Tonight's the night that we got the truck
We're going downtown, gonna beat up drunks
Your turn to drive, I'll bring the beer
It's an easy shift, no one to fear

Let's ride, ride how we ride
Let's ride, low ride

It's roundup time where the good whores meet
We're gonna drag one screaming off the street

Let's ride, ride how we ride

Got a black uniform and a silver badge
Playing cops for real, playing cops for pay

Let's ride, low ride

Pull down your dress, here's a kick in the ass
Let's beat you blue, 'till you shit your pants
Don't move child, I gotta big black stick
There's six of us babe, so suck on my dick

Ride, ride how we ride
Ride, low ride

The left newspapers might whine a bit
But the guys at the station, they don't give a shit
Dispatch calls, "Are ya doin' somethin' wicked?"
"No siree, Jack, we're just givin' tickets!"

Let's ride, ride how we ride
Let's ride, ride how we ride
Let's ride, ride how we ride
Let's ride, low ride

Overall Meaning

"Police Truck" by Dead Kennedys is a song that criticizes the brutality of law enforcement, their abuse of power and how they are able to act with impunity. In the first verse, the band is planning to go downtown on a "roundup" and they appear to have the support of the police. They are prepared to use their truck to pick up prostitutes, and they refer to them as "good whores." The second stanza is where the song reveals its true darker themes, with the band assuming the role of law enforcement officers who beat up drunks and abuse their power by screaming at women to "pull down your dress," and physically assaulting them. They insult and degrade their victims, saying that they will beat them "blue" before they "shit their pants." The third and final verse reveals that the police are actually in on the violence, pretending to give out tickets while also simultaneously committing acts of abuse.

The song is critical of the way in which the police are able to act with impunity, and the fact that their power is often used against the most vulnerable members of society, particularly women and the homeless. The lyrics also suggest that the police are encouraged to use violence to enforce the law, and that their actions are covered up by powerful people like newspaper editors who are in bed with the police.

Line by Line Meaning

Tonight's the night that we got the truck
We have acquired a police truck and tonight is the night to use it for our own purposes.

We're going downtown, gonna beat up drunks
We plan on heading to the city center to attack intoxicated people.

Your turn to drive, I'll bring the beer
You take the wheel while I bring the beer for us to drink while driving.

It's an easy shift, no one to fear
This shift should be easy since there is no one to fear or stop us.

Let's ride, ride how we ride
Let's go and use this truck in the manner we see fit without limitations.

Let's ride, low ride
Let's drive the truck in a low, cool manner.

It's roundup time where the good whores meet
We are looking for prostitutes to capture and abuse.

We're gonna drag one screaming off the street
We plan on taking a prostitute by force and bringing her into the truck.

Got a black uniform and a silver badge
We are wearing police uniforms and badges to appear as legitimate officers.

Playing cops for real, playing cops for pay
We are pretending to be police officers for our own benefit and monetary gain.

Pull down your dress, here's a kick in the ass
We demand that the prostitute undress and proceed to assault her.

Let's beat you blue, 'till you shit your pants
We plan on brutally assaulting the prostitute until she defecates on herself.

Don't move child, I gotta big black stick
We are threatening the prostitute and plan to use our weapons against her.

There's six of us babe, so suck on my dick
We are emphasizing our power and control over the prostitute.

The left newspapers might whine a bit
We are aware that liberal newspapers may criticize our actions.

But the guys at the station, they don't give a shit
We are confident that our actions will go unpunished by the police station.

Dispatch calls, "Are ya doin' somethin' wicked?"
The dispatcher is inquiring if we are doing anything suspicious or illegal.

"No siree, Jack, we're just givin' tickets!"
We are attempting to deceive the dispatcher by stating that we are just giving out tickets.

Let's ride, ride how we ride
Let's continue using the truck in our depraved manner.

Let's ride, ride how we ride
We will not be stopped or told how to use the truck.

Let's ride, ride how we ride
We will continue to drive the truck in our own way.

Let's ride, low ride
Our driving style will be slow and cool as we continue our actions with the truck.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Darren Henley, Eric Reed Boucher, Geoffrey Lyall, Raymond John Pepperelle

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind