The Clash Album

[No lyrics]

london calling to the far away towns
now war is declared and battle come down
london calling to the under world
Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls
London calling, now don't look at us
Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
'Cept for the ring of that truncheon thing

[Chorus]
The ice age is coming, the sun zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning-and I live by the river

London calling to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, you can go it alone
London calling to the zombies of death
Quit holding out-and draw another breath
London calling-and I don't wanna shout
But while we were talking-I saw you nodding out
London calling, see we ain't got no highs
Except for that one with the yellowy eyes

[Chorus x2]

the ice age is coming, the sun i s zooming in
engins are stoppin the wheat is growing thin
nuclear error but i have no fear
london is drowing and i live by the river

Now get this
London calling, yes, I was there, too
An' you know what they said? Well, some of it was true!
London calling at the top of the dial
After all this, won't you give me a smile?

I never felt so much a' like

Well, I'm running
Police on my back
Can you help me?
Police on my back

I am hiding
Police on my back
They were shooting
Police on my back

I've been running Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Running Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

What have I done?
What have I done?

(back to verse with other words)

When they kick at your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head,
Or on the trigger of your gun?

When the law break in
How you gonna go?
Shot down on the pavement
Or waiting on death row?

You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'll have to answer to
Oh, the guns of Brixton

The money feels good
And your life, you like it well
But surely your time will come
As in heaven, as in hell

You see, he feels like Ivan
Born under the Brixton sun
His game is called surviving
At the end of the harder they come

You know it means no mercy
They caught him with a gun
No need for the Black Maria
Goodbye to the Brixton sun

You can crush us
You can bruise us
Yes, even shoot us
But oh, the guns of Brixton

When they kick at your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun

You can crush us
You can bruise us
Yes, even shoot us
But oh, the guns of Brixton

Shot down on the pavement
Waiting in death row
His game is called surviving
As in heaven as in hell

You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'll have to answer to
Oh, the guns of Brixton

Tommy gun
You ain't happy 'less you got one
Tommy gun
Ain't gonna shoot the place up
just for fun
Maybe he wanna die for the money
Maybe he wants to kill for his country
Whatever he wants, he's gonna get it!

Tommy gun
You better strip it down for a customs run
Tommy gun
Waiting in the airport 'till kingdom come
An' we can watch you make it
on the nine o'clock news
Standing there in palestine lighting a fuse
Whatever you want, you're gonna get it

Tommy gun

Tommy gun

Tommy gun
You'll be dead [when your] war is won
Tommy gun
But did you have to gun down everyone
I can see it's kill or be killed
A nation of destiny has got to be fulfilled
Whatever you want, you're gonna get it!

Tommy Gun
You can be a hero in an age of none
Tommy gun
I'm cutting out your picture from page one
I'm gonna get a jacket just like yours
An' give my false support to your cause
Whatever you want, you're gonna get it!

Alright!

Okay!

So there's a street
About the price
And there's a one chance [of] survival
Pretend with it all

Boats an' tanks and planes, it's your game
Kings an' queens an' generals, learn your name
I see all the innocents, the human sacrifice
And if death comes so cheap
Then stay up all night

Ring! Ring! It's 7 A.M.!
Move y'self to go again
Cold water in the face
Brings you back to this awful place
Knuckle merchants and you bankers, too
Must get up an' learn those rules
Weather man and the crazy chief
One says sun and one says sleet
A.M., the F.M. the P.M. too
Churning out that boogaloo
Gets you up and gets you out
But how long can you keep it up?
Gimme Honda, Gimme Sony
So cheap and real phony
Hong Kong dollars and Indian cents
English pounds and Eskimo pence

You lot! What?
Don't stop! Give it all you got!
You lot! What?
Don't stop! Yeah!

Working for a rise, better my station
Take my baby to sophistication
She's seen the ads, she thinks it's nice
Better work hard - I seen the price
Never mind that it's time for the bus
We got to work - an' you're one of us
Clocks go slow in a place of work
Minutes drag and the hours jerk

"When can I tell 'em wot I do?
In a second, maaan...oright Chuck!"

Wave bub-bub-bub-bye to the boss
It's our profit, it's his loss
But anyway lunch bells ring
Take one hour and do your thanng!
Cheeesboiger!

What do we have for entertainment?
Cops kickin' Gypsies on the pavement
Now the news - snap to attention!
The lunar landing of the dentist convention
Italian mobster shoots a lobster
Seafood restaurant gets out of hand
A car in the fridge
Or a fridge in the car?
Like cowboys do - in T.V. land

You lot! What? Don't stop. Huh?

So get back to work an' sweat some more
The sun will sink an' we'll get out the door
It's no good for man to work in cages
Hits the town, he drinks his wages
You're frettin', you're sweatin'
But did you notice you ain't gettin'?
Don't you ever stop long enough to start?
To take your car outta that gear
Don't you ever stop long enough to start?
To get your car outta that gear
Karlo Marx and Fredrich Engels
Came to the checkout at the 7-11
Marx was skint - but he had sense
Engels lent him the necessary pence

What have we got? Yeh-o, magnificence!!

Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi
Went to the park to check on the game
But they was murdered by the other team
Who went on to win 50-nil
You can be true, you can be false
You be given the same reward
Socrates and Milhous Nixon
Both went the same way - through the kitchen
Plato the Greek or Rin Tin Tin
Who's more famous to the billion millions?
News Flash: Vacuum Cleaner Sucks Up Budgie
Oooohh...bub-bye

Magnificence!!

FUCKING LONG, INNIT?

stay around, don't play around
this old town and all
seems like I got to travel on

a lot of people won't get no supper tonight
a lot of people won't get no justice tonight
the battle is gettin' hotter
in this irration, armagideon time

a lot of people runnin' and hiding tonight
a lot of peoplr won't get no justice tonight
remember to kick it over
no one will guide you - armagideon time

Ring! Ring! It's 7 A.M.!
Move y'self to go again
Cold water in the face
Brings you back to this awful place
Knuckle merchants and you bankers, too
Must get up an' learn those rules
Weather man and the crazy chief
One says sun and one says sleet
A.M., the F.M. the P.M. too
Churning out that boogaloo
Gets you up and gets you out
But how long can you keep it up?
Gimme Honda, Gimme Sony
So cheap and real phony
Hong Kong dollars and Indian cents
English pounds and Eskimo pence

You lot! What?
Don't stop! Give it all you got!
You lot! What?
Don't stop! Yeah!

Working for a rise, better my station
Take my baby to sophistication
She's seen the ads, she thinks it's nice
Better work hard - I seen the price
Never mind that it's time for the bus
We got to work - an' you're one of us
Clocks go slow in a place of work
Minutes drag and the hours jerk

"When can I tell 'em wot I do?
In a second, maaan...oright Chuck!"

Wave bub-bub-bub-bye to the boss
It's our profit, it's his loss
But anyway lunch bells ring
Take one hour and do your thanng!
Cheeesboiger!

What do we have for entertainment?
Cops kickin' Gypsies on the pavement
Now the news - snap to attention!
The lunar landing of the dentist convention
Italian mobster shoots a lobster
Seafood restaurant gets out of hand
A car in the fridge
Or a fridge in the car?
Like cowboys do - in T.V. land

You lot! What? Don't stop. Huh?

So get back to work an' sweat some more
The sun will sink an' we'll get out the door
It's no good for man to work in cages
Hits the town, he drinks his wages
You're frettin', you're sweatin'
But did you notice you ain't gettin'?
Don't you ever stop long enough to start?
To take your car outta that gear
Don't you ever stop long enough to start?
To get your car outta that gear
Karlo Marx and Fredrich Engels
Came to the checkout at the 7-11
Marx was skint - but he had sense
Engels lent him the necessary pence

What have we got? Yeh-o, magnificence!!

Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi
Went to the park to check on the game
But they was murdered by the other team
Who went on to win 50-nil
You can be true, you can be false
You be given the same reward
Socrates and Milhous Nixon
Both went the same way - through the kitchen
Plato the Greek or Rin Tin Tin
Who's more famous to the billion millions?
News Flash: Vacuum Cleaner Sucks Up Budgie
Oooohh...bub-bye

Magnificence!!

FUCKING LONG, INNIT?

Now the king told the boogie men
You have to let that raga drop
The oil down the desert way
Has been shakin' to the top
The sheik he drove his Cadillac
He went a' cruisin' down the ville
The muezzin was a' standing
On the radiator grille

CHORUS
The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah

By order of the prophet
We ban that boogie sound
Degenerate the faithful
With that crazy Casbah sound
But the Bedouin they brought out
The electric camel drum
The local guitar picker
Got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the shareef
Had cleared the square
They began to wail

CHORUS

Now over at the temple
Oh! They really pack 'em in
The in-crowd say it's cool
To dig this chanting thing
But as the wind changed direction
And the temple band took five
The crowd caught a wiff
Of that crazy Casbah jive

CHORUS

The king called up his jet fighters
He said you better earn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the Casbah way

As soon as the shareef was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare

As soon as the shareef was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed

CHORUS

He thinks it's not kosher
Fundamentally he can't take it.
You know he really hates it.

Say you stand by your man
Tell me something I don't understand
You said you love me and that's a fact
Then you left me, said you felt trapped

Well some things you can explain away
But the heartache's in me till this day

Did you stand by me
No, not at all
Did you stand by me
No way

All the times
When we were close
I'll remember these things the most
I see all my dreams come tumbling down
I won't be happy without you 'round

So all alone I keep the wolves at bay
There is only one thing that I can say

[Chorus]

You must explain why this must be
Did you lie when you spoke to me

Did you stand by me
No, not at all

Now I got a job
But it don't pay
I need new clothes
I need somewhere to stay
But without all these things I can do
But without your love I won't make it through

But you don't understand my point of view
I suppose there's nothing I can do

[Chorus]

You must explain why this must be
Did you lie when you spoke to me?

Did you stand by me
Did you stand by me
No, not at all
Did you stand by me
No way
Did you stand by me
No, not at all
Did you stand by me
No way

The offered me the office, offered me the
shop
They said I'd better take anything they'd got
Do you wanna make tea at the BBC?
Do you wanna be, do you really wanna be a cop?

Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock
Career opportunity, the ones that never knock

I hate the army an' I hate the R.A.F.
I don't wanna go fighting in the tropical heat
I hate the civil service rules
And I won't open letter bombs for you

Bus driver....ambulance man....ticket inspector

They're gonna have to introduce conscription
They're gonna have to take away my prescription
If they wanna get me making toys
If they wanna get me, well, I got no choice

Careers
Careers
Careers

Ain't never gonna knock

Spanish songs in Andalucia
The shooting site in the days of '39
Oh please leave the vendanna open
Fredrico Llorca is dead and gone

Bullet holes in the cemetary walls
The black cars of Guardia Civil
Spanish bombs on the Costa Rica
Iґm flying in on a DC10 tonight

Spanish bombs, yo te qiero y finito
Yo te querda, oh ma corazon
Spanish bombs, yo te qiero y finito
Yo te querda, oh ma corazon

Spanish weeks in my disco casino
The freedom fighters died up on the hill
They sang the red flag, they wore the black one
After they died it was mockingbird hill

Back home the buses went up in flashes
The Irish tomb drenched in blood
Spanish bombs shatter the hotels
My señoritas rose was nipped in the bud

Spanish bombs, yo te qiero y finito
Yo te querda, oh ma corazon
Spanish bombs, yo te qiero y finito
Yo te querda, oh ma corazon

The hillsides ring with "Free the people"
Or can I hear the echoes of the days of '39
Trenches full of poets, a ragged army
Fixing bayonettes to fight the other line

Spanish bombs rock the province
Iґm hearing music from another time
Spanish bombs, Costa Brava
Iґm flying in on a DC10 tonight

Spanish bombs, yo te qiero y finito
Yo te querda, oh ma corazon
Spanish bombs, yo te qiero y finito
Yo te querda, oh ma corazon

oh ma corazon
oh ma corazon

Spanish songs in Andalucia... Mandolina
Spanish songs in Granada... oh ma corazon

oh ma corazon
oh ma corazon

What are we gonna do now?
Taking off his turban, they said, is this man a Jew?
'Cause they're working for the clampdown
They put up a poster saying we earn more than you!
When we're working for the clampdown
We will teach our twisted speech
To the young believers
We will train our blue-eyed men
To be young believers

The judge said five to ten-but I say double that again
I'm not working for the clampdown
No man born with a living soul
Can be working for the clampdown
Kick over the wall 'cause government's to fall
How can you refuse it?
Let fury have the hour, anger can be power
D'you know that you can use it?

The voices in your head are calling
Stop wasting your time, there's nothing coming
Only a fool would think someone could save you
The men at the factory are old and cunning
You don't owe nothing, so boy get runnin'
It's the best years of your life they want to steal

You grow up and you calm down
You're working for the clampdown
You start wearing the blue and brown
You're working for the clampdown
So you got someone to boss around
It makes you feel big now
You drift until you brutalize
You made your first kill now

In these days of evil presidentes
Working for the clampdown
But lately one or two has fully paid their due
For working for the clampdown
But ha! Gitalong! Gitalong!

And I've given away no secrets
Who's barmy now?

When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurah, Tudah
He's coming by bus or underground
Hurah, Tudah
A woman's eye will shed a tear
To see his face so beaten in fear
An' it was just around the corner in the English Civil War

It was still at the stage of clubs and fists
Hurah, Tudah
When that well-known face got beaten to bits
Hurah, Tudah
Your face was blue in the light of the screen
As we watched the speech of an animal scream
The new party army was marching right over our heads

Alright

There you are, ha ha, I told you so
Tudah, Hyurah
Says everybody that we know
Hurah, Tudah
But who hid a radio under the stairs
An' who got caught out on their unawares
New party army came marching right up the stairs

When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurah, Tudah
Nobody understands it can happen again
Hurah, Tudah
The sun is shining an' the kids are shouting loud
But you gotta know it's shining through a crack in the cloud
And the shadows keep on falling
When Johnny comes marching home

Alright
Johnny
Oka.......ay
Johnny

All the towns go
O.... O.
O. O...........

Darling you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I'll be here 'til the end of time
So you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

It's always tease tease tease
You're happy when I'm on my knees
One day is fine and next it's black
So if you want me off your back
Well come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know

This indecision's bugging me
Esta indecision me molesta,
If you don't want me, set me free
Si no me quieres, librame
Exactly whom I'm supposed to be
Digame que tengo ser
Don't you know which clothes even fit me?
¿No sabes que ropas me queda?
Come on and let me know
Me tienes que decir

Breakin' rocks in the hot sun
I fought the law and the law won (x2)
I needed money 'cause I had none
I fought the law and the law won (x2)

I left my baby and it feels so bad
Guess my race is run
she's the best girl that I ever had
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the

Robbin' people with a six-gun
I fought the law and the law won (x2)
I lost my girl and i lost my fun
I fought the law and the law won (x2)

I left my baby and it feels so bad
Guess my race is run
She's the best girl that I ever had
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the

I fought the law and the law won (x7)
I fought the law and the law