Just as the song became a top ten hit, Bobby Fuller was found dead in a parked automobile near his Los Angeles, California home. The police considered the death an apparent suicide; "just about everyone who knew him disagreed"[1], however, believing instead that Fuller was murdered.
The Dead Kennedys, in particular, wrote and recorded a different version as a comment on Dan White's 1978 murder of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, and White's subsequent use of the "Twinkie defense" to influence the court to convict him of the lesser charge of manslaughter. The song, sung from White's perspective, replaced the line "I fought the law and the law won" with "I fought the law and I won".
In 1989 during Operation Just Cause, when the U.S. Army had Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega confined to the Papal Nunciature, the Vatican's Embassy, and were attempting to flush him out. US ARMY PSYOPS Units surrounded the compound and used several psychological tactics including flood lights and loud speakers. They played music like "I Fought the Law" loudly and repeatedly from the loudspeakers. The Bobby Fuller Four version of this song is ranked #175 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Cover Versions
It was the existence of a 45 of the Bobby Fuller version in an American studio jukebox[2] that inspired The Clash to record a cover version of the song in 1978. Their version first appeared on the EP The Cost of Living in May 1979 in the UK, and then later in 1979 was made part of the American edition of the Clash's eponymous album. This cover version helped gain The Clash their first taste of airplay in the States and is one of the best-known cover versions of the song. The live recording of the song, performed at the Lyceum Theatre, West End, London on December 28, 1978, features as the last piece of the 1980 film Rude Boy directed by Jack Hazan and David Mingay. The Clash were dressed all in black for that gig and the song, at that stage, was considered the film's title song.[3][4][5][6] In 1988, CBS Records re-issued the single (catalog number) in 7" vinyl format, with "City of the Dead" (2:24) and "1977" (1:40) as its B-side. The song is featured as a downloadable track in the music video game series Rock Band.[7]
The song has also been performed, either in concert or on record, by the Dead Kennedys who did a version with different lyrics. Dave Courtney The London Gangster who sang alongside Scottish pop-punks Mute fronted by Jay Burnett who wrote an updated version complete with lyrics based on Dave's legendary court case. Both this and the Dead Kennedys' version are titled "I Fought the Law and I Won". Also, She Trinity, Viper, Bryan Adams, John Cougar Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Social Distortion, Stiff Little Fingers, Mike Ness, Hank Williams Jr, Waylon Jennings, Green Day, Ska-P, Dead Kennedys, The Ramones, Grateful Dead, Stray Cats, Mary's Danish, Claude François, Mano Negra, the Big Dirty Band, Nonstop Body/Lolita No. 18, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Sex Pistols, Attaque 77, Die Toten Hosen, Status Quo, Nanci Griffith, Anti-Flag, Chumbawamba and numerous other artists have covered this song live or in studio. For the 2003 film Intermission, Colin Farrell recorded a version of the song, singing it in the guise of his character in the film.
The Green Day cover version of the song was used in a television ad for Apple Computer's iTunes Store when it was first opened.
The Mary's Danish recording is featured in the film "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" (1992), and the accompanying soundtrack release "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Soundtrack".
An amended version of the song reached number 25 in the UK singles chart in January 2008. "I Fought the Lloyds" by Oystar was a comedy version in support of the campaign by Lloyds TSB customers mounting legal challenges to get their charges refunded. In this version the key line was changed to "I fought the Lloyds and Lloyds lost".
Serbian punk rock band Goblini recorded a cover version of the song featuring lyrics in Serbian language entitled "Ne mogu više" on their 1995 live album Live KST and dedicated it to former president Slobodan Milošević.
I Fought the Law
Dead Kennedys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fought the law and
I won
I fought the law and
I won
I needed sex and I got mine
I fought the law and
I fought the law and
I won
The law don't mean shit
If you got the right friends
That's how this county's run
Twinkies are the best friend I ever had
I fought the law and
I won
I fought the law and
I won
I blew George and Harvey's brains out with my
Six gun!
I fought the law and
I won
I fought the law and
I won
Gonna write my book and make a million
I fought the law and
I won
I fought the law and
I won
I'm the new folk hero of the Ku Klux Klan
My cop friend thinks it's fun
You can get away with murder if you got a badge
I fought the law and
I won
I fought the law and
I won
I fought the law and
I won
I AM the law so I won
The Dead Kennedys' song "I Fought the Law" is a satirical take on the American justice system and the corruption that sometimes goes along with it. The lyrics are told from the point of view of a criminal who has managed to beat the system through connections and his own violent actions.
