The Body Of An American T-Shirt

An early twentieth century promotional boxing poster featuring “Big” Jim Dwyer; the protagonist of The Pogues’ ode to Irish American immigration “The Body Of An American”: “Fare thee well, going away, There’s nothing left to say, Farewell to New York City boys, To Boston and PA, He took them out, With a well-aimed clout, He was often heard to say, “I’m a free born man of the USA…”. He fought the champ in Pittsburgh, And he slashed him to the ground, He took on Tiny Tartanella, And it only went one round, He never had no time for reds, For drink or dice or whores, And he never threw a fight, Unless the fight was right, So they sent him to the war…”