No, the lyrics of Bankrobber are not meant to be autobiographical.  Joe Strummer’s father was a foreign office diplomat and apparently never robbed a bank.  As Mick Jones would later describe it, Bankrobber is meant to be a modern folk song.  Like many The Clash’s best songs, Bankrobber dealt with a working class hero getting back at the establishment.  In this case, he does it through robbing banks.

This video was considered to be controversial enough that it was banned by Top of the Pops.  The two masked robbers were played by two Clash roadies named Johnny Green and Barry Glare.  The bank that they’re robbing was located in Lewisham, South London.

Enjoy!