Captain Tractor is a Canadian folk rock band, based in Edmonton, Alberta. T… Read Full Bio ↴Captain Tractor is a Canadian folk rock band, based in Edmonton, Alberta. They play a punk-influenced variant of Celtic folk music, similar to such bands as Great Big Sea, The Pogues or Spirit of the West.

The band's most famous songs have been renditions of the folk music classics "The Log Driver's Waltz" and "Drunken Sailor", as well as a cover of the Arrogant Worms' "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate". This song has become so popular that many fans believe, wrongly, that is of their own creation.

London Calling
Captain Tractor Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

London calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared - and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard,you boys and girls
London calling, now don't look to us
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's zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
Cause London is drowning and I, live by the river

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

CHORUS x2
The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
Cause London is drowning and I, I live by the river

Now get this
London calling, yes, I was there, too
An' you know what they said? Well, some of it was true!
London calling at the top of the dial
And after all this, won't you give me a smile?
London Calling

I never felt so much alike, like-a, like-a...

Overall Meaning

The song "London Calling" by Captain Tractor is an anthem about the social and political distress that was prevalent at the time. The lyrics start with "London calling to the faraway towns, now war is declared - and battle come down." This implies that war has just been declared, and the battle has started. The song urges the people from the suburbs to come out of their homes and join the battle to fight for their rights. The next line, "London calling to the underworld, come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls," means that people from the lower class and the minority groups need to come together to fight for their rights.

The next few lines, "Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust, London calling, see we ain't got no swing, 'cept for the ring of that truncheon thing," talk about the loss of importance of pop culture and the emergence of the police force as the main authority. The song then mentions the impending doom, "The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in, Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin," and states that London is drowning, with the engines of the city's infrastructure failing.

The song's chorus, "The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in, Engines stop running, but I have no fear, Cause London is drowning and I live by the river," represents the catastrophic nature of the changes happening around the world, and the only hope being the ability to adapt.

Overall, "London Calling" serves as a commentary on the political and social distress prevalent at the time, with its call to action, hopefulness amid destruction, and determination to fight for change.

Line by Line Meaning

London calling to the faraway towns
London, the center of the world, calls out to all the distant towns to join the battle.

Now war is declared - and battle come down
The war has officially begun, and it's time for battle.

London calling to the underworld
London is calling out to the underground, the rebels, the outcasts, and the misfits to join the fight.

Come out of the cupboard,you boys and girls
Everyone who has hidden themselves should come out and be a part of the revolution.

London calling, now don't look to us
Don't rely on us, the authorities, to solve the societal problems.

Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust
The fads and superficiality that had no real substance have been exposed for what they are and have fallen out of popularity.

London calling, see we ain't got no swing
London does not have any swing, the energy or momentum, right now.

'Cept for the ring of that truncheon thing
The only thing they have is the sound of the police's truncheon, a symbol of oppression and violence.

CHORUS The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
The world is going through a drastic change, just like how the ice age is coming and the sun's rays are intensifying.

Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
The resources, the support system, is slowly diminishing, and a breakdown is imminent.

Engines stop running, but I have no fear
The engine that drives everything, the power structure, is coming to a halt, but the singer has no fear of starting over and building something new.

Cause London is drowning and I, live by the river
London, the symbol of everything that is wrong with society, is drowning and will soon be gone. But the singer, who lives by the river, is still alive and will survive.

London calling to the imitation zone
London is calling out to the copycats, the followers, to find their own identity.

Forget it, brother, you can go at it alone
Don't rely on others to find your way, do it yourself.

London calling to the zombies of death
London is calling out to those who are just blindly going through life without any purpose.

Quit holding out - and draw another breath
Stop waiting for something to happen and take control of your own life.

London calling - and I don't wanna shout
The message is clear, but it doesn't need to be screamed out for everyone to hear.

But while we were talking I saw you nodding out
While they were discussing these matters, the listener was getting bored and tired.

London calling, see we ain't got no high
London doesn't have any excitement, any high energy or euphoria.

Except for that one with the yellowy eyes
Except for the one person, the snake, who is plotting their own agenda and is not to be trusted.

CHORUS x2 The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
The world is going through a drastic change, just like how the ice age is coming and the sun's rays are intensifying.

Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin
The resources, the support system, is slowly diminishing, and a breakdown is imminent.

A nuclear error, but I have no fear
Even in the face of a nuclear accident, the singer has no fear because they already see the inevitability of change that must come.

Cause London is drowning and I, I live by the river
London, the symbol of everything that is wrong with society, is drowning and will soon be gone. But the singer, who lives by the river, is still alive and will survive.

Now get this London calling, yes, I was there, too
The singer is declaring that they were there, part of the problem.

An' you know what they said? Well, some of it was true!
And not everyone believed the message they were trying to convey, but some of it was true.

London calling at the top of the dial
London is calling at the highest point, the pinnacle of power.

And after all this, won't you give me a smile?
After all of the destruction and upheaval, can't we find something to smile about and rebuild?

London Calling I never felt so much alike, like-a, like-a...
The singer has never felt so much in tune with their audience, the people who are affected by the change that is coming.

Contributed by Alice D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS