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


Lyrics submitted by aebassist, edited by Mellow_Harsher

English Civil War Lyrics as written by Mick Jones Joe Strummer

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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English Civil War (Johnny Comes Marching Home) song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    Choosebro and Indiemonkey have it right: Strummer is referring to the resurgent skinhead/fascist/National Front fascist movement in England and linking it to the "New Party" in the 30s that became increasingly sympathetic to Hitler.

    playadel2001on November 11, 2007   Link

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