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Sheepskin Tearaway

Band songlist

Info

Sheepskin Tearaway is a track written by Peter Doherty and Dot Allison that features on Doherty's debut solo album, Grace/Wastelands. Doherty and Allison wrote the song together in the hotel Albion in Brighton.

The track has been played live many times, sometimes by Doherty and Allison, and sometimes by Doherty's band, Babyshambles. Sheepskin Tearaway is also known to have been recorded for at least two of Doherty's solo sessions.
When a photograph of what appeared to be a tracklisting for Doherty's solo album leaked in January 2006 (after the New Years eve guerrilla gig), Sheepskin Tearaway was written as Track #7. When it was eventually released in 2009, however, it was track #9. Both Dot Allison and Drew McConnell feature on the Grace/Wastelands version, with reviews calling it a "trademark Pete Doherty track".

In the official Grace/Wastelands DVD interview, Doherty stated that the characters in the song are based on Wolfman, who owns a particular sheepskin coat, and his young girlfriend Gemma.

Appearing on

Grace/Wastelands Peter DohertyAlbum2009-03-16
HQ Sessions Second Wave (& Conversation Diva) BabyshamblesSession2004-02
HQ Sessions Second Wave BabyshamblesSession2004-02

Concerts

La Maroquinerie Peter DohertyParis, France2013-02-05
La Maroquinerie Peter DohertyParis, France2013-02-04
The Kooples Peter DohertyParis2012-03-13
Liquid Rooms Peter DohertyEdinburgh, Scotland2011-09-21
Parc de Bagatelle, We Love Green Peter DohertyParis, France2011-09-11
Reading Festival Peter DohertyReading, UK2011-08-28
Le Cabaret Vert Peter DohertyCharleville-Mézières, France 2011-08-27
Heroes Bar Peter DohertyKentish Town, London2011-04-06
Cité de la Musique Peter DohertyParis, France2010-07-07
Roundhouse, Camden (ft Dot Allison) Peter DohertyCamden Roundhouse, London2009-09-19
Paleo Festival Peter DohertyPaleo Festival, Nyon, Swiss2009-07-24
The Mass Peter DohertyBrixton, London2008-06-17
Reading Festival (1) BabyshamblesReading Festival, Radio1 NME stage2005-08-27
Norwich, 2004 (1) BabyshamblesNorwich2004-09-26
Up The Shambles (DVD) BabyshamblesThe Ritz Manchester, UK2004-09-23
Preston Mill BabyshamblesPreston, UK2004-07-06

Lyrics

She opened her heart
To a tearaway (sheepskin tearaway)
He was covered in scars
And full of heroin
Everyone said from the start
Not one single thing, could ever be OK
She didn't listen any way...

She just opened her heart
Threw her cares away
At night he helt her so tight in the dark
He brushed her hair away
She heard him say
All my life I've been fighting
And making the best of
a really very bad lot, very bad lot, veryy bad lot indee-eed,

All you're fighting got you nowhere
If nowhere's here with you
On my skin
And you could fight forever
But if you killed them all
You'd never win
So give me your surrender
There are other ways
To kill the pain
But this will never mend you
It's like trying to dry your eyes in the pouring rain

She opened her heart
to a tearaway (sheepskin tearaway)
All covered in scars
and full of heroin

Tearaway, sheepskin tearaway
sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep
sheepskin tearaway

NameSheepskin Tearaway
BandPeter Doherty
CreditsDot Alison
Peter Doherty


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