Benign Indifference

And I recall the moment
Before it slipped away
When five green queens on a black bin bag
Meant all the world to me

Of all the Shane MacGowan lyrics in his various guises, this one stands out for me. I imagine late seventies London: ‘No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish’. He was squatting with the likes of Chrissie Hynde and mixing it up with Mr Lydon. I recall a moment where I saw what was mine, however small or fleeting it might seem. Before me was freedom. Shane MacGowan invoked the DIY spirit from rebel songs to the intimate and the personal. Knock out a fanzine, scribble some rhyme. Throw yourself out there and see what you are. And then he turns up the MacGowan twist and wins all the hands. The song ends poignantly…

…Five green queens and Jean.