The reggie song ’54-46 was my number’ was played during the opening montage of This is England. This is significant because it articulates that the British loved and adopted the music and pop culture of other ethnicities including Jamaican reggie which has black heritage. However, they saw these people as outsiders and continued to hate and fear them.
54-46 Was My Number
Stick it up, mister!
Hear what I say sir, yeah yeah
Get your hands in the air, sir!
Then you will get no hurt, mister, no no no
Hear what I say sir, yeah yeah
Get your hands in the air, sir!
Then you will get no hurt, mister, no no no
I said yeah (I said yeah)
What they say (listen what they say)
Don’t you hear? I say, yeah (yeah yeah)
Listen what they say (listen what they say)
What they say (listen what they say)
Don’t you hear? I say, yeah (yeah yeah)
Listen what they say (listen what they say)
Do you believe I would take such a thing with me
And give it to a police man?
I wouldn’t do that (ooh, ooh)
And if I do that, I would say “Sir
Come on and put the charge on me”
I wouldn’t do that, no (ooh, ooh)
I wouldn’t do that (ooh, ooh)
And give it to a police man?
I wouldn’t do that (ooh, ooh)
And if I do that, I would say “Sir
Come on and put the charge on me”
I wouldn’t do that, no (ooh, ooh)
I wouldn’t do that (ooh, ooh)
I’m not a fool to hurt myself
So I was innocent of what they done to me
They was wrong
They were wrong (ooh, ooh)
So I was innocent of what they done to me
They was wrong
They were wrong (ooh, ooh)
Give it to me one time (huh)
Give it to me two times (huh-huh)
Give it to me three times (huh-huh-huh)
Give it to me four times (huh-huh-huh-huh)
Give it to me two times (huh-huh)
Give it to me three times (huh-huh-huh)
Give it to me four times (huh-huh-huh-huh)
54-46 was my number
Right now, someone else has that number
54-46 was my number, was my number
Right now, someone else has that number
Right now, someone else has that number
54-46 was my number, was my number
Right now, someone else has that number
I said yeah (I said yeah)
Listen what they say (listen what they say)
Oh I say hear me now (yeah yeah)
Listen what they say (listen what they say)
Listen what they say (listen what they say)
Oh I say hear me now (yeah yeah)
Listen what they say (listen what they say)
Give it to me one time (huh)
Give it to me two times (huh-huh)
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
No, no, no, no
Give it to me two times (huh-huh)
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
No, no, no, no