"When they kick out 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 in death row?"
The Clash are just so fucking badass it boggles the mind. Just look at the album cover the album cover this song is from:
Anyway, the other bit of the song I wanted to mention is this verse:
"You see, he feels like Ivan
Born under the Brixton sun
His game is called survivin'
At the end of 'The Harder They Come'"
For those of you who have not see the film The Harder They Come starring Jimmy Cliff as "Ivan", this verse doesn't quite have the same impact. It may seem a stretch to some for a white British man to compare their struggles with those of the black youth in Jamaica, but no matter where you live, the "game is called survivin'" and there is no doubt to me, granted a sheltered yuppie, that anyone who has struggled to do so shares a bond in some sense with each other that the rest of us do not.
awesome song though.
ReplyDeletevery rare that i listen to music but when i do The Clash (and London Calling in particular) is high on my list.
there's a great interview done on the London Underground which explains where they were all coming from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkG55BHFkYo
"When I saw the Pistols, right, I suddenly realised that I wasn't alone in the fact that I couldn't play too well...it just suddenly struck me that it didn't have to matter that much, you know?" - Joe Strummer
Ah nice thanks for the link Dunk I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteThat quote is great because, in addition to London Calling, my other go-to Clash album is From Here To Eternity where Mick really shows his vocal range :)
Hope you are feeling better BTW
if you want a somewhat pedestrian's selection of their music, "The Story of The Clash Vol 1" has classics from throughout their career, along with interview snippets.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I only have disc one of that but no interviews :) Thx I'll check it out.
ReplyDelete