in Hammersmith Palais
The Clash Lyrics

Midnight to six man
The event takes place from midnight to 6.00am.

For the first time from Jamaica
Jamaican artists are performing for the first time at this event.

Dillinger and Leroy Smart
Dillinger and Leroy Smart are performing at the event.

Delroy Wilson, your cool operator
Delroy Wilson, who is cool and in control, is performing at the event.

Ken Boothe for UK pop reggae
Ken Boothe is performing UK pop reggae at the event.

With backing bands sound systems
The artists have backing bands and sound systems.

And if they've got anything to say
If the artists have anything to say, they have many black ears to listen.

There's many black ears here to listen
The audience is primarily black people.

But it was Four Tops all night with encores from stage right
The Four Tops performed all night with encores from stage right.

Charging from the bass knives to the treble
The music was intense and spanned from the bass to the treble.

But onstage they ain't got no roots rock rebel
The musicians performing onstage are not true rebels of roots rock.

Dress back jump back, this is a bluebeat attack
The music is fast-paced and aggressive.

'Cause it won't get you anywhere
Being aggressive won't help you achieve anything.

Fooling with the guns
Playing with guns is a foolish act.

The British Army is waiting out there
The British Army is waiting outside.

An' it weighs fifteen hundred tons
The British Army is powerful and heavily armed.

White youth, black youth
The youth, regardless of race, needs to find an alternative solution.

Better find another solution
Violence isn't a solution to anything.

Why not phone up Robin Hood
It's better to seek help from someone who is known to do good.

And ask him for some wealth distribution
Ask Robin Hood to redistribute wealth to the less fortunate.

Punk rockers in the UK
Punk rockers in the UK are mentioned.

They won't notice anyway
Punk rockers in the UK won't be bothered about the problems being faced.

They're all too busy fighting
Punk rockers are too busy fighting amongst themselves for attention.

For a good place under the lighting
The punk rockers want to be in the spotlight.

The new groups are not concerned
The new bands are primarily concerned with making money.

With what there is to be learned
They are not interested in learning or furthering their craft.

They got Burton suits, ha, you think it's funny
They dress the part, but it's just for show.

Turning rebellion into money
They're using rebellion as a way to make profits.

All over people changing their votes
People are rapidly changing their political affiliations.

Along with their overcoats
This is emphasized with the metaphorical use of overcoats.

If Adolf Hitler flew in today
This is a hypothetical situation where even someone like Hitler could come into power.

They'd send a limousine anyway
People in power will cater to the powerful, regardless of how they became so.

I'm the all night drug-prowling wolf
The singer identifies himself as a dangerous, nocturnal creature.

Who looks so sick in the sun
The creature looks ill in daylight.

I'm the white man in the Palais
The singer is a white man who is looking for fun at the event.

Just lookin' for fun
He's only looking for enjoyment.

I'm only
The singer is emphasizing that he's just an ordinary person.

Looking for fun
His main goal is to have a good time at the event.