North And South

Album: Cut The Crap (1985)
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Songfacts®:

  • The lyrics, which were written by Joe Strummer, are as the title suggests, an examination of the geographical divide that exists in Britain, looking at how poor life could be in the North compared to the more affluent South ("It's gonna be a burn out all around this town, the South is up but the North is down").
  • Rather fittingly given it's subject matter of strikes and poverty, this song was first played by The Clash at the Brixton Miner's Benefit shows in December 1984, and remained in their live show for the unique Busking tour, where the band toured the country busking in parks and pubs with acoustic guitars and stayed overnight in wherever they could sleep that wasn't a luxury hotel - usually a fan's floor.

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