"Spanish Bombs" (the Clash)

SPANISH BOMBS 

(by the Clash) 

• Hi guys ! Hope you like good music and history because today for the protest song article, I have decided to choose a song from the british punk rock band "The Clash", Spanish Bombs. Published in 1979 on the album "London Calling", it claims the heroism of the republican during the Civil Spain War.

• 

  (a nationalist propaganda)

  
  

  From 1936 to 1939, a war separated the Spain in two : on the first side the nationalist (aka franquiste) and on the other side the republicain, who loose. It ended with the dictatorship of the nationalist Francisco Franco (until his death in 1975).Now let see what does the Clash think about it.

Federico Lorca

"Spanish songs in Andalucia
The shooting sites in the days of '39
Oh, please, leave the ventana open
Federico Lorca, dead and gone
Bullet holes in the cemetery walls
The black cars of the Guardia Civil
Spanish bombs on the Costa Rica
I'm flyin' in on a DC-10 tonight

[Spanish bombs
Yo te quiero infinito
Yo te quiero, oh mi corazon
Spanish bombs
Yo te quiero infinito
Yo te quiero, oh mi corazon]

civil war in Spain

Spanish weeks in my disco casino
The freedom fighters died upon the hill
They sang the red flag
They wore the black one
After they died, it was Mockingbird Hill
Back from the buses, went up in flashes
The Irish tomb, drenched in blood
Spanish bombs shatter the hotels
My Senoritas rose was nipped in the bud

[refrain]

The hillsides ring with, "Free the people"
Can I hear the echo from the days of '39
With trenches full of poets
The ragged army, fixin' bayonets to fight the other line
Spanish bombs rock the province
I'm hearin' music from another time
Spanish bombs on the Costa Brava

[refrain...]"

-The context takes place in Andalusia (at the first line), the first region of Spain occupied during the war, in 1939 which remains of the conflict too.
-At the third line is named Federico Lorca who was a republican poet assassinated during this period (he was also Andalusian), there is a second reference with the line "With trenches full of poets" 

-The Guardia Civil (line 6) is a military police under the control of the government in Spain, which 

-Then, the refrain both in English and in Spanish talks about the war (Spanish bombs) and love (oh mi corazon,..) at the same time, which is pretty ironic by the Clash.

-After, "freedoms fighters" are named, which is the real message of the song : the red flag is also present which is the symbol of the socialist and the black one is the anarchist'ones. The idea of liberty is present again with the slogan "Free the people".

• To conclude, we can tell that this song encourage the liberty and denounces the war, even nowadays ("Can I hear the echo from the days of '39") and whatever it is ("The Irish tomb, drenched in blood", in reference to the conflicts with the IRA). 
• For the fun fact, the story tells that this song was inspired thanks to a conversation between Joe Strummer and his then-girlfriend, talking about Basque separatists who at the time were engaged ina bombing campaign against various holiday.

Well I hope you enjoyed it, and see you next time !