Ghetto Defendant
The Clash Lyrics


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Starved in metropolis
Hooked on necropolis
Addict of metropolis
Do the worm on the accropolis
Slamdance the cosmopolis
Enlighten the populace

Hungry darkness of living
Who will thirst in the pit? (hooked in metropolis)
She spent a lifetime deciding
How to run from it (addicts of metropolis)
Once fate had a witness
And the years seemed like friends (girlfriends)
Now her child has a dream
But it begins like it ends

Shot in eternity
Methadone kitty
Iron serenity

Ghetto defendant
It is heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city

(Strung-out committee) walled out of the city
Clubbed down from uptown
Sprayed pest from the nest
Run out to barrio town (The guards are itchy)
Forced to watch at the feast
Then sweep up the night
Flipped pieces of coin (broken bottles)
Exchanged for birthright (grafted in a jiffy)

Ghetto defendant, it is heroin pity (strung-out committee)
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city (not sitting pretty)
(Grafted in a jiffy) heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city

The ghetto prince of gutter poets
Was bounced out of the room (Jean Arthur Rimbaud)
By the bodyguards of greed
For disturbing the tomb (eighteen-seventy-three)
His words like flamethrowers (paris commune)
Burnt the ghettos in their chests
His face was painted whiter
And he was laid to rest (died in Marseille)

Ghetto defendant, it is heroin pity (buried in Charleville)
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city (shut up in etenity)

It is heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city

Guatemala, Honduras, Poland, the Hundred-Years War
TV re-run invasion
Death squad Salvador
Afghanistan, meditation, old Chinese flu
Kick junk, what else can a poor worker do?

Ghetto defendant
In heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city





Ghetto defendant
It is heroin pity

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Clash's song Ghetto Defendant paint a vivid picture of the struggles faced by those living in inner-city ghettos. The first verse describes a person who is "starved in metropolis" and "hooked on necropolis," meaning that they are struggling to survive in the city and have become addicted to drugs as a way of coping. The lyrics also lament the "hungry darkness of living" and ask "who will thirst in the pit?" These lines express the desperation and hopelessness felt by many people living in poverty.


The song then shifts to describe the experiences of a woman who has spent her life trying to escape the harsh realities of the city. The lyrics suggest that she was once hopeful and had friends around her, but now she is addicted to drugs and her child's future seems bleak. The phrase "shot in eternity" refers to the effects of drug addiction, which can leave people feeling trapped and helpless. The lyrics "it is heroin pity, not tear gas nor baton charge, that stops you taking the city" express the idea that drug addiction is a more potent force than any kind of violence or oppression.


The final verses of the song reference the French poet Jean Arthur Rimbaud, who was known as the "ghetto prince of gutter poets." Rimbaud's rebellious and subversive poetry provides a powerful symbol of resistance against the oppressive forces that the song describes. The song then references a variety of global conflicts and social issues, suggesting that the struggles faced by people in inner-city ghettos are part of a larger pattern of injustice and inequality.


Line by Line Meaning

Starved in metropolis
Being deprived of necessary resources and struggling in a city dominated by modern culture


Hooked on necropolis
Addicted to the dangerous and destructive lifestyle of the urban dead


Addict of metropolis
Someone who is addicted to the life and culture of the city


Do the worm on the accropolis
Dancing recklessly and dangerously in the city's high point, ignoring the potential danger


Slamdance the cosmopolis
Dancing aggressively in the modern, diverse city


Enlighten the populace
Educating and inspiring the people of the city


Hungry darkness of living
The harsh reality and struggles of living in the city


Who will thirst in the pit? (hooked in metropolis)
Who will succumb to the destructive lifestyle and addiction of the city?


She spent a lifetime deciding
She struggled for years to determine how to escape the city's powerful grip


How to run from it (addicts of metropolis)
How to break free from the addiction and dangerous lifestyle of the city


Once fate had a witness
There was a time when people were aware of the consequences of the city's influence


And the years seemed like friends (girlfriends)
The years were easier once people saw the negative effects of city living


Now her child has a dream
Her child has aspirations to escape the city and its negative influence


But it begins like it ends
The child's dreams of escape may not come to fruition, as they could end up in the same cycle


Shot in eternity
Stuck in a cycle of addiction and city living


Methadone kitty
An addict who has replaced one drug with another


Iron serenity
A forced calmness and acceptance of one's situation due to addiction and city living


Ghetto defendant
Someone caught up in the cycle of poverty and addiction, and forced to defend themselves in the harsh environment of the city


It is heroin pity
The drug heroin is responsible for the tragic and sad situation of many city residents


Not tear gas nor baton charge
Police brutality and force will not stop the cycle of addiction and poverty in the city


That stops you taking the city
The grip of addiction and poverty in the city is too strong to break free from


(Strung-out committee) walled out of the city
Addicts are often isolated and excluded from society


Clubbed down from uptown
Police brutality against those who try to escape the city


Sprayed pest from the nest
Expelling the hard working lower classes from the modern city


Run out to barrio town (The guards are itchy)
Unable to find solace in the city, one is forced to flee to a poor, neglected area


Forced to watch at the feast
Being painfully aware of the wealth and privilege in the city, but unable to enjoy it


Then sweep up the night
Cleaning up the destruction wrought by the harsh life in the city


Flipped pieces of coin (broken bottles)
Gambling and violence are often a result of living in the city


Exchanged for birthright (grafted in a jiffy)
Desperate to get ahead in the city, people will do whatever it takes, even if it means sacrificing their morals


Ghetto defendant
Someone caught up in the cycle of poverty and addiction, and forced to defend themselves in the harsh environment of the city


