The song opens with Strummers's autobiographical memories of his parents' home in suburban Warlingham, with a hedge "over which I never could see." With lines such as "I came in here for that special offer - guaranteed personality", the protagonist bemoans the depersonalisation of the world around him.
One of the more curious aspects of Sanderstead is that it has no pub, unlike nearby Warlingham which has around six.
In the 13th century a lawsuit with the Abbey of Hyde over the boundary of their Sanderstead manor took place.
The highest point of the North Downs, Botley Hill is a slight, gentle rise south of the Chelsham and Warlingham, which are on the same upland, along the straight road Croydon Road.
Tandridge is a local government district in Surrey, England containing part of the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, part of the Weald and the towns of Warlingham, Caterham, Oxted, Godstone and Lingfield.