Know Your Rights
"Know Your Rights" is a song by the Clash. It was released in 1982 as the first single from the album Combat Rock, three weeks prior to the release of the album.
| "Know Your Rights" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Clash | ||||
| from the album Combat Rock | ||||
| B-side | "First Night Back in London" | |||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Rockabilly | |||
| Length | 3:41 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | The Clash | |||
| The Clash singles chronology | ||||
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The song begins with the words "This is a public service announcement... with guitar!" The structure of the song revolves around the rights held by the poor and disenfranchised, in which the speaker of the song, presumably a villainous civil servant (whose identity is assumed in the song by vocalist Joe Strummer), names the three actual rights. At the end, the notion that more rights should be granted is rebuffed by the speaker.
The three are:
- "The right not to be killed. Murder is a crime, unless it is done by a policeman, or an aristocrat".
- "The right to food money, providing, of course, you don't mind a little investigation, humiliation, and if you cross your fingers, rehabilitation".
- "The right to free speech (as long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it)".
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