Lyric discussion by radio4head 

Cover art for Itinerant Child lyrics by Ian Dury And The Blockheads

I wouldn't actually say this was a political song. Chas Jankel on piano gives it that comic lift. It's contrasting the police brutality to human and humorous, people wanting to have good time and capable of self-mockery. So the chorus comes across as an anti-confrontation warning, perpetuating non-violent travellers' values. Just an idea - it could have been called "Runaway" (run away).

As he says it's a miracle no-one died on 1 June 1985, but did his dog really get it?

My Interpretation