PROTEST SONGS / fire”(2x); ‘Just relax, everything is OK. Ignore the fact that the world is burning.’
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“For it’s the end of history/It’s caged and frozen still/ There is no other pill to take/So swallow the one/ “The lie is my expense/The scope of my desire”; ‘I That made you ill”. Here the narrators voice has been will lie in order to get what I want.’ So, the Amerleft; ‘This end of history is unchangeable. You think ican government lies to all its citizens and the rest this is the only way, but yet there are so many other of the world in order to get what they want. “The ways to still change the end, only those ways are not party blessed me with its future/And I protect it with easy, so you probably do what everyone is doing and fire”. The party could refer to the party of the elected continue to do what they all want you to do, even president or the party that supports the US governthough this end of history isn’t right.’ After this, ‘the ment. So; ‘The people who support me, blessed me costs of America’s desire’ are repeated; “The Nina with the ability to do this, to get what I want. I will The Pinta The Santa Maria/The noose and the rapist/ not let you ruin that, so when you try, I will stop you The fields overseer/The agent of orange/The priests and kill you.’ “I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa of Hiroshima/The cost of my desire/To Sleep now in Maria”. This line refers to Columbus. The Nina, the fire”. This also is the end of the lyric. Pinta and Santa Maria are the names of the ships Columbus found America with. It now becomes very Knowing all this, it is very clear that Rage Against clear that this song is about imperialism. According the Machine is angry at the US government, but to anthropologist Jack Weatherford, Columbus took also at the people that continue acting like nothing 1200 Taino Indians back to Spain with him, and sold happened and nothing is happening. The line “Sleep them as slaves. A lot of those “slaves” have died on now in the fire” has a sarcastic tone that accuses the transport to Spain. Also, within four years, Columpeople of ignoring everything that is wrong with the bus tore families apart and killed 1/3 of the Indian American government. Rage gave the lyrics more population. By knowing this, the next line could also power using rhyme every now and then. Also with refer to Columbus: “The noose and the rapist”. He using enumeration when talking about the ‘costs of was a rapist of human life. Many people don’t know my desire’, the lyrics come across more powerful. this ‘dark side’ of Columbus. Rage wanted to make it The narrator, in this case the US government, speaks clear that this dark side of Columbus existed, without as he himself is the greatest and everyone must know directly tell them. “The fields overseer”. This refers that. It comes forward from the way he talks to the to the colonies overseas and to the African slaves in “you”, the tone is very inferior. The lyrics are very America. “The agent of orange”. Agent Orange was poetic; not only when singing them but also when a chemical defoliant that was developed and used just reading them, there is some sort of rhythm. by America during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange prevented the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army This song could be summarized in just a few words; from hiding in the jungle. Unfortunately, it was never the American imperialism is wrong, stand up to it. tested for any side effects. The areas Agent Orange But that doesn’t come across as vigorous as all the was used turned into ecological disaster zones and lines of Sleep Now in the Fire together. All the great the chemical caused serious illnesses and horrific historical references give power to the perspective of birth defects among Vietnamese villagers. “The RATM and really make you think of all the thing the priests of Hiroshima”. Hiroshima refers to the atom- American government did wrong. ic bombing attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, in 1945. These atomic bombs were conducted Lyrics Sleep Now in the Fire by the United States, and therefore another black “YAAAAAAAAA page in the history of the US. The priest could be a The world is my expense spiritual judge. A priest who judged the people of The cost of my desire Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and then killed them. “The Jesus blessed me with its future cost of my desire/Sleep now in the fire”. It refers And I protect it with fire to all of the lines above; Columbus, African slaves, So raise your fists Agent of Orange, Hiroshima and Nagasaki are all the And march around costs of America’s imperialistic desire. Followed by Just don’t take what you need “Sleep now in the fire”; ‘You see that America has I’ll jail and bury those committed done wrong so much, yet you still act like nothing And smother the rest in greed happened.’ Crawl with me into tomorrow →
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