Dirty Old Town – Ewan MacColl masterpiece

Universal appeal
Dirty Old Town Videos
Lyrics and Chords

Dirty Old Town has been performed to such acclaim by bands like The Dubliners and The Pogues that it is sometimes mistakenly thought of as an Irish song.

In fact, it was written by the Anglo-Scottish singer Ewan MacColl about the town of Salford near Manchester in the north west of England. MacColl was one of the leading lights of the folk revival in England from the 1940s onwards.

He wrote many great songs like Shoals of Herring which have since become part of the folk tradition.

MacColl is said to have changed “Salford wind” in the original version to “smoky wind” at the request of local councillors who felt the song reflected badly on their town.

MacColl was also a playwright and theatre producer. In 1948 he wrote a play called Landscape with Chimneys, which was set in Salford where MacColl was born and brought up.

MacColl is said to have had a love-hate relationship with the town. He loved its people and was keen to champion their rights, but he disliked the dour, depressing outlook and the poor conditions in which people had to live in the 1930s and 40s.

Dirty Old Town written to help MacColl’s play

When Landscape with Chimneys was first due to be performed in 1949, MacColl was concerned about a difficult scene change which would take two or three minutes to accomplish. He decided to solve the problem by having a musical interlude featuring a song about Salford where the play was set.

Ewan MacColl’s real name was James Miller. He changed it to acknowledge his Scottish heritage.

That song turned out to be Dirty Old Town. It’s perhaps ironic that MacColl only wrote it as an afterthought to help with his play because it went on to become his best known and most widely recorded song.

Dirty Old Town has been a standard on the folk circuit ever since it was written and remains as popular as ever today.

Dirty Old Town
Universal appeal
Dirty Old Town Videos
Lyrics and Chords

Dirty Old Town

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – Bb-Major low>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – C-Major low>>>

PDF Freesheetmusic Dirty Old Town A-Major

PDF Freesheetmusic Dirty Old Town Bb-Major

PDF Freesheetmusic Dirty Old Town C-Major

PDF Freesheetmusic Dirty Old Town D-Major

PDF Freesheetmusic Dirty Old Town Eb-Major

PDF Freesheetmusic Dirty Old Town F-Major

PDF Freesheetmusic Dirty Old Town G-Major

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – D-Major high>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – Eb-Major high>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – F-Major high>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – C-Major Bass>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – Bb-Major Bass>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – A-Major Bass>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – Ab-Major Bass>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – G-Major Bass>>>

PDF Sheetmusic – Dirty Old Town – F-Major Bass>>>

mp3 Audiofile – Dirty Old Town – F-Major:

mp3 Audiofile – Dirty Old Town – G-Major:

mp3 Audiofile – Dirty Old Town – Ab-Major:

mp3 Audiofile – Dirty Old Town – A-Major:

mp3 Audiofile – Dirty Old Town – Bb-Major:

mp3 Audiofile – Dirty Old Town – C-Major:

mp3 Audiofile – Dirty Old Town – D-Major:

mp3 Audiofile – Dirty Old Town – Eb-Major:

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 are drifting,
Across the moon.
Cats are prowling,
on their beat.
Spring-s-a girl,
From the streets at night.

Dirty old town,
Dirty old town.

I heard a siren,
From the docks.
Saw a train,
Set the night on fire.
Smelled the spring,
On the smoky wind.

Dirty old town,
Dirty old town.

I’m going to make,
Me a good sharp axe;
Shining steel,
Tempered in,
the Fire.
I’ll chop you down,
Like an old dead tree.

Dirty old town,
Dirty old town.

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.