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Back in the garage with my bullshit detector
Carbon monoxide making sure it's effective
People ringing up making offers for my life
But I just want to stay in the garage all night
We're a garage band
We come from garageland
Meanwhile things are hotting up in the West End alright
Contracts in the offices, groups in the night
My bummin' slummin' friends have all got new boots
An' someone just asked me if the group would wear suits
I don't want to hear about what the rich are doing
I don't want to go to where the rich are going
They think they're so clever, they think they're so right
But the truth is only known by guttersnipes
There's twenty-two singers! But one microphone
Back in the garage
There's five guitar players! But one guitar
Back in the garage
Complaints! Complaints! Wot an old bag
Back in the garage
All night
Carbon monoxide making sure it's effective
People ringing up making offers for my life
But I just want to stay in the garage all night
We're a garage band
We come from garageland
Meanwhile things are hotting up in the West End alright
Contracts in the offices, groups in the night
My bummin' slummin' friends have all got new boots
An' someone just asked me if the group would wear suits
I don't want to hear about what the rich are doing
I don't want to go to where the rich are going
They think they're so clever, they think they're so right
But the truth is only known by guttersnipes
There's twenty-two singers! But one microphone
Back in the garage
There's five guitar players! But one guitar
Back in the garage
Complaints! Complaints! Wot an old bag
Back in the garage
All night
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I've also heard this was someone from the Clash's record label that suggested they should wear suits to go on a show for a performance. Strummer scoffed at the idea because he thought it was ridiculous that they would doll themselves up for an audience any differently than they did every other night.
like the before mentioned poster said though, i could also see it being a dig at Mods.
Someone should release this tune to a set of new lyrics about the recent rioting in Paris:-
After the rioting
Their only concern
Restoring the romantic image -
Of the city
They think that matters most
We say: what about the rest?
When shall we all be: set free?
We're past angry oh-a-oh
Shall we ever be: Haaapppppyyy
And yet that's all I see on TV!
Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie
Lie after Lie
I wanted to say something about the actual sound on the album, which is great: having Jones's guitar on the left playing more subdued staccato lines and solos while Strummer's guitar is on the right playing full heavy rhythm. It's brilliant and this is one of the tracks that really shows it the most.
i think its just them saying look we know we're a amature punk band and we naver tried or will try to rise above that but we still want to be heard.
I can't help drawing a parallel between the first paragraph and death. It just gives me the impression that staying a garage band is like suicide (not the carbon monoxide reference). Perhaps the garage band knows that staying the way they are will never make them sucessful, but do they care?
No.
Just my thoughts.
Any ideas?