This evening, President Obama played out a vision for a more just tax system for working families. It isn't something he or anyone else expects to see passed-- at least not while Obama is president and the Congress is firmly controlled by Wall Street and Big Business through the Republican Party (and the New Dems and Blue Dogs) they own. A vision to aspire to? At best, I guess.The song above has a different sort of vision. The Clash released it in late 1979 on their third album, London Calling, their breakthrough (platinum) U.S. release. The album doesn't shy away from difficult political themes and an analysis that goes way beyond what most rock bands-- or SOTU addresses-- ever offer. A few weeks ago we looked at the Paul Simonon-penned Guns of Brixton from the same album which deals with police violence and authoritarianism, problems very much still in the headlines and in the fabric of national life today.If anything, "Clampdown" is deals with even more prevalent problems for working families in Western society. Joe Strummer, who wrote the lyrics, was dealing with how the 1% get to impose social mores on the rest of us to get us to happily man their factories and make them richer and richer while we impoverish ourselves. He had a different view of the work ethic than Max Weber. This is all about getting enmeshed in a dysfunctional system-- capitalism-- that leads debt and zombie-like conformity.
Hey, hey!Ooh!The kingdom is ransackedthe jewels all taken backand the chopper descendsthey're hidden in the backwith a message on a half-baked tapewith the spool going roundsaying I'm back here in this placeand I could cryand there's smoke you could click on What are we gonna do now?Taking off his turban, they said, is this man a Jew?'Cause they're working for the clampdownThey put up a poster saying we earn more than you!When we're working for the clampdownWe will teach our twisted speechTo the young believersWe will train our blue-eyed menTo be young believers The judge said five to ten, but I say double that againI'm not working for the clampdownNo man born with a living soulCan be working for the clampdownKick over the wall 'cause government's to fallHow can you refuse it?Let fury have the hour, anger can be powerD'you know that you can use it? The voices in your head are callingStop wasting your time, there's nothing comingOnly a fool would think someone could save youThe men at the factory are old and cunningYou don't owe nothing, so boy get runningIt's the best years of your life they want to steal You grow up and you calm downYou're working for the clampdownYou start wearing the blue and brown You're working for the clampdownSo you got someone to boss aroundIt makes you feel big nowYou drift until you brutalizeYou made your first kill now In these days of evil presidentesWorking for the clampdownBut lately one or two has fully paid their dueFor working for the clampdownHa! Gitalong! Gitalong!Working for the clampdownHa! Gitalong! Gitalong!Working for the clampdown Yeah I'm working hard in HarrisburgWorking hard in Petersburg Working for the clampdownWorking for the clampdownHa! Gitalong! GitalongBegging to be melted downGitalong, gitalong(Work)(Work)(Work) And I've given away no secrets-- ha!(Work)(Work)(More work)(More work)(Work)(Work)(Work)(Work)Who's barmy now?