London Calling

(strummer/jones)

London calling to the faraway towns
Now that war is declared-and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard, all you boys and girls
London calling, now don't look at us
All that phoney beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
'cept for the ring of that truncheon thing

Chorus
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

London calling to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, an' go it alone
London calling upon the zombies of death
Quit holding out-and draw another breath
London calling-and i don't wanna shout
But when we were talking-i saw you nodding out
London calling, see we ain't got no highs
Except for that one with the yellowy eyes

Chorus

Now get this
London calling, yeah, i was there, too
An' you know what they said? well, some of it was true!
London calling at the top of the dial
After all this, won't you give me a smile?

I never felt so much a' like

(c. alphanso)

Stagger lee met billy and they go down to gambling


Stagger lee throwed seven
Billy said that he throwed eight
So billy said, hey stagger! i'm gonna make my big attack
I'm gonna have to leave my knife in your back

Why do you try to cheat?
And trample people under your feet
Don't you know it is wrong?
To cheat the trying man
So you better stop, it is the wrong 'em boyo

You lie, steal, cheat and deceit
In such a small, small game
Don't you know it is wrong

Billy boy has been shot
And stagger lee's come out on top
Don't you know it is wrong
To cheat the trying man
To cheat stagger man
You'd better stop
So you must start all over again-all over again
You got to play it, billy, play, you got to play it, billy, play
And you will find it is the right 'em boyo

But if you must lie and deceit
And trample people under your feet
Don't you know it is wrong
It is the wrong 'em boyo

(strummer/jones)

Well, i got a friend who's a man
What man?
The man who keeps me from the lovely
He gives me what i need
What you need? what you got?
I need it all so badly

Chorus
Oh, anything i want he gives it to me
Anything i want he gives it, but not for free
It's hateful
And it's paid for and i'm so grateful to be nowhere

This year i've lost some friends
Some friends? what friends?
I dunno, i ain't even noticed

You see, i gotta go out again
Again? my friend
I gotta see that mainman

I killed all my nerves
My nerves? what swerves?
And i can't drive so steady

I've lost my memory
My mind? behind!
I can't see so clearly

Chorus

(strummer/jones)

Well they were given the grapes that go ripe in
The sun
That loosen the screws at the back of the tongue
But they told no one where they had begun-four horsemen

They were given al lthe foods of vanity
And all the instant promises of immortality
Buyt they bit the dust screamin' insanity!-four horsemen

One was over the edge, one was over the cliff
One was lickin' em dry with a bloody great spliff
When they picked up the hiker he didn't want the lift
From the horsemen

But you!
You're not searching, are you now?
You're not looking anyhow
You're never gonna ride that lonely mile
Or put yourself up on trial
Oh, you told me how your life was so bad
An' i agree that it does seem sad
But that's the price that you gotta pay
If you're lazing all around all day
Four horsement coming right through
Four horsemen and they're pissing by you
They make you look like you're wearing a truss
Four hosemen and it's gonna be us

Well they gave useverything for bending the mind
And we cleaned out their pockets and we drank 'em blind
It's a long way to the finish so don't get left behind
By those horsemen

And they gave us the grapes that went ripe in the sun
That loosen the scews at the back of the tongue
But we still told nothing 'bout what was to come
Four horsemen

(strummer/jones)

Say you stand by your man
Tell me something i don't understand
You said you love me and that's a fact
Then you left me, said you felt trapped

Well some things you can explain away
But my heartache's in me till this day

Chorus
Did you stand by me
No, not at all
Did you stand by me
No way

All the times
When we were close
I'll remember these things the most
I see all my dreams come tumbling down
I won't be happy without you around

So all alone i keep the wolves at bay
There is only one thing that i can say

Chorus

You must explain why this must be
Did you lie when you spoke to me

Did you stand by me
No, not at all

Now i got a job
But it don't pay
I need new clothes
I need somewhere to stay
But without all these things i can do
But without your love i won't make it through

But you don't understand my point of view
I suppose there's nothing i can do

Chorus

You must explain why this must be
Did you lie when you spoke to me?

Did you stand by me
Did you stand by me
No, not at all
Did you stand by me
No way
Did you stand by me
No, not at all
Did you stand by me
No way

(strummer/jones)

Every cheap hood strikes a bargain with the
World
And ends up making payments on a sofa or a girl
Love 'n' hate tattooed across the knuckles of his hands
The hands that slap his kids around 'cause they don't understand

How death or glory becomes just another story
How death or glory becomes just another story
'n' every gimmick hungry yob digging gold from rock 'n' roll
Grabs the mike to tell us he'll die before he's sold
But i believe in this-and it's been tested by research
That he who fucks nun will later join the church

From every dingy basement on every dingy street
I hear every dragging handclap over every dragging beat
That's just the beat of time-the beat that must go on
If you been trying for years-then we already heard your song
We're gonna fight you brother
We're gonna fight 'til you lose
We're gonna fight over mountains
We get to travel overseas
We're gonna raise trouble
We're gonna raise hell

(strummer/jones)

Sing, michael, sing-on the route of the 19 bus
Hear them sayin'
How you get a rude and a reckless?
Don't you be so crude and a feckless
You been drinking brew for breakfast
Rudie can't fail

So we reply
I know that my life make you nervous
But i tell you that i can't live in service
Like the doctor who was born for a purpose***
Rudie can't fail

I went to the market to realise my soul
'cause what i need i just don't have
First they curse, then they press me till i hurt
We say rudie can't fail

We hear them sayin'
Now first you must cure your temper
Then you find a job in the paper
You need someone for a saviour
Oh, rudie can't fail

We reply
Now we get a rude and a reckless
We been seen lookin' cool an' a speckless
We been drinking brew for breakfast
So rudie can't fail

Okay!
So where you wanna go today?
Hey boss man!
You're looking pretty smart
In your chicken skin suit

You think you're pretty hot
In your pork pie hat
But...rudie can't fail
Look out, look out...
Sky juice!...10 cents a bottle!

*doctor alimantado

(paul simonon)

When they kick at your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun

When the law break in
How you gonna go?
Shot down on the pavement
Or waiting on death row

You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'll have to answer to
Oh, the guns of brixton

The money feels good
And your life you like it well
But surely your time will come
As in heaven, as in hell

You see, he feels like ivan
Born under the brixton sun
His game is called survivin'
At the end of the harder they come

You know it means no mercy
They caught him with a gun
No need for the black maria
Goodbye to the brixton sun

You can crush us
You can bruise us
Yes, even shoot us
But oh-the guns of brixton

When they kick at your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun

You can crush us
You can bruise us
Yes, even shoot us
But oh-the guns of brixton

Shot down on the pavement
Waiting in death row
His game is called survivin'
As in heaven as in hell

You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'll have to answer to
Oh, the guns of brixton

Say, where did i see this guy?
In red river?
Or a place in the sun?
Maybe the misfits?
Or from here to eternity?

Everybody say, "is he all right?"
And everybody say, "what's he like?"
Everybody say, "he sure look funny."
That's...montgomery clift, honey!

New york, new york, new york, 42nd street
Hustlers rustle and pimps pimp the beat
Monty clift is recognized at dawn
He ain't got no shoes and his clothes are torn

I see a car smashed at night
Cut the applause and dim the light
Monty's face is broken on a wheel
Is he alive? can he still feel?

Nembutol numbs it all
But i prefer alcohol

He said go out and get me my old movie stills
Go out and get me another roll of pills
There i go again shaking, but i ain't got the chills

Arrrghhhgorra buh bhuh do arrrrgggghhhhnnnn!!!!