Bankrobber
The Clash Lyrics

My daddy was a bank robber
The singer's father was a bank robber

But he never hurt nobody
Despite being a bank robber, the singer's father never physically harmed anyone

He just loved to live that way
The singer's father enjoyed his life of crime and the thrill of the chase

And he loved to steal your money
The artist's father was motivated by the financial gain from robbing banks

Some is rich, and some is poor
The world is divided into those who have wealth and those who do not

And that's the way the world is
The singer accepts this divide as an inherent part of life

But I don't believe in laying back
The singer is proactive and refuses to be passive about their situation

Sayin' how bad your luck is
The artist does not make excuses for their circumstances

So he came to jazz it up
The artist's father sought to increase the excitement level of their criminal pursuits

Never learned to shovel
The artist's father was not interested in doing manual labor to earn a living

Break your back to earn our pay
The singer is critical of the idea of having to work extremely hard to make a living

Don't forget to grovel
The artist thinks people should not have to demean themselves to get ahead in life

He's gone now
The singer's father is dead or no longer in their life

The old man spoke up in a bar
An elderly man made a statement in a drinking establishment

Said "I never been in prison
The old man claims to have never been incarcerated

A lifetime serving one machine
The old man is critical of the idea of working a monotonous job for one's entire life

Is ten times worse than prison"
The old man believes that living a life of servitude to a machine is more oppressive than being in prison

Imagine if all the boys in jail
The singer is envisioning a scenario where all incarcerated men are released simultaneously

Could get out now together
The singer suggests that the prisoners unite and take action

Whadda you think they'd want to say to us?
The artist wonders what the prisoners would say to those who have not been incarcerated

While we was being clever
The artist implies that non-incarcerated people are not being clever enough with their lives

Someday you'll meet your rocking chair
The artist is warning that one day everyone will be old and frail

'Cause that's where we're spinning
The singer is suggesting that aging and slowing down is an unavoidable part of life

There's no point to want to comb your hair
The artist is saying that being concerned with one's appearance is irrelevant in old age

When it's grey and thinning
The singer is specifically referencing hair becoming thin and grey with age

Hey, my daddy was a bank robber
The singer reiterates that their father was a bank robber

But he never hurt nobody
The singer emphasizes that their father did not harm anyone

He just loved to live that way
The artist attributes their father's criminal lifestyle to a personal preference

And he loved to take your money
The artist rephrases that their father enjoyed robbing banks to gain wealth

Run, rabbit run
The singer gives a directive to someone to run away quickly, using a phrase that could also be interpreted as encouraging caution

Brrrp, strike out boys, for the hills
The singer is expressing a sense of urgency to a group of people, telling them to escape as quickly as possible

I can find that hole in the wall
The artist is confident in their ability to locate a certain way out

I know that they never will
The artist is suggesting that whoever they are fleeing from will not be able to find them