Written by Gavin Rattmann. Bombtrack "I call the bluff, manifest destiny" "Manifest Destiny" was the social theory in the USA in the 19th century which claimed that the USA was chosen by God. Because of this "choosing" they were entitled to any land they pleased, despite who already owned it (not limited to Native Americans; also including other countries), with the purpose being that they spread their religion of Christianity to the other, "inferior", people of the world. Killing in the Name "The same that burn crosses" Referring to the practice, by the Ku Klux Klan, of burning crosses in the front yards of people they wish to threaten (typically blacks). Take the Power Back "Like the motherfuckin' Weathermen" The Weathermen were a militant sub-group in the late-1960's politically-focused Students for a Democratic Society. The Weathermen were known for bombing buildings at various college campuses and similar activities to illustrate their point. SDS distanced themselves from the Weathermen after the bombings started. Settle for Nothing "I gotta 9 a sign, a set, and now I gotta name" A "9" refers to a .9 millimeter handgun, a popular weapon with street gangs due to its effectiveness and relatively low cost. Bullet in the Head "A yellow ribbon, instead of a swastika" A yellow ribbon is used, in the United States, to signify support for its troops in foreign wars. A yellow ribbon was most recently used to show support of US troops in the Gulf War, the focus of the song. A swastika is the symbol of the Nazi Party, now illegal, in Germany, and of Nazism in general. "They load the clip in omnicolor" A color-imaging technique used in television and film, similar to Technicolor. "Sleeping gas, every home was like Alcatraz" Alcatraz, known as The Rock, was an island prison several thousand feet into San Francisco Bay near San Francisco, California. It was a virtual torture chamber for society's worst criminals. A breakout attempt occurred there May 2nd, 1946, sleeping gas was one of the weapons used to subdue the inmates. It is now a major tourist attraction. No one ever escaped from Alcatraz. Wake Up "Standin' with the fury that they had in '66" 1966, height of the civil rights movement in the United States. This was also the year of the founding of the Black Panthers. At that year's Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Democrats had said that they would work to improve civil rights, but hadn't followed up. There were huge protests and a few riots followed. "And like E-Double, I'm mad" E-Double is Erick Sermon from EPMD, and they wrote a song called "I'm Mad." "Hoover, he was a body remover" J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director 1924-1972. One of the most powerful men in Washington during his time as Director, he formed the FBI into what exists today. He was a sworn foe of communism, and was regarded as one of the nation's leading patriots, although he turned a blind eye to civil rights causes and violations of suspects. "You know they went after King when he spoke out on Vietnam" Martin Luther King Jr., the US's foremost civil rights leader, assassinated in 1968. A pacifist, he was one of the nation's strongest critics of the US's involvement in the Vietnam conflict. "Flip like Wilson, poetry never lacking that finesse" Flip Wilson was a prominent black comedian in the mid-60's. "Then I stick and move like I was Cassius" Cassius Clay, now Muhammad Ali, was one of the greatest boxers the world has ever seen. In June of 1967, Ali was given a 5 year prison sentence for refusing to enter the US army on the basis of his Islamic beliefs. The Supreme Court overturned the sentence in 1970. Ali was the most notable figure in the anti-war movement to chose prison over fighting. "Ya know they murdered X, and tried to blame it on Islam" Malcolm X, a leading proponent of black nationalism and the Islamic religion, was assassinated in 1965. He had been a minister of the Black Muslims, but was suspended because of his dissenting views after a time. He formed his own group, Afro-American Unity, which became a rival of the Black Muslims. His death is attributed by the authorities and his family to the Black Muslims, but conspiracies abound stating otherwise. Fistful of Steel "Steppin' into the jam and I'm slammin' like Shaquille" Shaquille O'Neil, a basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers, whose style is pure strength to force the jam from inside the key using his tremendous size (300 lbs). He is not known for his finesse. Township Rebellion "In Johannesburg or South Central" Johannesburg, South Africa, focal point for racial tensions in the formerly apartheid-governed country. South Central, Los Angeles, California. A minority-dominant and profoundly poor section of LA that has garnered national attention due to