Stop the World

City in Decay: The Clash's Stop the World Unveils a Dystopian Reality
Be the first to rate this song

Lyrics

The panorama of the city is wrong

The cityscape appears distorted or problematic.

In fact the city seems to be gone!

Suggesting that the city might no longer exist.

Burning rubber and smoke in my eyes

There is intense activity causing discomfort, possibly chaos.

There's a flat burning junkheap

A large expanse of land is covered in burning junk.

For twenty square miles!

The destruction extends over a vast area.

They took it into the nuclear mine

Refers to taking something into a nuclear mine, implying destruction.

Judging by this, they left nothing behind

Suggests complete devastation, leaving nothing behind.

Down in the bunkers in the crust of the earth

The wealthy and noble are hiding in bunkers beneath the earth.

Now crouch the wealthy and the noble of birth

They seek refuge in underground bunkers for safety.


If I could a ride a train around the city

The speaker wishes to travel around the city on a train.

That holds this as our fate

Expressing a fatalistic view of the city's fate.

I'd hide from electro-circuit central

Avoiding a central electronic control system.

To the shock inducer gate

Heading towards a gate that induces shocks or surprises.

Not forgetting the by-pass

Not overlooking the bypass route.

Across the Washington hooks

Refers to navigating through specific locations in Washington.

Through the phones and desks and screens

Describing the Kremlin's central figure or leader.

Of the Kremlin's crook of crooks

Suggesting corruption within the Kremlin.


There's some panel in a circuit board

A crucial part of a control system.

Destination of the override

Pointing to a specific destination for an override function.

Scanning the wild wind

Observing the strong winds in the Berlin corridor.

Blowing through the Berlin corridor

A specific location illuminated in a palace.

Spotlit in a palace, shielded from dust

Emphasizing the importance of a fail-safe mechanism.

Malfunction or not, the fail safe is the crux

Despite malfunctions, the fail-safe is crucial.

So far away from us,

Highlighting the emotional distance from the described events.

Shaking with the mystery tears

Expressing emotional turmoil or confusion.

One lonely night in Ladbroke Grove

A specific night in a location called Ladbroke Grove.

Far away in the deserts of Omaha!

Referring to a distant place, the deserts of Omaha.

They got it nailed down-Swiss tight!

Indicating a high level of control or security.

The bank notes of Europe

Highlighting the power of European currency.

The emperors and kings

Referring to the leaders and rulers of Europe.

Curl in the autumn as the burning of leaves

Symbolizing the fall of authority in the autumn season.

And I've cleaned my black guitar

The speaker has completed a personal task, possibly unrelated to the chaos described.

Similar Songs

Comment