The song portrays young peoples encounters with the police, inspired by composer Alex Turners observations in his hometown of Sheffield. It displays the interactions between the youth, law enforcement, and how the Riot Van is used to manage situations deemed as out of the law.
e ----2-------4-------2-------0-------0-------0---- B ----2-------5-------3-------2-------0-------2---- Up rolled the riot van And sparked excitement in the boys But the policemen look annoyed Perhaps these are ones they should avoid They got a chase last night from men with truncheons dressed in hats They didn't do that much wrong, still ran away though for the laugh just for the laugh Please just stop talking Because they won't find us if you do Oh, those silly boys in blue Well, they won't catch me and you Have you been drinking son, you don’t look old enough to me I’m sorry officer, is there a certain age you’re supposed to be? nobody told me Up rolled the riot van And these lads just wind the coppers up Ask why they don't catch proper crooks Get their address and their names took But they couldn't care less
Thrown in the riot van And all the coppers kicked him in And there was no way he could win Just had to take it on the chin