“No escape from the mass mind rape. Play it again jack and then rewind the tape. And then play it again and again and again. Until ya mind is locked in. Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya. Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya. They say jump and ya say how high. Ya brain-dead. Ya gotta fuckin' bullet in ya head.” Rage Against the Machines lyric are expressed with vulgar language, and loud music. To the average person their lyrics are very offensive, but is there a meaning behind what they preach? What may sounds like crap, with swears mixed in to some people, are messages of how we need to stand up against what we think is wrong to others. The poetic words in this quote show how we do what society wants us to do.
When asked what he thinks the lyrics of Rage mean, Josh Mongiat says, “I think the lyrics to Rage Against the Machine, are very powerful. Their songs express, the feelings that they have, and that the system does not serve justice to all.” The lyrics to rage appeal to the younger generations, who are just starting off in their lives at the bottom and may feel like they are being screwed over by the government. “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 to their God. Lost the culture, the culture lost. Spun our minds and through time. Ignorance has taken over. Yo, we gotta take the power back! Bam! Here's the plan motherfuck 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 the 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.” In the song Take the Power Back by Rage Against The Machine, Rage shows how the government is corrupt, teaching us what they want us to know, and letting us know only what they want to know, they are saying that we need to take the power back. “Come on, although ya try to discredit. Ya still never edit. The needle, I'll thread it. Radically poetic. Standin' with the fury that they had in '66. And like E-Double I'm mad. Still knee-deep in the system's shit. Hoover, he was a body remover. I'll give ya a dose. But it'll never come close, To the rage built up inside of me, Fist in the air, in the land of hypocrisy. 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 shot” Rage Against the Machine again attacks the government and tells of how it tries to keep the power in the same hands. When the power of the government is threatened, they react and then comes the shot. In other words, they do what they have to, to keep the country at peace, by getting rid of those who cause a ruckus. The lyrics of Rage Against the Machine, have very much meaning and speak of how our government is hypocritical, how people judge others on the color of their skin, where they’re from and their age. Rage is pointing out to Americans that we need to stand up for what we believe in because if we don’t stand up we will stay as we are. If you would like to learn more about Rage Against the Machine you can check out they’re website at http://www.ratm.com/entry.html. So next time you hear a song and you think its just stupid noise, take a minute sit back and listen to the meaning behind the song, and maybe it just might mean something to you.