The Clash – White Riot

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White riot - I want to riot
White riot - a riot of my own
White riot - I want to riot
White riot - a riot of my own

Black people gotta lot a problems
But they don't mind throwing a brick
White people go to school
Where they teach you how to be thick

An' everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
An' nobody wants
To go to jail!

All the power's in the hands
Of people rich enough to buy it
While we walk the street
Too chicken to even try it

Everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
Nobody wants
To go to jail!

Are you taking over
Or are you taking orders?
Are you going backwards
Or are you going forwards?

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Lyrics submitted by aebassist

Track duration: 01:55

"White Riot" as written by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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White Riot song meanings
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44 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Jesus! Rioting is not the answer! In all movement for positive social change people must join together even if it does not directly benefit them. How can this movement be a "White" movement to the exclusion of other peoples and be good? Ridiculous! If it's a good movement then it is neither black, white, or any other Crayola color. If I was to have been part of the civil rights movement in the sixties, for instance, as a white person I am fighting for the rights of fellow human beings, not "Black" people even though black people had the most to gain and white people had the most to loose by joining in the battle. What, then, can we say of a "White Riot" exclusive of other people. Oh, poor me, I am oppressed exclusively for being white in this society? No! The oppression that white people under a yolk of corporate/bureaucratic elitism experience is the same oppression that other people experience, ie. THEY DO NOT EXPERIENCE IT BECAUSE THEY ARE WHITE. On the flip side there are many racist oppressions that other people not white suffer BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT WHITE. Do you see the difference? I mean, common!
    Flag CWBMNon May 06, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:& StillNotDead, im sorry, but you are mistaken, The Clash were involved in the riot in 76, Paul Simonon espcially.
    Flag rudieraion January 21, 2009   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:people who think the clash are rascist are wrong, obviously you don't know a thing about ska music and havent seen any of The Clash's films. The song meaning is actually about the Notting Hill Carnival in 1976. Joe Strummer though black people had a worthy cause to fight and was trying to influence young white people to help fight for the black people.
    That's all.
    Flag rudieraion January 21, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment: think the songs about rebelling against what society hands you to claim something more real and the fear that people have of living, or causing a riot about what they truly want.
    Flag feeney5on January 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:some of you are right. this was about a riot. They saw it and decided that they weren't going to join it, because it wasn't there place to join. All they are saying is they want their own riot now, lol
    Flag StillNotDeadon March 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:People thin the clash was racist? This song, along with White Man in Hammersmith Palais, are anti-racist. The Clash was very anti raceism and played in many concerts raising attention to it...
    Flag youngdirectoron February 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:iron lady must be margaret thatcher i'm guessing. but yea it's about whites and blacks in london/england rising up against the racism.
    Flag flaminmofoon July 23, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:What was the b side to this single?
    Flag Violentpacifiston February 15, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think Joe was trying to say (this is england 76 remmebr) White have to Riot Also to cause change And they did while under the Iron Lady. She was a rough rider.
    Flag hipdudeon January 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:if anything, the clash are being racist towards white people, but more just slagging them off, cos they don't have 'proper' riots!
    Flag im_no_supermanon October 22, 2006   Link

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