Washington Bullets
The Clash · Sandinista! [1980]
Oh! Mama, Mama look there
Your children are playing in that street again
Don't you know what happened down there?
A youth of fourteen got shot down there
The Kokane guns of Jamdown town
The killing clowns, the blood money men
Are shooting those Washington bullets again
As every cell in Chile will tell
The cries of the tortured men
Remember Allende and the days before
Before the army came
Please remember Victor Jara, in the Santiago stadium
Es verdad, those Washington bullets again
And in the Bay of Pigs in 1961
Havana fought the playboy in the Cuban sun
For Castro is a color is a redder than red
Those Washington bullets want Castro dead
For Castro is the color
That will earn you a spray of lead
Sandinista
For the very first time ever
When they had a revolution in Nicaragua
There was no interference from America
Human rights in America
The people fought the leader and up he flew
With no Washington bullets what else could he do?
Sandinista
An' if you can find a Afghan rebel
That the Moscow bullets missed
Ask him what he thinks of voting communist
Ask the Dalai Lama in the hills of Tibet
How many monks did the Chinese get?
In a war torn swamp stop any mercenary
An' check the British bullets in his armory
Sandinista
Que?
Sandinista
Sandinista
Your children are playing in that street again
Don't you know what happened down there?
A youth of fourteen got shot down there
The Kokane guns of Jamdown town
The killing clowns, the blood money men
Are shooting those Washington bullets again
As every cell in Chile will tell
The cries of the tortured men
Remember Allende and the days before
Before the army came
Please remember Victor Jara, in the Santiago stadium
Es verdad, those Washington bullets again
And in the Bay of Pigs in 1961
Havana fought the playboy in the Cuban sun
For Castro is a color is a redder than red
Those Washington bullets want Castro dead
For Castro is the color
That will earn you a spray of lead
Sandinista
For the very first time ever
When they had a revolution in Nicaragua
There was no interference from America
Human rights in America
The people fought the leader and up he flew
With no Washington bullets what else could he do?
Sandinista
An' if you can find a Afghan rebel
That the Moscow bullets missed
Ask him what he thinks of voting communist
Ask the Dalai Lama in the hills of Tibet
How many monks did the Chinese get?
In a war torn swamp stop any mercenary
An' check the British bullets in his armory
Sandinista
Que?
Sandinista
Sandinista
Washington Bullets
The Clash's 1980 track 'Washington Bullets' stands as a gritty, politically charged anthem from their seminal album *Sandinista!*. Released during the height of the punk movement, the song delivers a searing critique of American foreign policy and the Vietnam War era, utilizing a driving rhythm and raw vocal delivery to underscore its message. As a defining work of the genre, it captures the band's commitment to social commentary and their ability to blend punk energy with reggae and rock influences. The recording remains a pivotal piece in the band's discography, reflecting the turbulent political climate of the early 1980s and cementing The Clash's legacy as a voice for the marginalized.