Starved in metropolis
Hooked on necropolis
Addict of metropolis
Do the worm on the accropolis
Slamdance the cosmopolis
Enlighten the populace

Hungry darkness of living
Who will thirst in the pit? (hooked in metropolis)
She spent a lifetime deciding
How to run from it (addicts of metropolis)
Once fate had a witness
And the years seemed like friends (girlfriends)
Now her child has a dream
But it begins like it ends

Shot in eternity
Methadone kitty
Iron serenity

Ghetto defendant
It is heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city

(Strung-out committee) walled out of the city
Clubbed down from uptown
Sprayed pest from the nest
Run out to barrio town (The guards are itchy)
Forced to watch at the feast
Then sweep up the night
Flipped pieces of coin (broken bottles)
Exchanged for birthright (grafted in a jiffy)

Ghetto defendant, it is heroin pity (strung-out committee)
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city (not sitting pretty)
(Grafted in a jiffy) heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city

The ghetto prince of gutter poets
Was bounced out of the room (Jean Arthur Rimbaud)
By the bodyguards of greed
For disturbing the tomb (eighteen-seventy-three)
His words like flamethrowers (paris commune)
Burnt the ghettos in their chests
His face was painted whiter
And he was laid to rest (died in Marseille)

Ghetto defendant, it is heroin pity (buried in Charleville)
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city (shut up in etenity)

It is heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city

Guatemala, Honduras, Poland, the Hundred-Years War
TV re-run invasion
Death squad Salvador
Afghanistan, meditation, old Chinese flu
Kick junk, what else can a poor worker do?

Ghetto defendant
In heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city

Ghetto defendant
It is heroin pity


Lyrics submitted by aebassist, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Ghetto Defendant Lyrics as written by Mick Jones Joe Strummer

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Ghetto Defendant song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

11 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    this song is about the C.I.A.'s involvement with the drug trade in the Ghetto's

    Steppingrazoron December 10, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It's about the drugs business in the ghetto's of the world not wanting change. But simply rich pickings.

    NOT TEAR GAS NOR BATON CHARGE THAT STOPS YOU TAKING THE CITY

    • They're not harmed or affected by the draconian clampdowns aimed at the ghetto dwellers, while:

    THE ADMIRAL SNORES COMMAND SUBMARINES BOIL IN OCEANS WHILE THE ARMIES FIGHT WITH SUNS

    [We've got our priorities wrong].

    BoHoon February 08, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the title of the song is ironic cuz its talking about the military that is defending the ghettos. Where as the priorities r set on the outside of the country instead of the inside. the ghetto doesnt need to be defended it needs to be fixed.

    pfandcloveron July 12, 2013   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    It's an allegory, which would be more clear if Ginsberg's poem wasn't interspersed with Strummer's lyrics, but set off on their own like on the album sleeve. ostensibly, the song is about a graffiti artist/street poet who eventually becomes famous in the white art community and dies (His words like flamethrowers Burnt the ghettos in their chests His face was painted whiter And he was laid to rest) The deeper story is that of black music and other art forms being "cleaned up" for the dominant culture, "painted whiter" as the song says. The originators of that art form move on, and it is "laid to rest." Ginsberg's poem effectively ties that to mainstream culture absorbing the counterculture into itself.

    rb3868on September 16, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    THIS SONG IS THE BEST SONG!!! I love listening to it.

    pringdoggon July 12, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yeah, it kicks ass. Its also pretty self explanitory.

    SkeletonGuyon July 06, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is incredible. The contrast between the two lyrical and vocal styles is beautiful.

    Ad_Nauseamon September 14, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is awesome! i always play this and my friends are like "what the hell is this???! it's a great song i love the vocal contrasts.

    benulitronon January 18, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is such an amazing song. I can't stop listening to it, and whenever I pick up a guitar, I start playing this.

    Nachoman55on October 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    There is always so much to digest with a Clash song. Loads of references and imagery to unpick.

    You can find the whole album on youtube if you have have worn out your copy!

    burningskyon June 24, 2012   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.