Police and Thieves
The Clash
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Police and thieves in the streets, oh yeah Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition Police and thieves in the street, oh yeah Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition From genesis to revelation The next generation will be, hear me From genesis to revelation The next generation will be, hear me And all the crowd comes in, day by day No one stop it in anyway All the peacemaker, turn war officer Hear what I say Police and thieves in the streets, oh yeah Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition Police and thieves in the street, oh yeah Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition From genesis to revelation The next generation will be, hear me Oh yeah Oh yeah Now, all the crowd come in, day by day No one stop it in anyway All the peacemaker, turn war officer Hear what I say Police, police, police and thieves, oh yeah Police, police, police and thieves, oh yeah From genesis, oh yeah Police, police, police, police and thieves, oh yeah And I'm scaring, I'm fighting the nation, oh yeah Shooting, shooting their guns and, guns and ammunition, oh yeah Oh yeah Police, police, police and thieves, oh yeah I'm scaring, oh yeah I'm scaring the nation, police oh yeah Oh yeah Oh yeah Oh yeah Here come, here come, here come The station is bombed, oh yeah Get out, get out, get out you people If you don't wanna get blown up, oh yeah The police, the police and the thieves, oh yeah Police Police Police
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Written by: Junior Murvin, Lee Perry
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
11 facts about this song
Song Origin"Police and Thieves" is originally a Reggae song written by Junior Murvin and Lee "Scratch" Perry. It was first recorded by Junior Murvin in 1976.
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Popular CoverEnglish punk rock band, The Clash, made the song popular in western countries when they covered it in their self-titled debut album released in 1977.
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Inspiration Behind the SongJunior Murvin was inspired to write "Police and Thieves" after witnessing clashes between youths and police in his hometown in Jamaica.
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Song's ReceptionDespite being a reggae song, the original version by Junior Murvin received substantial airplay in the UK and reached number 23 in the UK Singles Chart.
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Early Live PerformancesThe Clash started performing the song at live shows even before it appeared on their debut album.
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The Clash's InterpretationThe Clash's version of "Police and Thieves" is faster and more aggressive compared to Junior Murvin's original, keeping in line with their punk sound.
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Role in AlbumThe Clash included "Police and Thieves" in their debut album as it shared similar anti-establishment themes with their other songs.
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Accolades"Police and Thieves" remains an enduring reggae classic, ranked at number 320 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
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MisunderstandingJunior Murvin initially didn't comprehend the lyrics when he first heard The Clash's version, due to their thick British accents and faster pace. He later appreciated their cover but mentioned that they should have paid him for making his song more popular.
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InfluenceThe Clash's cover of "Police and Thieves" helped to introduce a generation of punk rock fans to reggae music. The band continued to incorporate reggae influences in their subsequent works owing to the success of this song.
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In Popular Media"Police and Thieves" was featured in the 1999 film, "The Royal Tenenbaums", and the 2012 video game, "Sleeping Dogs".
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Citation
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"Police and Thieves Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/23586163/The+Clash/Police+and+Thieves>.
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