militant poetry
Rage Against The Machine Lyrics
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Rage Against The Machine
Bombtrack Killing In The Name Take The Power Back Settle For Nothing Bullet In The Head Know Your Enemy Wake Up Fistful Of Steel Township Rebellion Freedom
Evil Empire
People Of The Sun Bulls On Parade Vietnow Revolver Snakecharmer Tire Me Down Rodeo Without A Face Wind Below Roll Right Year Of Tha Boomerang
Battle Of Los Angeles,next page
Live and Rare,page 3
Bombtrack-
it's just another bombtrack
and suckas be thinkin' that they can fade this
but I'm gonna drop it at a higher level,
'cause I'm inclined to stoop down
hand out some beat-downs
cold runna train on punk ho's that
think they run the game
but I learned to burn that and delete
those who compete at a level that's obsolete
instead I warm my hands upon the flames of the flag
as I recall our downfall
and the business's that burned us all
see through the news and views that twist reality
enough
i call the bluff
fuck manifest destiny
landlords and power whores
on my people they took turns
dispute the suits I ignite
and then watch 'em burn
with the thoughts of militant mind
hardline, hardline after hardline
landlords and power whores
on my people they took turns
dispute the suits I ignite
and then watch 'em burn
chorus:
burn, burn, yes ya gonna burn
burn, burn, yes ya gonna burn
burn, burn, yes ya gonna burn
burn, burn, yes ya gonna burn
another funky radical bombtrack
started as a sketch in notebook
but now dope hooks make punks take another look
my thoughts ya hear and ya begin to fear
that ya card will get pulled if ya interfere
with the thoughts of a militant mind
hardline, hardline after hardline
landlords and power whores
on my people they took turns
dispute the suits I ignite
and then watch 'em burn
Chorus
Killing In The Name-
killing in the name of...
some of those that work forces...
are the same that burn crosses...
killing in the name of...
killing in the name of...
and now you do what they told you...
those who died are justified...
for wearin the badge in their chosen white...
some of those that work forces...
are the same that burn crosses...
killing in the name of...
and now you do what they told you...
and now your under control...
those who died are justified...
for wearin the badge in their chosen white...
they're justified those who died
for wearin the badge i their chosen white
fuck you i won't do what you tell me
Take The Power Back-
in the right light, study becomes insight
but the system that dissed us teaches us to read and write
so-called facts are fraud
they want us to allege and pledge and
bow down into their god
lost the culture, the culture lost
spun our minds and through time
ignorance has taken over
we gotta take the power back
bam, here's the plan
mother fuck uncle sam
step back i know who i am
raise up your ear, i'll drop the style and clear
it's the beats and lyrics they fear
the rage is relentless
we need a movement with a quickness
you are the witness of change and to counteract
we gotta take the power back
Chorus:
we gotta take the power back
we gotta take the power back
the present curriculum
i put my fist in 'em
eurocentric every last one of 'em
see right through the red, white and blue disguise
with lecture i puncture the structure of lies
installed in our minds and attempting to hold us back
we've got to take it back
'cause holes in our spirit are causin tears and fears
one-sided stories for years and years and years
i'm inferior? who's inferior?
