'Rock The Casbah' (THE CLASH)

The Lyrics of Rock The Casbah

The lyrics of Rock The Casbah, like most protest songs, are simple and straightforward. The song’s opening lines set the scene – “The king told the boogie men, ‘You have to let that raga drop.'” Here, the “king” represents the Iranian regime, and the “boogie men” are the Iranian youth who were heavily influenced by Western music.

The king’s order to stop playing Western-inspired music was met with the refusal of the youth, which led to the creation of an underground music scene. The chorus of the song, “Rock the Casbah, rock the Casbah” speaks to this movement against censorship, with the “Casbah” symbolizing the act of rebellion that occurred in the underground music scene.