Gangsters

Album: The Specials (1979)
Charted: 6
Play Video
  • Bernie Rhodes knows don't argue

    Why must you record my phone calls?
    Are you planning a bootleg LP?
    Said you've been threatened by gangsters
    Now it's you that's threatening me

    Can't fight corruption with con tricks
    They use the law to commit crime
    And I dread, dread to think what the future will bring
    When we're living in gangster time

    Don't call me scar face

    Can't interrupt while I'm talking
    Or they'll confiscate all your guitars
    And Catch-22 says if I sing the truth
    They won't make me an overnight star

    Don't offer us legal protection
    They use the law to commit crime
    I dread to think what the future will bring
    When we're living in real gangster time

    Bernie Rhodes knows don't argue Writer/s: Jerry Dammers, John Bradbury, Lynval Golding, Neville Staples, Roderick Byers, Stephen Panter, Terry Hall
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Gary Daniels from LincolnshireStill playing 2tone music today 2025.
  • AnonymousOne of the best!
  • Myla from San Diego, CaA Specials classic!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.