A Harbinger of Things to Come– The Guns of Brixton by the Clash

Riots just don’t happen overnight. They come about from mounting tensions, and all it needs is a small catalyst. Stateside, we could look at Watts and South Central LA. One of the big ones in England was the Brixton Riots in 1981.

About a quarter of the population of Brixton district is African/Caribbean. In the late 70s and early 80s, the unemployment rate in this part of London hovered around 13 percent (25 percent of ethnic minorities were unemployed). The crime rate skyrocketed, and the Police were trying to crack down…leading to hostilities between the Bobbies and the residents.

A young black man was stabbed in the streets around 5 in the afternoon one day in April, 1981. The police attempted to aid him. Whether the crowd was angry because they didn’t realize what was going on, or they thought that the police weren’t doing all that they could to save him is unclear. What resulted was the explosion of pent up anger and frustration. The growing crowded turned on the police, which prompted those on the scene to call for backup. By the time the smoke cleared (literally) 279 police officers and 45 civilians were injured, over 100 cars were burned, and 150 buildings had been damaged.

If there were only some sort of warning that this could have happened.

Well, if the Bobbies were familiar with The Clash, they might have known. In 1979, Bassist Paul Simonon (who grew up in Brixton) penned “The Guns of Brixton”; noting the growing discontent in his old stomping ground. The reggae beat and bass line sets up the lyrics foretelling a violent interaction.

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

Now replace “Brixton” with “Arizona”. What? You don’t think that it can’t happen?

I’m not going to turn this into a debate about the political situation in the Copper State. No matter which side you’re on in this debate, you must admit that there is a potential of a Brixton style riot. All Arizona needs is an incident.

While this song has been covered by bands such as Arcade Fire, Die Toten Hosen and the Dropkick Murphys, the best cover of this song comes from an eight year old kid. Maria Gallagher, daughter of Clash studio musician Mick Gallagher, was recorded singing the song. That bit of audio was affixed at the end of “Broadway” on the Clash double album Sandinista! There’s something about a small child singing:

You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'll have to answer to
Oh-the guns of Brixton

Precious.
Share |