yeah, you needa check the interior
of the system who cares about only one culture
and that is why
we gotta take the power back
Chorus
the teacher stands in front of the class
but the lesson plan he can't recall
the students eyes dont perceive the lies
bouncing off every fucking wall
his compusure is well kept
i guess he fears playing the fewl
the complacent students sit and listen to the bullshit
that he learned in skewl
europe, aint my rope to swing on
cant learn a thing from it
yet we hang from it
gotta get it, gotta get it together then
like the motherfucking weathermen
to expose and close the doors on those who try
to strangle and mangle the truth
'cause the circle of hatred continues to react
we gotta take the power back
chorus
NO MORE LIES
Settle For Nothing-
a jail cell is freedom from the pain in my home
hatred passed on, passed on and passed on
a world of violent rage
but its the one i can recognize
having never seen the color of my father's eyes
yes, i dwell in hell but its a hell that i can grip
i tried to grip my family
but i slipped
to escape from the pain and an existence mundane
i gotta 9 a sign, a set and now i gotta name
read my writing on the wall
noones there to catch when i fall
death is on my side
SUICIDE
(first verse)
read writing on the wall
noones there to catch when i fall
caught between my culture and the system
GENOCIDE
read writing on the wall
noones there to catch when i fall
if ignorance is bliss
then knock the smile off my face
if we dont take action now
we'll settle for nothing later
we'll settle for nothing now
and we'll settle for nothing later
Bullet In The Head-
this time the bullet cold rocked ya
a yellow ribbon instead of a swastika
nothin proper about your propaganda
fools follow rules when the set commands ya
they said it was blue
when the blood was red
that how you gotta a bullet blasted thru ya head
blasted through ya head
blasted through ya head
i give a shout out to the living dead
who stood and watched as the feds cold centralized
so serene on the screen you was mesmerized
cellular phone soundin a death tone
corporations cold turn ya to stone
before ya realize
they load the clip in omnicolor
they pack the 9
fire it at the prime time
sleeping gas every home was like alcatraz
and motherfuckers lost their minds
just victims of the in house drive by
they say jump you say how high
they load the clip in omnicolor
they pack the 9
fire it at the prime time
sleeping gas every home was like alcatraz
and motherfuckers lost their minds
no escape from the mass mind rape
play it again jack and then rewind the tape
play it again and again and again
until ya mind is locked in
believein all the lies that they're tellin ya
buying all the products that they're sellin ya
they say jump you say how high
ya brain dead
ya gotta fuckin bullet in ya head
just victims of the in house drive by
they say jump you say how high
ya standing in line
believein the lies
bowin down to that flag
ya gotta bullet in ya head
Know Your Enemy-
know your enemy
born with insight and a raised fist
a witness to the slit wrist
as we move into '92
still in a room without a view
ya got to know
ya got to know
that when i say go go go
amp up and amplify
defy
im a brother with a furious mind
action must be taken
we dont need the key we'll break in
something must be done
about vengeance a badge and a gun
'cause i'll rip the mic rip the stage
rip the system
i was born to rage against 'em
fist in ya face and i'll drop the style clearly
know you enemy
word is born
fight the war fuck the norm
now i got no patience
so sick of complacence
with the D E F I A N C E
the mind of a revolutionary
so clear the lane
the finger to the land of the chains
what? the land of the free?
whoever told you that is your enemy
something must be done
about vengeance a badge and a gun
'cause i'll rip the mic rip the stage
rip the system
i was born to rage against 'em
now action must be taken
we dont need the key
we'll break in
i've got no patience now
so sick of complacence now
i've got no patience now
so sick of complacence now
sick of sick of sick of sick of sick of YOU
TIME HAS COME TO PAY
yes i know my enemies
they're the ones who taught me to fight me
compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission,
ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite
ALL OF WHICH ARE AMERICAN DREAMS
Wake Up-
although ya try to discredit
ya still never edit
the needle ill thread it
radically poetic
standin with the fury that they had in '66
and like e-double im mad
knee deep in the system's shit
hoover he was a body remover
ill give ya a dose
but it can never come close
to the rage built up inside of me
fist in the air in the land of hypocrisy
movements come and movements go
leaders speak movements cease
when their heads are flown
cuz all these punks got bullets in their
departments of police the judges the feds
networks at work keepin people calm
ya know they went after king
when he spoke out on vietnam
he turned the power to the have nots
and then came the shots
wit poetry my mind i flex
flip like wilson
