From their earliest days as a band, The Clash stood apart from their peers with their musicianship as well as their lyrics, the passionate, left-wing political idealism in the lyrics by frontman Joe Strummer and guitarist Mick Jones contrasting with the lyrical nihilism of the Sex Pistols and the musical minimalism of the Ramones. Their 1979 album 'London Calling' is considered by critics as one of the greatest albums in the history of rock music. Rolling Stone declared it the best album of the 80s.
The Clash's attitude and style, as much as their music, has influenced countless bands, both within and outside the sphere of punk rock. Often lauded as "the only band that matters," The Clash were canonized as rock saints even before they broke up. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the class of 2003. Their first five albums, ('The Clash', 'Give 'Em Enough Rope', 'London Calling', 'Sandinista!', and 'Combat Rock') to this day, continue to earn a great deal of interest from rock fans and artists alike.
Mick Jones went on to form Big Audio Dynamite after being fired from The Clash, and he more recently has produced albums by artists such as The Libertines and Babyshambles. In 2004, he formed Carbon/silicon with musician Tony James (of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik fame). Exploring various genres such as alternative rock and electronic music, he continues to collaborate with other modern groups such as Gorillaz.
Joe Strummer went on to form and front Joe Strummer and the Latino Rockabilly War and then Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. He also had a notable solo career that involved work in films and other endeavors, often earning critical acclaim. He died on December 22, 2002, the victim of an un-diagnosed congenital heart defect. Mourned by countless punk fans, his life has been subject to several tributes and was memorialized in the 2007 documentary 'Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten'.
Bass player Paul Simonon went on to form Havana 3 A.M., a group that released a self-titled album in 1991, yet he decided to quit music in the early 90s in favour of becoming an artist. In 2006, he returned to music as bass player in a musical project together with singer-songwriter Damon Albarn. The project is often referred to as The Good, The Bad & The Queen, the name of the groups first recorded album that came out in 2007. In terms of his paintings, his well-received work notably was in an exhibition at Thomas Williams Fine Art in London.
Drummer Topper Headon released a solo album, 1986's 'Waking Up', before leaving the music business to become a taxi driver and escape the heroin addiction that cost him his legacy in The Clash. Over the years, he's had sporadic involvement in various music-related endeavors, such as being a key part of the aforementioned 'The Future Is Unwritten' film. He's currently residing in the seaside town of Dover, England.
Members:
1976 Original line-up
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Keith Levene – lead guitar
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1977
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1977-1982 Classic line-up
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Topper Headon – drums, percussion
1982-1983
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1983
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Pete Howard – drums, percussion
1983-1986 Final line-up
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Nick Sheppard – lead guitar, backing vocals
Vince White – lead guitar
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Pete Howard – drums, percussion
All the Young Punks
The Clash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down the market street
I spent a lot of time on my feet
When I saw some passing yabbos
We did chance to speak
I knew how to sing
Why' know an
An' one of them had a Les Paul
Heart attack machine
All the young punks
Laugh your life
'Cause there ain't much to cry for
All the young cunts
Live it now
'Cause there ain't much to die for
Everybody wants to bum
A ride on the rock 'n' roller coaster
And we went out
Got our name in small print on the poster
Of course we got a manger
Though he ain't the mafia
A contract is a contract
When they get 'em out on yer
You gotta drag yourself to work
Drag yourself to sleep
You're dead from the neck up
By the middle of the week
Face front you got the future shining
Like a piece of gold
But I swear as we get closer
It look more like a lump of coal
But it's better than some factory
Now that's no place to waste your youth
I worked there for a week once
I luckily got the boot
The Clash's All the Young Punks is a song about the experience of being a young punk growing up in the late 1970s. The song's opening lines describe the singer hanging around the market street and spending a considerable amount of time on his feet. While hanging around, he comes across some yabbos and strikes up a conversation with them. He quickly realizes that he has a talent for singing, and they have a talent for posing. One of the yabbos even has a Les Paul, which is described as a "heart attack machine."
The chorus of the song is a call to young punks to "laugh your life" and "live it now" because there isn't much to cry or die for. It suggests that being a punk is a way of life that offers a certain kind of freedom and excitement not found in mainstream society. The song goes on to describe how the young punks eventually get their names on posters and have a manger, but they still have to work hard to drag themselves to work and sleep, getting "dead from the neck up" by the middle of the week. The song concludes by suggesting that while the future may seem like a shining piece of gold, it could eventually turn out to be nothing more than a lump of coal. However, It's still better than working in a factory, which is "no place to waste your youth."