The ghetto prince of gutter poets
A person who grew up in poverty, but was able to express themselves through poetry


Was bounced out of the room (Jean Arthur Rimbaud)
Rimbaud, who was also a gutter poet, was exiled from France due to his radical behavior


By the bodyguards of greed
The wealthy and powerful people in the city do not tolerate dissent, criticism, or alternatives to the status quo


For disturbing the tomb (eighteen-seventy-three)
Rimbaud's challenging and unconventional poetry was seen as a threat to the more mainstream and traditional views of society in the 19th century


His words like flamethrowers (paris commune)
Rimbaud's poetry was often incendiary and had a powerful impact on those who read it


Burnt the ghettos in their chests
Through his poetry, Rimbaud was able to spark a sense of hope and possibility for those living in poverty


His face was painted whiter
Rimbaud, like many other poets, was often depicted as pale and sickly


And he was laid to rest (died in Marseille)
Rimbaud died young, and his legacy lived on as an inspiration for future generations of poets and artists


It is heroin pity (buried in Charleville)
Rimbaud's early death is a sad reminder of how the grip of addiction and poverty can be too strong to break free from


Not tear gas nor baton charge
Police brutality and force will not stop the cycle of addiction and poverty in the city


That stops you taking the city (shut up in eternity)
Addiction and poverty can keep people trapped in an unending cycle that keeps them from experiencing the full potential of the city


Guatemala, Honduras, Poland, the Hundred-Years War
Various wars and conflicts throughout history that have impacted and shaped human society


TV re-run invasion
The overwhelming and all-encompassing influence of television on modern culture


Death squad Salvador
A reference to the infamous death squads that terrorized rural areas of El Salvador during the 1980s


Afghanistan, meditation, old Chinese flu
Modern conflicts and issues that affect people around the world


Kick junk, what else can a poor worker do?
People often turn to drugs to escape the harsh reality of poverty and lack of opportunity in the city


Ghetto defendant
Someone caught up in the cycle of poverty and addiction, and forced to defend themselves in the harsh environment of the city


In heroin pity
The drug heroin is responsible for the tragic and sad situation of many city residents


Not tear gas nor baton charge
Police brutality and force will not stop the cycle of addiction and poverty in the city


That stops you taking the city
The grip of addiction and poverty in the city is too strong to break free from


Ghetto defendant
Someone caught up in the cycle of poverty and addiction, and forced to defend themselves in the harsh environment of the city


It is heroin pity
The drug heroin is responsible for the tragic and sad situation of many city residents




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOE STRUMMER, MICK JONES, PAUL SIMONON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@olivierjean5610

Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891), is a very famous French poet and a must in symbolism. He wrote some of the most famous poems in history. A precocious genius, he stopped writing at the age of 20.

My bohème.

I was leaving, my fists in my punctured pockets;
My overcoat also became ideal;
I was going under the sky, Muse! and I was your stalwart;
Oh ! there ! there ! What splendid loves have I dreamed of!

My only panties had a large hole.
– Tom Thumb dreamer, I shelled in my race
Rhymes. My inn was at the Grande-Ourse.
– My stars in the sky had a soft frou-frou

And I listened to them, sitting by the roadside,
Those good September evenings when I felt drops
Dew on my brow, like a strong wine;

Where, rhyming in the midst of fantastic shadows,
Like lyres, I pulled the rubber bands
Of my injured shoes, one foot close to my heart!



All comments from YouTube:

@larrybliss8330

This song speaks to everyone who has known the "hungry darkness of living". The combination of the great Allen Ginsburg and Joe Strummer is nothing short of magical.

@heathcornbeef

Yes JOE STRUMMER IS MAGICAL he is my hero my moral compass since i was a 13 year old grommet 1983

@andrewbrown1463

This band, lyrics, band members, message…all brilliant. To do what they did in 6 years together is unheard of. Oozing with talent and ideas. They laid the groundwork for everything that came after them. Legendary.

@heathcornbeef

Kia ora hello Andrew from Aotearoa new zealand. Hay i totally agree their out put and musical progression is insanely magical what they achieved is not repeatable . P.s my 16 year old son is called Strummer Clash Palace

@twochordcool

The way they went from kids that couldn't play instruments to creating deep, musical and far more complex music in that time...makes me wish I was a little older and around to witness it in real time.

@heathcornbeef

@Timothy Dannenhoffer unrepeatable My favorite band of all time TIMOTHY THESE GUYS CHANGED MY LIFE MY DAD BROUGHT GIVE EM ENOUGH ROPE WHEN I WAS 8 YEARS OLD THEN LONDON CALLING WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD 1980 THEY HAVE BEEN A CONSTANT BACK BEAT TO MY LIFE EVER SINCE.JOE STRUMMER GUIDED MY MORAL DIRECTION IN MY EARLY TEEN'S THANK YOU JOE!!! for the music and My oldest son's name STRUMMER CLASH PALACE YOU WERE AND ALWAYS WILL BE MY HERO

@mariuspoppFM

@Timothy Dannenhoffer Topper was already an accomplished jazz drummer before joining them tho

@shewolfcub3

@Timothy Dannenhoffer nah their debuts one of their best albums

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@nobelsyed

Stands the test of time. Great arrangement. The Clash were incredible. Their place in rock history assured.

@Hempeater

Such a powerful song. Joe Strummer lamenting the destruction of working class power and solidarity in the shadow of the triumph of neoliberalism and the flooding of heroin into the west and then Allen Ginsberg finishing of with a tragically haunting verse, "Kick junk, what else can a poor worker do?" A question that is very hard to answer in a completely atomized society that inculcates a sense of greed, despair, and a fear of your fellow man.

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