vocals never lacking dat finesse
what do i gotta
what do i gotta
do to wake ya up
to shake ya up to break the structure up
this blood still flows in the gutter
im like taking photos
mad boy kicks open the shutter
set tha groove
then stik and move like i was cassius
rep the stutter step then bomb a left upon the fascists
yea the several federal men
who pulled schemes on the dream
and put it to an end
ya better beware
of retribution with mind war
20 20 visions and murals with metaphors
networks at work keepin people calm
ya know they murdered X
and tried to blame it on islam
he turned the power to the have nots
and then came the shots
WHAT WAS THE PRICE ON HIS HEAD
Fistful Of Steel-
silence
something about silence makes me sick
cuz silence can be violent
sorta like a slit wrist
if the vibe was suicide
then you would push the button
but if your bowin down
then let me do the cuttin
some speak the sounds but speak in silent voices
like radio is silent though it fills the air with noises
transmissions bring submission
as ya mold to tha unreal
and mad boy grips the microphone with a fistful of steel
Chorus:
fistful of steel
fistful of steel
fistful of steel
fistful of steel
its time to flow like the fluid in ya veins
if ya will it i spill it and ya out
just as quik as ya came
not a silent one but a defiant one
never a normal one
cuz im the bastard son
with the visions of the move
vocals not to soothe
but to ignite and put in flight
my sense of militance groovin
playing that game called survival
the status the elite the enemy the rival
silent sheep slippin rippin trippin
give ya a dose of the reality im grippin
steppin into the jam
and im slammin like shaquille
and mad boy grips the microphone
with a fistful of steel
chorus:
a 44 full of bullets
face full of pale
eyes full empty
stare full of nails
the roulette ball rolls alone on the wheel
mind full of fire
fistful of steel
if the vibe was suicide
then you would push the button
but if your bowin down
then let me do the cuttin
Township Rebellion-
rebel, rebel, and yell
'cause our people still dwell in hell
locked in a cell
yes, the structure's a cell
mad is the story i tell
how long can we wait
come on, seein what's at stake
action for reaction, if your mind's in a somewhat
complacent state
get check up
this is a stick up
our freedom or your life, i wish i could be peaceful
but there can be no sequel
Chorus:
now freedom must be fundamental
in johannesburg or south central
on the mic, cause someone should tell 'em
to kick in the township rebellion
yea, so you thought you could get with the hardlines
that fill your mind
the thoughts, battles fought, and lessons taught
and i'll display the fitness
and flip like a gymnast
raise my fist and resist
asleep, though we stand in the midst of the war
gotta get mine, gotta get more
keepin the mic warm against the norm
'cause what does it offer me
i think often its nothin but a coffin
gotta get wreck
'till our necks never swing on a rope
from here to the cape of no hope
Chorus
why stand on a platform
fight the war, fuk the norm
Freedom-
solo, i'm a soloist on solo list
all live, never on a floppy disk
inka, inka, bottle of ink
paintings of rebellion, drawn up by the thoughts i think
its set up like a deck of cards
they're sending us to early graves
for all the diamonds
theyll use a pair of clubs to beat the spades
with poetry i paint the pitures that hit
more like the murals that fit
dont turn away get in front of it
Chorus:
brotha, did you forget your name?
did ya lose it on the wall playing tic tac toe?
yo check the diagonal
three brothers gone come one
doesnt that make it three in a row
ANGER IS A GIFT
environment
the environment exceeding on the level
of our unconsciousness
for example, what does the billboard say?
come and play, come and play, forget about the movement
ANGER IS A GIFT
FREEDOM, FREEDOM, YEAH RIGHT
People Of The Sun-
since fifteen hundred and sixteen minds attacked and overseen
now crawl amidst the ruins of this empty dream
with their borders and boots on top of us
pullin knobs on the floor of their toxic metropolis
so how you gonna get what you need to get?
the gut eaters blood drenched get offensive like tet
the fifth sun sets step back reclaim
the spirit of cuahtemoc alive and untamed
now face the funk now blastin out ya speaker
on the one, maya mexica
that vulture came ta try and steal ya name but now you found a gun
this is for the people of the sun
its coming back around again
yeah, never forget that tha whip snapped ya back
ya spine cracked for tobacc, o im the marlboro man
our past blastin on thru the verses
brigades of taxi cabs rollin broadway like hearses
troops strippin zoots, shots of red mist
sailor blood on the deck come sista resist
from the era of terror check this photo lens
now the city of angels does the ethnic cleanse
heads bobbin to that funk out ya speaker
on the one, maya mexica
that vulture came ta try and steal ya name but now you found a gun
youre history...this is for the people of the sun
its coming back around again
Bulls On Parade-
the microphone explodes, shattering the molds
