The Clash - Guns of Brixton Meaning

Guns of Brixton Lyrics

When they kick at your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun

When the law break in
How you gonna go?
Shot down on the pavement
Or waiting on death row

You can crush us
You can...

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   #1 top rated interpretation:
   jim morrison

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   Jun 18th 2005 !⃝

   Firstly for you non-brits, Brixton is a very rough-tough sorta area, and let me tell ya, 20 years ago when this song was written, it was a lot worse. This song is just about the gang warfare and general mayhem of the place. It also has it's fair share of "Police are facists" messages.
2. anonymous

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   Oct 13th 2011 !⃝

   How would you describe the different sounds other than the actual lyrics? LIke the instrumentation, the mix, effects, etc.
3. anonymous

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   May 4th 2011 !⃝

   like the whole record
   a call to arms
   withe a special critic towards selfish gangsta-culture
   
   "You see, he feels like Ivan
   Born under the Brixton sun
   His game is called survivin'
   At the end of the harder they come
   
   You know it means no mercy
   They caught him with a gun
   No need for the Black Maria
   Goodbye to the Brixton sun"
   
   reveres to the movie "the harder they come"
   were the hero ivan (I was here but I disapear) ends alone in a mindles gunfight
4. anonymous

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   Nov 7th 2009 !⃝

   The song is about how bad the police state in brixton was at that time
5. anonymous

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   Sep 7th 2008 !⃝

   Its quite straightforward really, its a call to arms against corporate and government oppression.