the various rap groups and artists that it has produced. Intense gang activity. "To the cape of no hope" The Cape of Good Hope is off the coast of South Africa, and is the "horn" of Africa. EVIL EMPIRE People of the Sun "Since 1516, minds attacked and overseen" 1516, the year that the Spaniards arrived in Central America and began their systematic destruction of the indigenous culture and religion. They did not leave until the Mexican revolution tossed them out. "Blood drenched, get offensive like Tet" Tet is the Vietnamese New Year. In early 1968, the US leadership in Vietnam determined that the US troops could relax over the Tet holiday because the Communist forces of North Vietnam and the South Vietnamese guerrillas would be celebrating. However, on Jan. 30, they began what is now know as the Tet offensive, where 22 major US installations were attacked. The US beat back all of the Tet offensive attacks. The real battle that the PLAF won was in the minds of the American people. Tet turned the tide of US public opinion against involvement in Vietnam. "When the fifth sun sets, get back, reclaim" The Aztecs believed that 4 worlds existed before the present universe (worlds = suns). Each one was ruled by a different god of a different element, and we are currently in the fifth sun (earthquake). During this period, the skeleton-like monsters of the west will appear and kill all the people. Also, the Aztec calendar states that the fifth sun will set May 4, 1997. The fourth sun set in 1516, as they predicted, with half-man half-beasts destroying their world (conquistadors on horses). "Spirit of Cuahtemoc, alive and untamed" Cuahtemoc was the leader of the Aztec empire during the Spanish siege of Technochtitlan, in 1521. After the city's fall, he was captured, deceived, tortured, and killed. "I'm the Marlboro man" Marlboro brand cigarettes, whose primary advertising technique is a handsome cowboy on the range smoking a cigarette. He is known as the Marlboro Man. The original Marlboro Man recently died of lung cancer. "City of Angels does tha ethnic cleanse" Nickname for Los Angeles, California. California's Proposition 187's goal was to eliminate and deny all federal assistance to anyone not able to prove residency, primarily immigrant Latinos. Bulls on Parade "Get tha fuck off tha commode" A "commode" is a euphemism for a toilet in the United States. "That five sided fist-a-gon" A twisting of the name Pentagon. The Pentagon is in Washington, D.C., and is the headquarters of the Department of Defense of the United States. The "fist" indicates the force often exercised by the military. Vietnow Introduction (Rather subjective. By the author.) This song is one huge reference to the extremely popular, and extremely right-wing, radio shows hosted by such people as Rush Limbaugh, Watergate convict G. Gordon Liddy, and son of Ronald Reagan, Michael Reagan. Liddy teaches how to kill federal agents with "head shots, people, head shots," Limbaugh speaks about the "liberal media," "feminazis," and "eco-wackos." Other popular topics of discussion include: The evils of socialism and communism; the "invasion" of America by illegal immigrants; the United Nations as a Trojan horse for letting other countries take over America; the small clique of Jewish bankers in the basement of the World Bank in New York that controls the world's economy; the ever-popular black helicopters that are just off our shores waiting to invade; and the "coming Apocalypse" as written in the Bible (any minute now). "Crosses and kerosene" Referring to the practice, by the Ku Klux Klan, of burning crosses in the front yards of people they wish to threaten (typically blacks). "The same one that ran around Managua wit a sword" Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, was a large Indian town in the 16th century. It was then taken by the Spanish. In 1931, Managua was destroyed by a severe earthquake and fire, and subsequently rebuilt. In 1972 another earthquake occurred, resulting in more than 10,000 casualties. Much of the former city center has never been rebuilt. During the Iran-Contra affair in the mid 1980's, Oliver North (see B-3-d) and company funded the counterrevolutionaries in Nicaragua, based in Managua. "Check out tha new style that Ollie found" Oliver North, whose conviction in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980's was overturned on a technicality, now hosts an extremely right-wing radio talk show and has run for Senate. "Comin' down like bats from Stacy Coon" Former Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Stacey Coon was one of the four LAPD policemen videotaped beating black motorist Rodney King in the early 90's. He was the only one to be convicted. The 1992 LA riots followed the trial (and acquittals). Tire Me "Colorful words for the Laos