Rudie Can't Fail

it means that people tell the rude boys that they need to get a real job instead of slacking off all day listening to ska and riding the bus all over town. The rude boys say no way, that's not the life for us, we like our fun.

ok lets do a lil history lesson In jamaica around this time and still today a "rudy" is someone who is the equivalent of an american punk. and with all the jamaican reggae influence the Clash use can this really suprise you great song Everyone should own the best album ever "London Calling" there is no excuse

Mike Dirnt, Green Day's bassist, owns a restaurant in Emeryville, California called Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, obviously named after this song.

the rudies [or rude boys] were the cats who were out and about being good fer nothin bums [don't take offence, i consider myself a rudie, too] when the ska scene in jamaica was just starting about. they were the ones starting riots and fights in the streets, pretty much. they were rude. now, that term is used to define anyone with sufficiant knowledge of ska or those who listen to ska. for those who are SAT inclined, rudie:ska :: hipster:indie

Anatriptic, they're not all wrong. Words, like music, progress and take on new meanings as time goes by. When the Clash and English white boys took on the term <a href="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rude_boy">Rudy/Rude boy</a>, it had a much different meaning 20 years later. In short, it became what ilovethevalleyoh said - people who like ska. <a href="rootsworld.com/rw/feature/rudeboy.html">Like it or not</a>.

In addition, my bullshit detector went off when i read your "rude boy" definition (<i>bad child that would be abandoned on the side of the road</i>). I've never heard that. Anyone else? Do you have a source, or did you just make it up?

<i>Anyway, please realize, that the clash did not play "ska."</i> but this is a ska, or at least ska-influenced song...that's why everyone's talking about ska in this thread. See <i>feckless</i>.

regular_freak - these are difinately the lyrics.

the "Doctor born for a purpose" refers to Dr. Alimantado, a reggae singer from the 1970's.

Rudie (a.k.a. Rude boy) was generally a Jamaican "wide boy" that could equally be called a gangster, wastrel or ne'er do well. In the U.K., or more pertinently London, a rude boy would be a young up and coming sharp talking wise cracking black lad with attitude. Nowadays, with cross culturalisation, the kid may even be white. However back in the late 70's when Strummer and Jones came across such young lads, they were almost certainly first generation black West Indians.

The Rudie in the song is half cut from being on the polish for breakfast. He's got attitude and he's on the no. 19 which (correct me if I'm wrong) runs from Victoria to N19, which is Finsbury. So the "market" our young turk is going to is Camden probably. He appears to be going there to "realise his soul" which probably means he's after uppers or smoke of some kind.

The phrase "Rudioe can't fail" is repeated throughout the song....yet the moral is that he inevitably already has by not being able to break free of the stereotype.

Although "brew" can mean a cup of tea or indeed a pint of beer (i.e. "fancy a brew?), in this case it refers to "Carlsberg Special Brew", the original cheap, superstrength canned lager. It's the one with the "purple" crest and is/was often drunk at length by the male Anglo/Jamaican culture of West London.

The song ends sadly in that it doesn't matter how "sharp" Rudie looks, he still succumbs to the cheap sky juice (i.e. Special Brew again).

Certainly Joe/Mick/Paul were heavily influenced by ska having spent most of their latter youth around West London. Of the 3, Paul was most heavily influenced and penned "Guns of Brixton". He was livid when the other 2 went to the Indies and came back with "Safe European Home" amongst others as he more than the other 2 was influenced by ska and reggea. Joe was more influenced by hillbilly which comes across in other tunes. At the time it was dubbed "skank" or "skunk" but to me the song is a ska song.

Joe Strummer R.I.P.....love you man.

feck·less [féklss ] adjective

1. ineffective: unable or unwilling to do anything useful

2. unlikely to be successful: lacking the thought or organization necessary to succeed feckless attempts at starting a business

wow cool now i know what feckless means (no seriously...i didn't know) but i like this song.

this song is cool! i liekt he clash, and this is my favorite song by them, but when i first heard this song i had no idea what he was saying accept for rudie can't fail.