Line by Line Meaning
Hanging about
Loitering aimlessly
Down the market street
In an urban market area
I spent a lot of time on my feet
Walking around
When I saw some passing yabbos
When I saw some people
We did chance to speak
We spoke to each other
I knew how to sing
I had a talent for singing
Why' know an
And those people also had a talent
They knew how to pose
They were skilled at projecting an image
An' one of them had a Les Paul
One of them had a Les Paul guitar
Heart attack machine
A powerful, energetic music style
All the young punks
All the young rebels
Laugh your life
Enjoy your life
'Cause there ain't much to cry for
There's not much to be upset about
All the young cunts
All the young people
Live it now
Live your life to the fullest
'Cause there ain't much to die for
There's nothing worth dying for
Everybody wants to bum
Everyone wants to ride
A ride on the rock 'n' roller coaster
A thrilling ride on the music industry
And we went out
We went out to pursue that dream
Got our name in small print on the poster
Got some recognition, though not much
Of course we got a manger
We got a manager, not very powerful one though
Though he ain't the mafia
He's not very powerful, nor connected
A contract is a contract
A commitment is a commitment
When they get 'em out on yer
When they take advantage of you
You gotta drag yourself to work
You have to work hard
Drag yourself to sleep
Exhaust yourself
You're dead from the neck up
You're mentally exhausted
By the middle of the week
Midweek
Face front you got the future shining
Look forward to a bright future
Like a piece of gold
Like a valuable piece of metal
But I swear as we get closer
But as we get closer to it
It look more like a lump of coal
It becomes less appealing
But it's better than some factory
But it's better than working a dead-end job
Now that's no place to waste your youth,
That's not how you want to spend your youth
I worked there for a week once
I worked there for a short time, didn't like it
I luckily got the boot
I was fired, which was actually lucky
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOE STRUMMER, MICK JONES, PAUL SIMONON, TOPPER HEADON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mateus BassCovers
i love that ending part where they are improvising vocals: Feeling bad for 3 to 4 days
Feeling sad for 3 to 4 more
Feeling hazy for 45 minutes
Feeling crazy for 45 more
We been dancing all night long
Waiting in the corner 'cause something's wrong
Don't wanna get up and see that dawn
Like the day before
A spliff, a pound, a half a pint of Brown
This is the way we spell Camden Town
I shouldn't speed, it's not my need
Feeling crazy for 45 more
We been dancing all night long
Waiting in the corner 'cause something's wrong
Don't wanna get up and see that dawn
Like the day before
Alexander Mendoza
Dando vueltas
Hanging about
Por la calle del mercado
Down the market street
Pasé mucho tiempo de pie
I spent a lot of time on my feet
Cuando vi algunos yabbos pasando
When I saw some passing yabbos
Tuvimos oportunidad de hablar
We did chance to speak
Yo supe cantar
I knew how to sing
¿Por qué conocer un
Why' know an
Sabían posar
They knew how to pose
Y uno de ellos tenía una Les Paul
An' one of them had a Les Paul
Máquina de ataque al corazón
Heart attack machine
Todos los jóvenes punks
All the young punks
Ríete tu vida
Laugh your life
Porque no hay mucho por lo que llorar
'Cause there ain't much to cry for
Todos los cabrones
All the young cunts
Vívelo ahora
Live it now
Porque no hay mucho por lo que morir
'Cause there ain't much to die for
Todo el mundo quiere quemar
Everybody wants to bum
Un paseo en la montaña rusa rock 'n'
A ride on the rock 'n' roller coaster
Y salimos
And we went out
Tengo nuestro nombre en letra pequeña en el cartel.
Got our name in small print on the poster
Por supuesto que tenemos un pesebre
Of course we got a manger
Aunque no es la mafia
Though he ain't the mafia
Un contrato es un contrato
A contract is a contract
Cuando te los saquen
When they get 'em out on yer
Tienes que arrastrarte al trabajo
You gotta drag yourself to work
Arrastrate para dormir
Drag yourself to sleep
Estás muerto del cuello para arriba
You're dead from the neck up
A mitad de semana
By the middle of the week
Cara al frente tienes el futuro brillando
Face front you got the future shining
Como una pieza de oro
Like a piece of gold
Pero lo juro a medida que nos acercamos
But I swear as we get closer
Se parece más a un trozo de carbón
It look more like a lump of coal
Pero es mejor que alguna fábrica
But it's better than some factory
Ahora ese no es lugar para desperdiciar tu juventud
Now that's no place to waste your youth
Trabajé allí durante una semana una vez
I worked there for a week once
Por suerte tengo la bota
I luckily got the boot
Nix Gips 🇩🇪
Man, after more than 40 years. I still love this song and sing every note, since. Unforgettable times in my youth.
C.L.A.S.H. 4 ever! R.I.P. Joe Strummer...
Bat Boy
I thought I would grow out of listening to this early punk music, but it’s apart of my youth, when the future was undetermined, with endless possibilities. This music sounds like wild freedom.
john thomson
Try the generation X 1st albim
john thomson
Been singing and dancing n playing this since 79
Maverick Communication
Underestimated track from the Clash. Topper Headon is killing it, as usual, on the drums!
Kerr Marrin
I met Topper in London when I was at my m8ts wedding...what a lovely genuine gezzer as he was doing the taxis and I said to him 'get back into music..I wonder if he took my advice.🙂
SalterMellon
Micks backing vocals are amazing, the whole track is fantastic
Mark Brown
Agreed...Micks' backing vocals still give me chicken skin 👊
Mr.Milkweed
A timeless band..... Only a few of us still listen unfortunately
darktrooper104 627
their feelings live within us, that’s something to cheer for