The first verse speaks to this person's disregard for the law and how he was able to get away with it. The line "Drinkin' beer in the hot sun" sets a carefree, rebellious tone. The repetition of "I fought the law and I won" is meant to reinforce the idea that the singer is untouchable, even in the face of breaking the law.
The second verse then introduces the idea of the singer's sexual conquest, which he also attributes to his ability to get what he wants by any means necessary. The line "The law don't mean shit if you got the right friends" echoes the cynicism that many people feel about the justice system, where connections and wealth can often trump justice.
The third verse takes a dark turn as the singer brags about killing two people with his gun. The use of the phrase "Twinkies are the best friend I ever had" is a reference to the infamous "Twinkie Defense" in the trial of Dan White, who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. The defense argued that White's mental state was impaired due to his high sugar consumption, including Twinkies, leading to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter instead of murder.
The final verse brings the satire full circle as the singer plans to make money by writing a book about his exploits, becoming a hero to the Ku Klux Klan, and laughing with his cop friend who thinks it's all just good fun. The final line, "I AM the law so I won," is a commentary on how those in power often use their authority to bend the rules in their favor.
Overall, "I Fought the Law" is a biting critique of the American justice system and how it can be used to serve corrupt interests rather than justice itself.
Line by Line Meaning
Drinkin' beer in the hot sun
Having fun in the sun, drinking beer and enjoying life
I fought the law and I won
I stood up against the law and won
I needed sex and I got mine
I had a sexual desire and fulfilled it
The law don't mean shit If you got the right friends
The law doesn't matter if you have influential friends
That's how this county's run Twinkies are the best friend I ever had
This is the reality of how this country is run and I love Twinkies
I blew George and Harvey's brains out with my Six gun!
I killed George and Harvey with my gun
Gonna write my book and make a million
I am going to write a book and become a millionaire
I'm the new folk hero of the Ku Klux Klan
I am now a hero of the racist Ku Klux Klan
My cop friend thinks it's fun You can get away with murder if you got a badge
My police officer friend finds it amusing that you can commit murder and get away with it if you have a badge
I AM the law so I won
I am now the law, so I always win
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sonny Curtis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rodrigo Adrián Rodríguez Aedo
Lyrics:
Drinkin' beer in the hot sun
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won
I needed sex and I got mine
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won
The law don't mean shit if you've got the right friends
That's how this country's run
Twinkies are the best friend I've ever had
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won
I blew George and Harvey's brains out with my six-gun
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won
Gonna write my book and make a million
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won
I'm the new folk hero of the Ku Klux Klan
My cop friends think that's fine
You can get away with murder if you've got a badge
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won
I am the law so I won
Blixer
If you’re wondering the song is about Dan White an ex-cop and San Francisco city councilman who murdered Harvey Milk, and George Moscone. White avoided a first degree murder charge by claiming the Twinkie’s made him do it. Ultimately White served only five years of a seven year sentence for what was clearly a premeditated murder.
TheWildBlueOne
The defense team never actually said "Twinkies made him commit murder." That was just the media twisting the words of his defense team to make a catchy headline. What they were actually argued was that White was insane, and they made many arguments to support that he was insane. Their point about Twinkies was that White was once very obsessed with being fit, but in the years leading up to the murder, he began binging on junk food, including Twinkies, and they argued that as a sign of a deteriorating mental state. Even then, that was just one example among many examples they used to argue for his decreasing mental state. So no one was ever arguing that "Twinkies caused murder!" The media was just doing what it does best; making shit up by twisting facts.
Doc Dildonica
Hell yeah
Joe Bing
Yeah, that would be kind of hard to do.
This is a cover of The Crickets 1960 version. Harvey Milk was assassinated in 1978.
Are you saying The Crickets had a time machine in 1960 and used it just to write this song? 🤣
Actual story here: https://youtu.be/8PYfVH5y7kg
Indiana Kuda
@TheWildBlueOne as if insanity is some excuse to commit crime? shits a cop out loophole for people not to take personal accountability for their actions and we all know it.
Ancient Darkness
All the versions of this song are awesome
Melissa Ashleigh
this is my favorite version of this song
FOLLOW INFANTRY
Melissa Ashleigh I totally agree with you on the cover of I fought the law by the Dead Kennedy's being the most poetic and justify sound that truly captures the political bullshit District of Columbia Law that we are really under,which is not common law but roman law in reality. Look up the treasonous act of 1871 by congress. You will be truly shocked and in disbelief of the lie and illusion created by the elite.
Victor Likes Metal
I hate this version. Too sad for me
Nicko Moyle
The only version ware you win lmfao i played this leaveing a court case