I went to a party at the local county jail
All the cons were dancing and the band began to wail
But the guys were indiscreet
They were brawling in the street
At the local dance at the local county jail

Well the band were playing
And the booze began to flow
But the sound came over on the police car radio
Down at Precinct 49
Having a tear-gas of a time
Sergeant Baker got a call from the governor of the county jail

Load up, load up, load up with rubber bullets
Load up, load up, load up with rubber bullets
I love to hear those convicts squeal
It's a shame these slugs ain't real
But we can't have dancin' at the local county jail

Sergeant Baker and his men made a bee-line for the jail
And for miles around
You could hear the sirens wail
There's a rumor goin' 'round death row
That a fuse is gonna blow
At the local hop at the local county jail (whatcha gonna do about it, whatcha gonna do?)

Whatcha gonna do about it, whatcha gonna do?

Sergeant Baker started talkin' with a bullhorn in his hand (bullhorn in his hand, bullhorn in his hand)
He was cool, he was clear, he was always in command (always in command, always in command)
He said "Blood will flow, here Padre
Padre you talk to your boys"
"Trust in me
God will come to set you free"

Well we don't understand why you called in the National Guard (National Guard, the National Guard)
When Uncle Sam is the one who belongs in the exercise yard (exercise yard, the exercise yard)
We all got balls and brains
But some's got balls and chains
At the local dance at the local county jail

Load up, load up, load up with rubber bullets
Load up, load up, load up with rubber bullets
Is it really such a crime
For a guy to spend his time
At the local dance at the local county jail
At the local dance at the local county jail (whatcha gonna do about it, whatcha gonna do?)

Whatcha gonna do about it, whatcha gonna do?


Lyrics submitted by Ice

Rubber Bullets Lyrics as written by Kevin Godley Graham Gouldman

Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Rubber Bullets song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment
    Quite. This song is actually rather good though. The meaning is hardly discreet. Police brutality baby.
    Comrade_Liaron May 01, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Just another tongue in cheek song from Godley and Creme. What would REALLY happen at the Jailhouse Rock? They would have to load up with rubber bullets, like at Attica.
    hawley5150on January 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I believe it's about a jailbreak at a prison and how the system failed the criminals leading to unfair trials and prisoner mistreatment.
    Njoker8on January 26, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Comrade_Liar has an interesting theory, though it might be a little to "meaningful" of a theory xD I lean more in the direction of police brutality, which could cover a multitude of deeper meanings I suppose.
    kokakukidotai09on March 26, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    as hawley5150 said, this is about prison riots, such as attica. damn catchy though. and with all the trouble going on in england atm it seems apt!
    sparklefaerieon August 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    It was written during times of protest e.g. the Vietnam War and the powers the police had in the USA
    delia17601on November 18, 2017   Link
  • -1
    General Comment
    This song iz wicked !! I got my 14 yr old friends (who can NEEEEEEEEEEEEVER listen 2 nething other than the charts) 2 like 10cc !! Groovy !
    hippie-chickon June 20, 2004   Link
  • -2
    General Comment
    I am increasingly convinced this song is about a gay bar being raided and societys attitude to homosexuality in general. (Or that could be me spending too much time at this site and gradually being turned into one of those irritating fools who reads too much into everything)
    Comrade_Liaron May 12, 2005   Link
  • -2
    General Comment
    It's about having a party at the county jail, where this guy spends all of his time, and a fight breaks out, the fight spreads, people are getting hurt all over the place so they send in the national guard to break it up. The narrator is very amused by all this, but not in a stuck-up or sadistic way, he just doesn't seem very bright and enjoys the commotion.
    AmericanRudieon March 15, 2010   Link

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