ya either drop tha hits like de la o
or get tha fuk off the commode
with tha sure shot, sure to make the bodies drop
drop and dont copy yo, dont call this a co-op
terror reigns drenchin, quenchin tha thirst of the power dons
that five sided fist a gon
that rotten sore on tha face of mother earth gets bigger
tha triggers cold empty ya purse
rally round tha family
with a pocket full of shells
weapons not foods not home not shoes not need
just feed tha war cannibal animal i
walk tha corner to the rubble
that used to be a library
line up to tha mind cemetary now
what we dont know keeps the contract alive and moving
they dont gotta burn tha books they just remove em
while arms warehouses fill as quik as the cells
rally round tha family
pocket full of shells
rally round tha family
with a pocket full of shells
Vietnow-
chorus:
turn on tha radio, nah fuk it, turn if off, fear os your only god
on tha radio, nah fuk it, turn it off, turn on tha radio, nah fuk it
turn it off, fear is your only god, on tha radio, nah fuk it
your savior's my guillotine, crosses and kerosene
merge on the network, slangin nerve gas
up jump tha boogie then bang
let em hang, while tha paranoid
try to stuff the void, lets capture this a m mayhem
undressed and blessed by the lord
tha power pendulum swings by the umbilical cord
shock around tha clock from noon till noon
men grabbin tha mics and stuff em into the womb
terror's tha product ya push
well im a truth addict oh shit i gotta head rush
sheep tremblin here come tha votes
thrown from tha throats, new cages and scapegoats
undressed and blessed by tha lord
tha same devil that ran around managua with a sword
check out the style that ollie found, i tune it wit a bullet
to shut down tha devil sound
programs of vietnow
chorus
flex tha cerebullum, fire
somebody gotta shell em
those evil angel lists, hittin tha a m playlist
payed to say this
that one inhuman, illegal, single woman
tha one wit out a room
the transmissions wippin our backs
coming down like bats from stacy coon
terror's tha product ya push
well im a truth addict oh shit i gotta a head rush
tha sheep trembling here come tha votes
thrown from the throat, new cages an scapegoats
one caution a mics a detonator
unwound ta shut down tha devil sound
check the heads bow in vietnow
is all the world jails and churches
fear is your only god
Revolver-
his spit is worth more than her work
pass the purse to the pugilists
he's a prizefighter
he bought rings and he owns kin
and now he's swingin
and now he's the champion
hey revolver, dont mothers make good fathers?
revolver
a spotless domain
hides festering hopes
shes certain there's more
pictures of fields without fences
her body numbs as he approaches the door
hey revolver, dont mothers make good fathers?
revolver
Snakecahrmer-
satellites and mirrors and a man without a home
a horse and a rider and a clever cunning killer
silent in error and vocal in spotlights
lying always sucking on a bottle of that sweet indulgent fluid
oh greed, oh yes, oh greed, oh yes
your friendship is a fog
it disappears when the wind redirects
you, yes you
a father's expectations, soul soaked in spit and urine
and you gotta make it where
to a sanctuary that's only a fragile American hell
an empty dream, a selfish, horrific vision
passed on like the deadliest of viruses
crushing you and your naive compassions
so have no illusions boy
vomit up all ideals and serve
sleep and wake, and serve
dont think just wake and serve
you friendship is a fog
it disappears when the wind redirects
you
interested in you, interested in you
Tire Me-
yeah ya trying to tire me, tire me
i can see you in front of me, front of me
yeah ya tryin to tire me, tire me
why dont you get from in front of me
shes got everyones eyes
in every home theres sickening distress
of roll that film shes a precious, a precious one
but we're all gonna.....nah we're already dead
and those colorful words for the laos frontiersman
who passed away with the truth
amisdt the eulogues of bliss
who will know what i know about you
now that history's a flowery cancerous mess.....a mess
we're already dead
i wanna be jackie onassis
i wanna wear a pair of dark sunglasses
i wanna be jackie o
oh, oh, oh, please dont die
we're already dead
Down Rodeo-
chorus:
so now im rolling down rodeo with a shot gun
these people aint seen a brown skin man
since their grandparents bought one
bangin this bolo tight on this solo flight can fight alone
funk tha track my verbs fly like the family stone
tha pen devils set the stage for the war at home
locked wit out a wage your standin in the drop zone
the clockers born starin at an empty plate
momma's torn hands cover her sunken face
we hungry but them belly full
the structure is set ya neva change wit a ballot pull
in tha ruins there's a network for the toxic rock
school yard ta precinct suburb ta project block
bosses broke south for new flesh and a factory floor
tha remains left changed to the powder war
cant waste a day when the night brings a hearse
so make a move and plead the fifth cuz ya cant plead the first
