Fairytale of New York by The Pogues — ESL Song Worksheet | English Plans

FAIRYTALEOFNEWYORK

/ The Pogues · 1987 /

Listen carefully and fill in the missing words.

    Verse 1
It was (1) Eve, babe
In the drunk (2)
An old man said to me
"Won't see another one"
And then he (3) a song
"The Rare Old Mountain Dew"
I (4) my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a (5) one
Came in eighteen-to-one
I've got a (6)
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you, baby
I can see a better time
When all our (7) come true

Verse 2
They've got cars big as (8), they've got rivers of gold
But the (9) goes right through you, it's no place for the old
When you first took my hand on a cold Christmas Eve
You (10) me Broadway was waiting for me
You were (11), you were pretty, queen of New York City
When the band (12) playing, they howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging, all the drunks, they were (13)
We kissed on a corner, then danced through the night
The boys of the NYPD choir were singing "Galway Bay"
And the (14) were ringing out for Christmas Day

Verse 3
You're a bum, you're a punk, you're an old slop of muck
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap, lousy flagrant
Happy Christmas, your arse, I pray God it's our last
[Chorus]

Final Verse
"I could have been someone", well, so could anyone
You took my dreams from me when I first found you
I kept them with me, babe, I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone, I've built my dreams around you
[Chorus]
  

Fairytale of New York

The Pogues · 1987

ClassPlan.ai

Song Worksheets

Context Clue Challenge

Read each word in context from the song. Use the surrounding lyrics to guess the meaning of these challenging words.

1. flagrant

2. slop

3. tank

4. eighteen-to-one

5. swinging

Genre Swap

Reimagine this gritty Christmas duet in a completely different musical genre. Choose from: country ballad, hip-hop, opera, folk lullaby, or heavy metal. Rewrite 2-3 lines to match your chosen genre's style, vocabulary, and tone.

Choose a genre: Country · Hip-hop · Folk · Pop ballad · Reggae

Consider how different genres handle emotion, storytelling, and language. How would a country song tell this story? How would opera express this pain?

Did you know?

Read these facts about the song. Which one surprises you most?

🎵The song was written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and took over two years to complete, with the famous duet structure inspired by old Hollywood musicals.
⭐Kirsty MacColl replaced original vocalist Cait O'Riordan on the recording, creating one of the most beloved Christmas duets in popular music history.
🎸The song's narrative structure moves through different time periods, from reminiscence to bitter present-day reality, reflecting a deteriorated relationship.
📀Despite containing profanity that caused radio censorship issues, it became the most-played Christmas song on UK radio and reached number 2 in 1987.
🎤The NYPD choir mentioned in the song is fictional - no such official choir existed, though the London Community Gospel Choir provided backing vocals.

Discussion & analysis

Discuss each question with your partner.

1How does the song's structure mirror the stages of a deteriorating relationship?
2What role does nostalgia play in keeping people trapped in destructive relationships?

3Have you ever experienced a place or time that felt magical but later seemed different?
4Why do some of the most beloved songs contain the darkest human emotions?

🎨 Play It! — Draw It!

Student comes to the board and draws — no letters, words, or numbers. They must draw the song title or artist name. Class guesses. Set a 60-second timer for each turn.