Talk:Spanish Bombs

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[edit] More Info Please

At first I was skeptical as to why this article even existed, but I'm truly glad it does for the explanations it provides of the song lyrics. I only wish there was more information on the meaning of "Mockingbird Hill," "The Buses" and "The Irish Tomb." If somebody can figure out what these references and could add them it would make this a better article.Billy P 1 July 2005 20:11 (UTC)


i think that the irish tombes were ment to reflect the men that Ireland sent to spain to stop the facists.

[edit] Lyrics and interpretation section is a copyvio

The Lyrics and interpretation section is very nicely done, but unfortunately quoting the entire lyrics to the song is a clear copyright violation. I have removed most of the lyrics leaving only the chorus, which is a small enough section that it probably falls under U.S. fair use provisions when in a critical/interpretive context such as this one. Quale 05:58, 28 September 2005 (UTC)


the liner notes suggest different wording Hank chapot 04:51, 2 February 2006 (UTC)


From liner notes, copyright 1979 Nineden Ltd. (PRS)) Hank chapot 04:55, 2 February 2006 (UTC)


30% of these are not actual words. Should this retain the mispellings of the liner notes? - Ivan

[edit] Liner Notes Inaccuracies

I'm looking right at the lyrics that came with the album and it clearly has finito, and not infinito as stated on the main page. Maybe this should be changed, as it would greatly effect a reader's interpretation. Hammer55 04:34, 22 February 2007 (UTC) El "costa rica", is the name of the hotel when they (joe), used to go in San Jose, province of Almeria, cape of gata, Spain. Everybody there remind him and his mayonaise.--80.38.138.90 17:04, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Original research problems

Two big issues. 1) The entire interpretation is original research, and 2) The lyrics are plainly wrong. For example, the lyrics as printed in the liner of the actual album list the spanish chorus (and which matches spot on with what you hear) as:

Spanish Bombs yot'quierro y finito
yote querda, oh ma corazon

which is a pretty sketchy pidgen-spanish. Its more spanish sounding than real spanish. The only recognizable words in there MAYBE are "love" and "heart". There is an equally plausable translation that says that they could mean finito to mean stop (as in stop the bombs) and querda as really "guerra" meaning war. So I could read the song as meaning to say "Spanish Bombs, I would love them to stop. I'm at war, oh my heart". That makes MUCH more sense in the theme of the song than does some love paean to a lost girl.

Or maybe "yo te quierro y finito" is "my love for you is finished" and querda is really "queda" as in "yo te queda" - "I have left you"... as in "On a DC-10 tonight". There's the love bit again. Maybe it means his love for bombs and violent revolution is over, owing to the parallel atrocities exhibited by the Guardia Civil and the IRA in Ireland. Quite possibly, the references to Irish tombs and "echo's of the days of '39" refer to what he sees as the IRISH revolution during his time is a parallel to the SPANISH revolution. Or maybe not again...

Still, even my translations and interpretations are Original Research. The Clash didn't speak spanish, and it is quite equally plausible that the lyrics mean NOTHING at all, and are just meant to sound spanishy... The whole point is, unless you can find, in a reliable source, explaining the meaning of the song, either by a respected critic, or by Strummer himself, you can't print this in an article.

I will be fixing the article and removing the OR stuff. --Jayron32 06:59, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

I have removed all original research and added a stub template. If references can be found, this article could use expansion. --Jayron32 07:07, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

dear Jayron32.... why would you remove the page?? i'm just a normal freedom-loving freak who wants to look up what the lyrics to Spanish bombs might mean... but NO. You destroyed everything that the people had to offer, thanks a whole lot.... and by the way, the song still rocks regardless of how you dig the lyrics. -Firefaceeater formerly known as chris

(4:39 AM March 10 listening to Spanish bombs)—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.50.17.122 (talk • contribs)

My opinion of the song has nothing to do with wikipedia policy. Regardless of the fact that I think this is one of the best songs on London Calling, which may be one of the best albums ever, does not mean that this article needs to contain Original Research or wild speculation. There are blogs and message boards whose purpose is to allow people to discuss what they think songs like this MIGHT mean Wikipedia is NOT ONE OF THEM, it is an encyclopedia based on verifiable research. If you are interested in genuinely improving Wikipedia, please click on one of the blue links I left in this reply. If your only interest is to chat about music, find somewhere else to do it. --Jayron32|talk|contribs 02:40, 12 March 2007 (UTC)
above Jayron32 argues of the fuller, more fleshed-out article that: "1) The entire interpretation is original research, and 2) The lyrics are plainly wrong." (See below).
But this is not so. It's not "original research" to note that the Clash are singing about the Spanish Civil war and Federico García Lorca. It's not "original research" to explain what the Guardia Civil was, or to drop some information about Francisco Franco. And the lyrics are not plainly wrong. This is the way they're normally listed, including, I believe, in in the Clash On Broadway boxed set. Yes, there's a running discussion over the best way of handling the lyrics issue; there's no need to eliminate the section entirely.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.100.144.156 (talk • contribs)
The following statements are all original research, as they provide an interpretation of the song, but do not provide an external, third party reference that to a reliable music critic or music historian, or to the authors themselves, where the same interpretation is made. Thus, per wikipedia polices on verifiability and no original research, they cannot be in the article. I have removed all of these sentances from the article. If you can find somewhere else, in a book, magazine, journal, website, or any other reliable source where someone has made these interpretations, then you can put them back in with notes on where you got the information from.
Orignal research statements (removed from article):
  • However, costa rica is Spanish for "rich coast" and the lyrics may be referring to wealth or fertility of the Spanish coasts, although in that case it wouldn't be written with capital letters.
    • May be refering to? Who is making this interpretation?
  • The "freedom fighters" to which the song aludes were the coalition of various left-wing and centrist parties called the Popular Front, which were democraticaly elected and were in pursuit of a Soviet-like revolution. Popular Front were an assortment of groups of socialists and communists (symbolized by a red flag), and later, anarchists (symbolized by a black flag). Anarchists in Spain were hesitant to side with the Republicans per se, because of their opposition to government, but were from day one instrumental in the anti-fascist struggle. See Spanish Revolution.
    • Really? Are those the freedom fighters that Joe Strummer was referring to? Who says? Do you have any external source where I can go look outside of wikipedia to find this interpretation?
  • The end of the song lists sites that were bombed and invaded by the Nationalists. Granada, in particular, was the hometown of García Lorca and was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the war.
    • Is that why Strummer included them as sites? Are you sure. If so, provide a reference to somewhere else where I can read about this.
I am removing all instances where any interpretation of the meaning of the lyrics is included. However, and I want to make this clear, the information can and should be returned if a source can be provided. Thank you. --Jayron32|talk|contribs 03:59, 1 April 2007 (UTC)


Hello, lovers of the Clash. I don't care how long this comment lasts, seen as apparently, Jayron32, the bureaucratic killjoy [this is a well researched, multiple source fact]has destroyed about fifty peoples work and will probably destroy mine. I have entered an empty battlefield, so to speak, and will take the chance, having read ABOUT the previous, glorious article, but never got the chance to see it. however, no matter, as I, the antiJayron32, have decided to take you in.

Spanish bombs is an upbeat sounding song with less than sunshiny lyrics and is viewed by many {see song meanings.com or any Clash board, there are a lot [I'm not posting a link, just use the wonderful resource that is Google]} as a song about the Spanish Revolution, seen as it lists historical landmarks and dates. The date which is repeated through the song, 1939 ['39 for short] is relevant as it is the final year of the war.

The characters apparently described, [using an educated estimation based on the idea that the Clash are anarchists themselves] are anarchists stuck in a war between various political groups, none of which they would like to win but some more than others. The communists [red flags] are with them, and sing their song, the Red flag, a popular song in the 19th to early 20th century libertarian socialism - seen as there appears to be no copyright on this song, i'll post it-

The people's flag is deepest red, It shrouded oft our martyred dead, And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold, Their hearts blood dyed its every fold. Then raise the scarlet standard high. (chorus) Within its shade we'll live and die, Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer, We'll keep the red flag flying here. Look round, the Frenchman loves its blaze, The sturdy German chants its praise, In Moscow's vaults its hymns are sung Chicago swells the surging throng. It waved above our infant might, When all ahead seemed dark as night; It witnessed many a deed and vow, We must not change its colour now. It well recalls the triumphs past, It gives the hope of peace at last; The banner bright, the symbol plain, Of human right and human gain. It suits today the weak and base, Whose minds are fixed on pelf and place To cringe before the rich man's frown, And haul the sacred emblem down. With heads uncovered swear we all To bear it onward till we fall; Come dungeons dark or gallows grim, This song shall be our parting hymn.

- Which sounds like a song the Clash would make a reference to, to be honest.

Seen as this has taken me near an hour to get together, I'll say goodnight, and stay tuned, kids.

    • P.S**

How can Stummer get his lyrics wrong???

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.86.243 (talk • contribs)

The whole discussion in this section sums up why I don't bother much contributing to Wikipedia. In formal academia, it has long been acknowledged that there is no such thing as objectivity, but Wikipedia's NPOV policy still blindly pretends that such a thing can exist. It's one thing to report the facts, such as they are, for certain major historical events, and certainly for matters of science and mathematics. And Wikipedia excels in such areas where the facts are the major concern of a given article. But in cultural matters, the significance of any given phenomenon, event, or artifact is a matter of interpretation and subjectivity. Which means the dreaded taboo of ORIGINAL "RESEARCH" (even if it's not research, but merely interpretation of prior "research").
So my advice to all of you who struggling against the NPOV zealots deleting your brilliantly written articles on cultural matters is that you PUBLISH YOUR INTERPRETATIONS ON THE WEB -- it's cheap and easy, and then you can quote your own source at will, while staying within the ridiculous NPOV guidelines.
PS I came here to find out something about this significant song, and its relation to significant historical events. I found very little in this castrated article, so, as usual, I'm searching through the deleted versions for what I came for. Thanks, Wikipedia editors, for making Wikipedia about as informative as the back of a cereal box. In real encyclopedias, a group of editors is allowed to provide some interpretation and insight, not merely regurgitate whatever drivel happens to be available on the web. StrangeAttractor (talk) 06:39, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Removing external links

I have removed 2 external links for the following reasons:

  • The first link was a link to a site that contained the lyrics of Spanish Bombs. We cannot violate copyright law at wikipedia, even by proxy...
  • And did you actually verify whether the site in question has permission to quote the lyrics, or was it an assumption? Warms the heart that in these days of the DMCA, concerned citizens do all the policing for the corporate owners of our 20th century culture. --StrangeAttractor (talk) 06:46, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
  • The second link was a to a site promoting a political agenda and whose inclusion in this article was of questionable relation to its subject.

Please read Wikipedia's guidelines on External Links, expecially where it says: "Sites that violate the copyrights of others per contributors' rights and obligations should not be linked" and "Links normally to be avoided... 11. Links to blogs and personal web pages, except those written by a recognized authority." Thank you, and please continue to improve this article using information from reliable sources. --Jayron32|talk|contribs 04:09, 1 April 2007 (UTC)