"Know Your Rights" is a song by

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

. It was released in 1982 as the first single from the album ''

Combat Rock ''Combat Rock'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was released on 14 May 1982 through CBS Records. In the United Kingdom, the album charted at number 2, spending 23 weeks in the UK charts and peaked at number 7 i ...

'', three weeks prior to the release of the album. The song begins with the words "''This is a public service announcement... with guitar!''" The structure of the song revolves around the rights held by the poor and disenfranchised, in which the speaker of the song, presumably a villainous civil servant (whose identity is assumed in the song by vocalist

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, f ...

), names the three actual rights. At the end, the notion that more rights should be granted is rebuffed by the speaker. The three are: #"The right not to be killed. Murder is a crime, unless it is done by a policeman, or an

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient R ...

". #"The right to food money, providing, of course, you don't mind a little investigation, humiliation, and if you cross your fingers, rehabilitation". #"The right to free speech (as long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it)".

Cover versions

"Know Your Rights" has been performed live many times by

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, g ...

, most notably during their

Riot Act Tour The Riot Act Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Pearl Jam to support its seventh album, ''Riot Act''. History Pearl Jam promoted ''Riot Act'' with tours in Australia, Japan, and North America in 2003. The tours were the band's fi ...

in 2003, and it also has been recorded on their live albums '' 7/11/03 – Mansfield, Massachusetts'', '' 7/9/03 – New York, New York'', and '' 3/3/03 – Tokyo, Japan''.

Track listing

;7" vinyl # "Know Your Rights" (

/ Mick Jones) – 3:35 # "First Night Back in London" (The Clash) – 3:00

Charts

References

{{authority control 1982 singles The Clash songs Songs written by Mick Jones (The Clash) Songs written by Joe Strummer CBS Records singles 1982 songs