cant waste a day when the night brings a hearse
chorus
bare witness to tha sickest shot while suckas get romantic
they aint gonna send us campin like they did my man fred hampton
still we lampin, still clockin dirt for our sweat
a ballots dead so a bullets what i get
a thousand years you had the tools
we should be takin em
fuk tha g ride, we want the machines that are making em
our target straight wit a room full of armed pawn
off tha kings out tha west side at dawn
chorus
the rungs torn from the ladder
one god, one market, one truth, one consumer
just a quiet peaceful dance
for the things we will never have
Without A Face-
got no card so i got no soul
life is prison no parole no control
tha jura got my number on a wire tap
cuz i jack for similac fuk a cadillac survive
one motive no hope cuz every sidewalk i walk is like a tightrope
yes i know my deadline sire, its when my life expires
so im sending paper south under the barbed wire
the mother of my child will lose her mind at my grave
its my life or their life so call it a free trade
"por vida" and our name up on tha stall
i took a death trip when i tried to cross the white wall
walk unseen past tha graves and the gates
born without a face, one motive no hope
i tried to look back to my past long lost
a blood donor to tha land owner holocaust
pops heart stopped, in came tha air drop
flooded the trench he couldnt shake the toxic rock
maize was all we needed to sustain
now her golden skin burns, insecticide rains
ya down with ddt, yeah you know me
rapped for the grapes, profit for the bourgeois
war tape boomin path is luminoso
im headed north like my name was kid cisco
to survive one motive no hope
its hard to breathe with wilsons hand around my throat
strangled and mangled another ss curtain call
when i tried to cross tha white wall
walk unseen past the graves and the gates
born without a face
you say, fortify, reaction, you divide
you say, fortify, reaction reaction
Wind Below-
flip this capital eclipse
the vocal tone has got em sweatin
they own apocalypse
yes, tha rebels of the grains stand masterless
the masked ones cap one nafta comin with the new disaster
and yes we in with the wind and
the plan de ayala kin are coming back around again
the slave driver saliva, one night power turns
the devils mouth dry, and mexico burns
here they come one by one killers of the new frontier
to occupy we lost in fear
we are the wind below
we in with the wind below
flip this capital eclipse
them bury life with imf shifts, and poison lips
yo they talk it while slicin our veins so mark it
from the fincas overseers, to them vultures playin markets
she aint got nothin but weapon and shawl
she is chol, tzoltzil, tojolobal, tzeltal
the tools are her tools, ejidos and ovaries
she once suffocated, now thru a barrel she breathes
she is the wind below
we in with the wind below
she is the wind below
all the share holders are gonna flex and try to annex the truth
while the new trust gonna flex and cast their image in you
g.e. is gonna flex and try to annex the truth
nbc is gonna flex and cast their image in you
disney bought the fantasies and piles of eyes
and abc's new thrill rides of trials and lies
and while the gut eaters strain to pull the mud from their mouths
they force our ears to go deaf to the screams of the south
Roll Right-
lick off the shot my stories shock ya like ellison
main line adrenaline, gaza to tiananmen
from the basement i'm dwellin in
i cock back the sling
to stone a settler and breaks him off clean
call me the upsetter
here comes the hands on the leashes
the cross, the capital, the pale families, the fear and the mouthpieces
the single sista lynch
the cell doors crash
and the masters drums echo
roll right
roll call
now we're alright
we're all calm
this hits like fists
bomb with the left and dont miss
with the sickest stilo i spark fear in the pigs in the park
head crack, i hijack the papers and the vapors
caught fire up in your mind
come back, rewind one time
here come the hands on the leashes
the cross, the capital, the pale families, the fear and the mouthpieces
the single sista lynch
the cell doors crash
and the master's drums echo
roll right
roll call
now we're alright
we're all calm
Year Of Tha Boomerang-
tha sistas are in so check the front line
seems i spent the 80's in a haiti state of mind
cast me into classes for electro shock
straight incarcerated the curriculums a cell block
im swimmin in half truths and it makes me wanna spit
instructor come separate the healthy from the sick
ya weigh me on a scale im smellin burnt skin
it dark now in dachau and im screamin from within
cuz im cell locked in the doctrines of the right
enslaved by dogma, ya talk about my birthrights
yet at every turn im runnin into hell's gates
so i grip the cannon like fanon and pass the shells to my classmates
cuz the bosses right to live is mine ta die
so im goin out heavy sorta like mount tai
with tha five centuries of penitentiaries
so let the guilty hang
in the year of the boomerang
and now its upon you
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