London Calling Lyrics

Lyric discussion by zoeced 

Cover art for London Calling lyrics by Clash, The

This song is one of my favourite songs of all time. As to what it is about:

<<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>>

A nuclear error? The ice-age? Sun zooming in? This is all apocalpse imagery. Why? Because we were right in the middle of the Cold War. The Clash were about current politics, about the present, not the past.

And about London drowning...the river is the Thames, and the Clash lived in London. I don't know the exact meaning behind every line. But I always assumed this was about the Cold War