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There's a solitary man crying, "Hold me."
It's only because he's a-lonely
If the keeper of time runs slowly
He won't be alive for long!
If he only had time to tell of all of the things he planned
With a card up his sleeve, what would he achieve?
It means nothing!
To the opium den and the barroom gin
In the Belmont chair playing violins
The gambler's face cracks into a grin
As he lays down the king of spades
But the dealer just stares
There's something wrong here, he thinks
The gambler is seized and forced to his knees
And shot dead
He only wanted more time
Away from the darkest door
But his luck it gave in
As the dawn light crept in
And he lay on the floor
From the Hundred Year War to the Crimea
With a lance and a musket and a Roman spear
To all of the men who have stood with no fear
In the service of the King
Before you met your fate be sure you
Did not forsake your lover
May not be around anymore
It's only because he's a-lonely
If the keeper of time runs slowly
He won't be alive for long!
If he only had time to tell of all of the things he planned
With a card up his sleeve, what would he achieve?
It means nothing!
To the opium den and the barroom gin
In the Belmont chair playing violins
The gambler's face cracks into a grin
As he lays down the king of spades
But the dealer just stares
There's something wrong here, he thinks
The gambler is seized and forced to his knees
And shot dead
He only wanted more time
Away from the darkest door
But his luck it gave in
As the dawn light crept in
And he lay on the floor
From the Hundred Year War to the Crimea
With a lance and a musket and a Roman spear
To all of the men who have stood with no fear
In the service of the King
Before you met your fate be sure you
Did not forsake your lover
May not be around anymore
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Fall of the British empire? That's a bit of a stretch, there's nothing definite in the lyrics that suggests it, as far as I can see, and the Clash are more about liberal protest, they don't lament the fall of the British empire at all-- they prefer less international interference and more focus on local social issues.
The third and the sixth verses are structured similarly, and could be connected. Building on skelet0r's interpretation of the soldier being a gambler, gambling his life for nothing, the settings of "opium den" and "barroom" are mirrored by the Hundred Years and Crimean wars (ie. wars in general in which the English were involved).
"The gambler is forced to his knees" is mirrored in "The men who stood without fear." So skelet0r's interpretation holds up here: the soldier is like the gambler, presumably gambling with his life for nothing.
The dealer is unclear. It could be mirrored in the king, but it isn't specific.
Clever song, and the flow of the piano is ridiculously catchy. This is a gem.
That all relates to the 2nd to last verse where Strummer connects a poor man throwing his life away to soldiers doing the same. That's where even people who should consider themselves happy, people with "lovers", lose sight of what's important and foolishly serve the "king" (this time an actual one).
I just started listening to The Clash and absolutely love "London Calling" And yeah, this is definitely not a throwaway track, it's one of the best on the album.
it's clearly a lament, a dirge for all the soldiers throughout history who have dutifully gone to war (the call up) without any real knowledge of whom the enemy is and why they must fight them. in this metaphor, i would suggest the gambler is the king, or president, or dictator, etc., rolling the dice as it were, with the lives of his countrymen who seemingly have no alternative.
in what way is it "cheating" to make war on another nation? i guess it's an attempt to get something you don't actually have a right to own. and oft times, in the end, you get nothing ("it means nothing!") or worse, you end up dead, like our gambler friend. as to the royal horns, well, that's obvious and essential...that is the musical battle cry...the rallying of the troops...it's off to war, boys!