Know Your Rights
This is one of my favorite songs by The Clash
Know Your Rights
This is a public service announcement
With guitar!
Know your rights
All three of them!
Number 1
You have the right not to be killed
Murder is a crime!
Unless it was done
By a policeman
Or an aristocrat
Know your rights
And number 2
You have the right to food money
Providing of course
You dont mind a little
Investigation
Humiliation
And if you cross your fingers
Rehabilitation
Know your rights
These are your rights
Know these rights
Number 3
You have the right to free speech
As long as youre not dumb enough to actually try it
Know your rights
These are your rights
All three of 'em!
And it has been suggested in some quarters
That this is not enough!
Well...
Get off the streets
Get off the streets
Run!
You dont have a home to go to
Finally then I will read you your rights
You have the right to remain silent
You are warned that anything you say
Can and will be taken down
And used as evidence against you
Listen to this
Run!
I found this video on YouTube. It's not a Clash video. Someone made a video of a bunch of protest footage set to the song Know Your Rights. I've never heard the last paragraph sung in any live or studio version of the song, but for some reason it's included in the lyrics.
The singer, Joe Strummer (RIP) was living in a homeless shelter before joining The Clash. I'm a walking clearinghouse of useless information like that. Heh. Anyway, another favorite Clash song is called White Riot. I think it has an interesting story behind it. At a festival in England, police were harassing Blacks and it turned into a huge riot when Black people fought back. Strummer and other band members joined in the fight against police and then realized they were the only Whites doing it. In the song White Riot, Strummer wonders why Blacks aren't afraid to fight when their rights are being violated, while Whites are so obedient and passive. It's true for the most part. If anyone (White or Black) speaks out against authority, it's considered a bad thing or "He/She has a problem with authority." I don't think that's a bad thing. Hey, sometimes it's necessary. What America needs right now, more than ever, is people with authority problems.
