Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
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 in death row
You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'd 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 survivin'
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
But you'll have to answer to
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
And even shoot us
But oh, the guns of Brixton
Shot down on the pavement
Waiting in death row
His game was survivin'
As in heaven as in hell
You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'd have to answer to
Oh, the guns of Brixton
Oh, guns of Brixton
Oh, guns of Brixton
Oh, guns of Brixton
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
You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'd 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 survivin'
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
But you'll have to answer to
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
And even shoot us
But oh, the guns of Brixton
Shot down on the pavement
Waiting in death row
His game was survivin'
As in heaven as in hell
You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'd have to answer to
Oh, the guns of Brixton
Oh, guns of Brixton
Oh, guns of Brixton
Oh, guns of Brixton
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More Featured Meanings
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
The Brixton riots in South London actually predates Guns of Brixton. From what I've read about this song, books and all, it captured the frustrations of the people of Brixton. Their anger at police brutality and oppression and the associated economic position that many black migrants into London at the time found themselves in. As has already been mentioned there are a lot of plays on words with the Ivan lyric!
Great band, vive le clash!
Nouvelle Vague (Whoever she is) did a brilliant, soft lounge-type cover of this song, great stuff. Personally one of my favorites, and yes this song has a great bassline.
I like Nouvelle Vague, and their cover of "Guns of Brixton" is pretty good. But, what really, really, really bugs me is that the singer mispronounces "Black Maria." Simonon pronounces it (of course...) correctly, so that it sounds the same as Mariah Carey. In the NV version, the singer pronounces it like Maria Bello. Ugh. Just so wrong and ruins their rendition.
Correct me if I’m wrong someone, but isn’t this song about yardie gangsters? For any non-Brits reading this, yardies are ruthless Jamaican gangsters, so called because they have a reputation for shooting people on their own doorsteps i.e. in the ‘yard’ of their homes. Most yardie gangs operate in or near Brixton in south London.
here they're saying we have to make a choice between letting oppression go on "With your hands on your head" or confronting it "on the trigger of your gun".
This song kicks ass. Simonon wrote it as a tune up and the others added in their own chords. Then Simonon said he had penned some words and tried to get Joe to sing them but he tried to get Paul to sing it, when he refused claiming he couldn't sing the band refused to play it unless he sang it and I'm pleased they did he does it perfectly. The Brixton riots were I'm pretty sure race riots just the blacks Vs cops which seemed pretty common back then.
Paul Siminon grew up in Brixton (part of the reason why The Clash were so influenced by reggae was their closeness to the black community). Anyway the place was full of gun violence and police oppression. It says when the police come for you, you can either give up and arrested, where you'll likely end up in death row, or you could confront the police where you'll likely end up being shot down, either way you can shortly die.
About personal connections with it, I live pretty close to the Philadelphia suburbs so any time the local news is on you're bound to be hit with stories about shootings and crime and awol cops; they just go down the list of unsafe neighborhoods where this is always happening. So this song always reminds me of that.
This song is so badass its ridiculous. Favorite Clash song easily
@SLMitchell ditto.
I don't think this is the straight anthem of resistance as it is generally seen. It is a double message. The main story is about the futility of the gangster life, which will end in violence one way or another. The Ivan character lives well on his criminal acts but the reckoning will come. In the end his only choice will be death or jail. There is no good option when an armed police team is at the door.
The chorus strikes a note of fighting the power. Maybe the connection is that just as the criminal will eventually meet his fate, the forces of oppression must eventually confront the rebellion they incite. Everyone gets the violence they deserve.
This song is one of The Clash's best.
ah, yes i agree. it is. oh yay for me my first post ;D