Singles

They cried the tears, they shed the fears,
Up and down the land,
They stole guitars or used guitars
- so the tape would understand,
Without even the slightest hope of a 1000 sales
Just as if, as if there was, a hitsville in u.k.,
I know the boy was all alone, til the hitsville hit u.k.

They say true talent will allways emerge in time,
When lightening hits small wonder -
Its fast rough factory trade,
No expense accounts, or lunch discounts
Or hypeing up the charts,
The band went in, 'n knocked 'em dead, in 2 min. 59

- no slimy deals, with smarmy eels - in hitsville u.k.
Lets shake'n say, we'll operate - in hitsville u.k.
The mutants, creeps and musclemen,
Are shaking like a leaf,
It blows a hole in the radio,
When it hasnt sounded good all week,
A mike'n boom, in your living room - in hitsville u.k.
No consumer trials, or a.o.r., in hitsville u.k.,
Now the boys and girls are not alone,
Now the hitsville's hit u.k.

(strummer/jones)

London calling to the faraway towns
Now that war is declared-and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard, all you boys and girls
London calling, now don't look at us
All that 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 is zooming in
Engines stop running and the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear error, but i have no fear
London is drowning-and i live by the river

London calling to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, an' go it alone
London calling upon the zombies of death
Quit holding out-and draw another breath
London calling-and i don't wanna shout
But when 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

Now get this
London calling, yeah, 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

(strummer/jones)

White riot - i wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own
White riot - i wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own

Black people gotta lot a problems
But they don't mind throwing a brick
White people go to school
Where they teach you how to be thick

An' everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
An' nobody wants
To go to jail!

All the power's in the hands
Of people rich enough to buy it
While we walk the street
Too chicken to even try it

Everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
Nobody wants
To go to jail!

Are you taking over
Or are you taking orders?
Are you going backwards
Or are you going forwards?

(strummer/jones)

Tommy gun
You ain't happy less you got one
Tommy gun
Ain't gonna shoot the place up
Just for fun
Maybe he wants to 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 custom 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 the fuse
Whatever you want, you're gonna get it

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!

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 the same goes for life!

Ring! ring! it's 7:00 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?

(the clash)

It's up to you not to heed the call-up
'n' you must not act the way you were brought up
Who knows the reasons why you have grown up?
Who knows the plans or why they were drawn up?

It's up to you not to heed the call-up
I don't wanna die!
It's up to you not to hear the call-up
I don't wanna kill!

For he who will die
Is he who will kill

Maybe i wanna see the wheatfields
Over kiev and down to the sea

All the young people down the ages
They gladly marched off to die
Proud city fathers used to watch them
Tears in their eyes

There is a rose that i want to live for
Although, god knows, i may not have met her
There is a dance an' i should be with her
There is a town - unlike any other

It's up to you not to hear the call-up
'n' you must not act the way you were brought up
Who give you work an' why should you do it?
At fifty five minutes past eleven
There is a rose...
Yeah!

(traditional; arranged by strummer/jones)

When johnny comes
Marching home again
He's coming by bus or underground
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
When that well-known face got beaten to bits
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
Says everybody that we know
But who hid a radio under the stairs
An' who got caught out on their unawares?
When that new party army came marching right up the stairs

When johnny comes marching home again
Nobody understands it can happen again
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 falling when johnny comes marching home

(strummer/jones)

An' i wanna move the town to the clash city
Rockers
You need a little jump of electrical shockers
You better leave town if you only wanna knock us
Nothing stands the pressure of the clash city rockers

You see the rate they come down the escalator
Now listen to the tube train accelerator
Then you realise that you got to have a purpose
Or this place is gonna knock you out sooner or later

So don't complain about your useless employment
Jack it in forever tonight
Or shut your mouth and pretend you enjoy it
Think of all the money you've got

An' i wanna liquefy everybody gone dry
Or plug into the aerials that poke up in the sky
Or burn down the suburbs with the half-closed eyes
You won't succeed unless you try

You owe me a move say the bells of st. groove
Come on and show me say the bells of old bowie
When i am fitter say the bells of gary glitter
No one but you and i say the bells of prince far-i
No one but you and i say the bells of prince far-i

An' i wanna move the town to the clash city rockers
You need a little jump of electrical shockers
You better leave town if you only wanna knock us
Nothing stands the pressure of the clash city rockers
Rock rock clash city rockers

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 know
Should i stay or should i go?

Always tease tease tease
Siempre - coqetiando y enganyando
You're happy when i'm on my knees
Me arrodilla y estas feliz
One day is fine, next is black
Un dias bien el otro negro
So if you want me off your back
Al rededar en tu espalda
Well come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir
Should i stay or should i go?
Me debo ir o que darme

Should i stay or should i go now?
Should i stay or should i go now?
If i go there will be trouble
An' if i stay it will be double
So come on and let me know

This indecision's bugging me
Esta undecision me molesta
If you don't want me, set me free
Si no me quieres, librame
Exactly who'm i'm supposed to be
Diga me que tengo ser
Don't you know which clothes even fit me?