Like their first album Signing Off, Present Arms contained many socially and politically charged lyrics, from the anti-military title track to "Sardonicus" which was linked to both President Ronald Reagan and risus sardonicus, an ironic smile on tetanus victims' faces, The UK top-ten hit "One in Ten" was an attack on Thatcherism.

The album also touches on a subject very dear to UB40's heart: 'Lamb's Bread' and 'Don't Walk On The Grass' are written as part of the band's longstanding campaign for the legalisation of cannabis.

Musically, the album continued in the heavy, reverb-drenched, mellifluous style of the debut.

As with Signing Off, Present Arms was critically acclaimed and commercially successful in the UK.

Most if not all CD iterations of the album (including the 2014 Deluxe Edition) have the titles of "Don't Walk on the Grass" and "Dr. X" transposed; "Dr. X" is the shorter of the two tracks, and begins with a count-in.