THE CLASH- THIS IS ENGLAND

Do you want to know why the world is so great?... Because: This is England.
I hear a gang fire on a human factory farm
Are they howling out or doing somebody harm
On a catwalk jungle somebody grabbed my arm
A voice spoke so cold it matched the weapon in her palm
This is England
This knife of Sheffield steel
This is England
This is how we feel
Time on his hands freezing in those clothes
He won't go for the carrot
They beat him by the pole
Some sunny day confronted by his soul
He's out at sea, too far off, he can't go home
This is England
What we're supposed to die for
This is England
And we're never gonna cry no more
Black shadow of the Vincent
Falls on a Triumph line
I got my motorcycle jacket
But I'm walking all the time
South Atlantic wind blows
Ice from a dying creed
I see no glory
When will we be free
This is England
We can chain you to the rail
This is England
We can kill you in a jail
Those British boots go kick Bengali in the head
Police sit watchin'
The newspapers been read
Who cares to protest
After the air attack by flare
Out came the batons and
The British warned themselves
This is England
The land of illegal dances
This is England
Land of a thousand stances
This is England
This knife of Sheffield steel
This is England
This is how we feel
This is England
This is England

Category:

Music

Tags:

• the clash
• this is england

[sk84funman]

"this is england we can chain you to the rail , this is england we can kill you in a jail" . . . i dont think it is about how great the world is cause england hahhahahhaha , come on man . . .

[PBANDSNOW]

@sk84funman I wasn't commenting on what the song was about, I'm commenting about the song.

Come on man...

[x0th101]

Shouldn't the cross of St George be used instead of the union jack flag if the song is called "This is England"? I'm a yank and I know this! =P

[PBANDSNOW]

@x0th101 I dont think it should be. This song is about the problems that only the english know of, so since i dont know the problems, i compare this song to the problems between england and ireland. And to be perfectly honest, i dont care that ur american

[lovelovehatehate57]

you do realize the lyrics were about his negative feelings towards england?

[Shenanigans07]

patriotic? Joe hated patriots.

[824koumari]

USA .. Can't you build your own 'UK' of your own. ? FM !

[824koumari]

What are yanks coming here for? Talking about I love dickens . What's wrong with your own country ? Have you got struggles there?

[gabbalabbawoop]

two of my favourite bands of the time were the clash and skrewdriver

[momikochan1]

American respect muh friend

[aieux23]

i am sure i am just another ignorant American, but i love ENGLAND and the English...Dickens, the Empire, Queen Victoria, yadda yadda....and the Clash. The only band that ever mattered.

[Brocklebury]

@hamptonwickster Song was written in 1983, released in 1985. I find it hard to imagine how Strummer, as an out-spoken critic of conservative politics, would consider the developments of the 1980s an improvement.

[UKAmonUK]

this is uk

[hamptonwickster]

I guess this song is to England what 'Born in the USA' is to America. For people who were not around in the 70's its hard to remember how desperate people felt. (Strikes, no jobs, power black outs) The lowest ebb in what had been a slow decline in England since 1860 (Englands height) Of course things appeared to improve in the 80's but Strummer and Co wernt to know this in '81 when the song was written/released.