Clampdown
The Clash Lyrics

The kingdom is ransacked
The society is in disarray and there's chaos everywhere.

The jewels all taken back
The elite or those in power have plundered and looted everything of value.

And the chopper descends
The powerful enforcers are landing, ready to intimidate and terrorize the common people.

They're hidden in the back
The powerful are trying to conceal their wrongdoings and evil intentions.

With a message written on a half-baked potato
There is coded communication happening due to potential surveillance from the government or other enemies.

The spool goes 'round
The propaganda and false notions continue to circulate.

Sayin' I'm back here in this place
The people are stuck and unable to progress, and have no other options in their current circumstance.

And I could cry
The situation is tragic, and it's painful to witness it unfold.

And there's smoke you could click on
The violence and rebellion are visible and escalating. It's hard to ignore.

Taking off his turban, they said, 'Is this man a Jew?'
People in power are paranoid and discriminate against vulnerable groups such as Jews, Muslims or others believing that they pose threats.

‘Cause they're working for the clampdown
The people in power create fake narratives so that they can control other people.

They put up a poster saying: 'We earn more than you
The powerful create propaganda to bribe others and spread messages that reinforce economic hierarchies.

We're working for the clampdown
The powerful threaten others with reprisals if they don’t go along with whatever lies they are spreading.

We will teach our twisted speech
The leaders will indoctrinate young minds with their twisted ideology and create a false narrative.

To the young believers
The leaders will influence younger minds.

We will train our blue-eyed men
The leaders will train compliant men who are of the privileged class

To be young believers
The leaders will teach the men whom they have trained how to toe the party line

The judge said, five to ten, but I say double that again
There is a lack of fairness in the legal system, and it is falling apart.

I'm not working for the clampdown
The singer is refusing to obey and bow down to the corrupt leaders.

No man born with a living soul can be working for the clampdown
People of conscience won't side with, bow to, or work for those in power if they're corrupt.

Kick over the wall 'cause government's to fall
The people will revolt against the corrupt governing regime who are oppressing them.

How can you refuse it?
It's hard to resist the temptation to rebel against those ruling through oppression.

Let fury have the hour, anger can be power
It's time to unleash the anger and fury, as it's a time of potential revolution or rebellion for the people.

Do you know that you can use it?
The artist is asking if the people know how to harness their power and unleash the anger.

The voices in your head are calling
There is a sense of resistance stirring up in the minds of the people.

Stop wasting your time, there's nothing coming
People should stop waiting for change to come on its own as it won’t happen; they need to act.

Only a fool would think someone could save you
The people can't rely on anyone else but themselves for their salvation.

The men at the factory are old and cunning
The people in power are cunning and manipulative.

You don't owe nothing, boy, get runnin'
The artist is encouraging the listeners to escape and not get caught up in the world's traps.

It's the best years of your life they want to steal
The people in power are stealing the happiness and freedom of the younger generations.

But you grow up and you calm down, and you're working for the clampdown
The people become disillusioned over time and start conforming to the corrupt system.

You start wearing blue and brown
The artist is describing how people will start wearing the colors of those in power and conform to the status quo.

You're working for the clampdown
The people are willingly participating in the oppressive system and are complicit in it.

So you got someone to boss around
Those in power use the people to carry out their oppressive tactics.

It make you feel big now
People who participate in the system gain a sense of power and importance in carrying out the agenda of those in power.

You drift until you brutalize
The people become numb to the cruelty of the system and resort to cruel behavior themselves.

Make your first kill now
The people get acclimatized to the violent system and spread the oppression willingly.

In these days of evil Presidentes
The singer is alluding to corrupt leaders who are causing trouble and falling apart.

Working for the clampdown
A repetition of a line that refers to the complicity of people in the oppressive system.

But lately one or two has fully paid their due
The people in power have started to recognize that the masses are not willing to follow them blindly.

For working for the clampdown
The people who were complicit and are now being held accountable for their actions on behalf of the corrupt regime.

Ha! Get along! Get along! (working for the clampdown)
The people are exhorted to march along with the corrupt regime in a mocking way.

Yeah, I'm working hard in Harrisburg, working hard in Petersburg
The singer is saying that they are working hard just to get by in different towns or cities.

Working for the clampdown, working for the clampdown
Reiterating the idea that people are aiding the oppressive system.

Ha! Get along! Get along!
Telling people to accept and conform to the oppressive system.

Beggin' to be melted down
The people felt trapped, like they were slaves finding it hard to escape the oppressive system.

Work, work, work, and I'll give away no secrets
The singer is speaking of the coded speech and secretive communication used by the resistance to govern themselves and evade the watchful eye of the government.

Work, work, more work, more work, more work
The artist is saying that the resistance must continue to work hard, and that’s the only way forward.

Who's barmy now?
The singer is sarcastically asking the people who thought the oppressors weren’t going to come after them, now that they themselves are being oppressed.