its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Who needs remote control?
From the Civic Hall
Push a button
Activate
You gotta work and you're late
It's so grey in London town
Panda car crawling around
Here it comes
Eleven o'clock
Where can we go now?
Can't make no noise
Can't get no gear
Can't make no money
Can't get outta here
Big business, it don't like you
It don't like the things you do
You got no money
So you got no power
They think you're useless
And so you are, punk
They had a meeting in Mayfair
They got you down and wanna keep you there
It makes them worried
Their bank accounts
It's all that matters
You don't count
Can't make no progress
Can't get ahead
Can't stop the regress
Don't wanna be dead
Look out, those rules and regulations
Who needs the Parliament?
Sitting making laws all day
They're all fat and old
Queuing for the House of Lords
Repression, gonna start on Tuesday
Repression, gonna be a Dalek
Repression, I am a robot
Repression, I obey
From the Civic Hall
Push a button
Activate
You gotta work and you're late
It's so grey in London town
Panda car crawling around
Here it comes
Eleven o'clock
Where can we go now?
Can't make no noise
Can't get no gear
Can't make no money
Can't get outta here
Big business, it don't like you
It don't like the things you do
You got no money
So you got no power
They think you're useless
And so you are, punk
They had a meeting in Mayfair
They got you down and wanna keep you there
It makes them worried
Their bank accounts
It's all that matters
You don't count
Can't make no progress
Can't get ahead
Can't stop the regress
Don't wanna be dead
Look out, those rules and regulations
Who needs the Parliament?
Sitting making laws all day
They're all fat and old
Queuing for the House of Lords
Repression, gonna start on Tuesday
Repression, gonna be a Dalek
Repression, I am a robot
Repression, I obey
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Siberian Kiss
Glassjaw
Glassjaw
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Anyone else like that Doctor Who reference in "Repression - Gonna be a Dalek"?
i do.
i think it's pretty much how the whole government in England is messed, and how no matter what you did back then, they wanted to keep you down, you could'nt get ahead in life
Their label actually released this as a single agianst their wishes, and so they wrote and relesed "Complete Control" in retaliation to that.
shadow, you're right, but it doesn't mean they didn't like the song - the just didn't want it as a single. it's still a great song and often played by them before shows - check out the demo of it on the vanilla tapes of london calling.
I second that.
also shadow, i believe that comment belongs on the page for complete control, not this one
A panda car is a police car
pogue, that was unneseccary.
A lot of this song was 'borrowed' from an old 101'ers song, although they arent credited. It was often used as a warm-up song and originally wasnt meant to be released as a single as the band felt it was not 'punk' enough (this was before they started branching off into other genres). It does sound quite out of place on the albumn. Legend has it that when they found out it had been released aginst there wishes, they drove all around the independant record shops in London begging the proprieters not to sell it.
A great slackers song - real gangsters would not complain of the situation, like Joe they would have made from it. And Joe is slightly wrong- there is always a way out.