unhappy at having Salford called a dirty old town and, after considerable criticism, the words of the song were changed from "smelled the smoke on the Salford wind" to "smelled the spring on the smoky wind".

The Spinners made the first popular recording of the song, singing "Salford wind". The lead singer on the track was Mick Groves, fittingly a Salfordian.

The song was written about an English town, but later became associated with The Dubliners and The Pogues with a few word changes.

Recordings and performances

Folk singer Jackie Washington on his 1962 album Jackie Washington

Esther Ofarim in 1963 and 1964

The Spinners, The Settlers, Donovan, and Chad & Jeremy, all in 1964

Roger Whittaker, on his 1968 album Durham Town

The Dubliners, charting in the Top 10 in the Irish Charts. Also appeared on their 1968 album Drinkin' and Courtin'

Rod Stewart, on his 1969 first album, An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down

The Clancy Brothers, on their 1970 album Flowers in the Valley, sung by Liam Clancy

The Pogues, on their 1985 second album, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash

Townes Van Zandt as a limited edition single, recorded September 1996.

The Specials, on their 1996 covers album Today's Specials

The Mountain Goats, on their 2002 EP Devil in the Shortwave

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, on their 2003 EP, Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead and 2003 film, Dirty Old Town

Frank Black (accompanied by Marty Brown) on his 2006 double album, Fast Man Raider Man

Lorraine Leckie and her Demons on the 2008 album Four Cold Angels (with Spider Stacy of the Pogues and Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre)

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, on their 2009 live album, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Live

Bettye LaVette on her 2012 album, Thankful N' Thoughtful.

The lyrics:

I met my love by the gas works wall

Dreamed a dream by the old canal

I kissed my girl by the factory wall

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

Clouds a drifting across the moon

Cats a prowling on their beat

Spring's a girl in the street at night

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

Heard a siren from the docks

Saw a train set the night on fire

Smelled the spring on the smokey wind

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

I'm going to make a good sharp axe

Shining steel tempered in the fire

Will chop you down like an old dead tree

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

(Ewan McColl)

SONG: Jesse James

Jesse James we understand

Has killed many a man

He robbed the Union trains

He stole from the rich and gave to the poor

He'd a hand and a heart and a brain

Well it was on a Saturday night

The stars were shining bright

They robbed the Glendale train

And the people they did say for many miles away

It was those outlaws Frank and Jesse James

Now Jesse had a wife

Lived a lady all her life

Her children they were brave

But history does record

That Bob and Charlie Ford

Have laid poor Jesse in his grave

Well it was Bob and Charlie Ford

Those dirty little cowards

I wonder how they feel

For they ate of Jesse's bread and they slept in Jesse's bed

And they laid poor Jesse in his grave

Now Jesse had a wife

Lived a lady all her life

Her children they were brave

But history does record

That Bob and Charlie Ford

Have laid poor Jesse in his grave

Well the people held their breath

When they heard of Jesse's death

They wondered how he came to fall

Well it was Robert Ford in fact who shot him in the back

While he hung a picture on the wall

Now Jesse had a wife

Lived a lady all her life

Her children they were brave

But history does record

That Bob and Charlie Ford

Have laid poor Jesse in his grave