frontiersmen" The "Laos Frontiersmen" are the Hmong tribe from Laos, which the CIA used and then set about to destroy once their objectives were achieved. The CIA used the Hmong region as a big airstrip in which to drop supplies for the Hmong rebels. When the helicopters and aircraft left Laos to return from whence they came, they carried poppies and refined heroin to other regions where they were able to sell it, thus funding their covert operations. "I wanna be Jackie Onassis" Jackie Onassis was the wife of John F. Kennedy and later Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. She was the symbol of glamour and "good" for many people of her generation. An auction of her and Kennedy family belongings at Sotheby's in New York in 1996 raised millions of dollars for the middle-aged Kennedy children. Incidentally (or not, probably), she died very close to the same time as Richard Nixon, and Zack has said that "This song was written to celebrate the death of Richard Nixon." Down Rodeo "Funk tha track my verbs fly like tha family stone" Sly and the Family Stone, a funk band from the 1960's and '70's. They were critically important influences toward the development of rap as a musical style, as well as the establishment of funk itself. "Rollin' down Rodeo with a shotgun" Rodeo Drive, in Beverly Hills, California is one of the most expensive streets in the world, where stores sell such things as three thousand dollar purses. The stereotype of Rodeo Drive's patronage is that it is predominately white. Rodeo Drive is where Julia Roberts shopped in the movie "Pretty Woman," and is a good representation of it. "Plead the Fifth 'cause you can't plead the first" In the US Constitution, the 5th Amendment gives trial witnesses the right to refuse to testify on the grounds that what they say might incriminate themselves. The 1st Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to free speech, assembly, and press. "My man Fred Hampton" A member of the militant Black Panthers, Hampton was a 20-year-old Illinois state leader. He was gunned down in his bed with fellow Panther Mark Clarke in an early morning raid of the group's Chicago headquarters on Dec. 4, 1969. The attack, aided by the help of an informant/spy, was masterminded by the city's police force and the FBI's powerful counterintelligence program (COINTEL-PRO). "Fuck tha G ride" A G ride is a euphemism for a fashionable car, especially in hip-hop culture. Derives from "G" being short for "gangster." Without a Face "Jack for Similac, fuck a Cadillac" Similac is a popular brand of baby formula, sold in powdered form (just add water). A Cadillac is a luxury car, made by Chevrolet, and only affordable to the wealthy. A popular car with drug dealers and gangsters as well as the elderly. "'Por Vida'" "Forever," or "For Life," literally, in Spanish, "Por Vida" is a phrase used most often in a cultural manner, as in "La Raza Por Vida," which means, roughly, "the Latino race and culture for life and forever." It is a concept. "Mais [Mais], was all we needed to sustain" Maize is the strain of corn grown in most of South America. "Mais" is also the Spanish word for corn in general. "Ya down with DDT" DDT is a banned pesticide, widely used prior to the "discovery" that it is a class-A carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). The wipeout of hundreds of species can be attributed to its use, which still occurs in less developed regions such as Central and South America. It was recently internationally banned, but use continues where options are not viable. "Path is Luminoso" "Sendero Luminoso" means "Shining Path" in English and is the name of one of the leftist revolutionary guerilla groups in Peru. It was close to capturing the country at one time, but was put down by the Peruvian government. The deaths of thousands of citizens have been attributed to its direct and indirect actions, and it is treated as a terrorist organization instead of a political party by the government of Peru. "Headin' north like my name was Kid Cisco" The Cisco Kid is a fictional Latino who, with his sidekick Poncho, was a cowboy in a series of old American western movies. "Wilson's hand around my throat" Pete Wilson, Republican governor of California, campaigned almost entirely on an anti-immigration platform and is a leading proponent of such measures as Proposition 187, which aims to cut all benefits to illegal immigrants. Prop 187 is being contested in the courts and is currently inactive. "Another SS curtain call" The (if you can spell this for me, please do) Schuzenstafel, known as the SS, was the secret police for the Nazi political party and Hitler's personal guard when he came to power in the 30's through to Germany's defeat in World War II. Wind Below The "Wind Below" The "Wind Below" refers to a book called _Chiapas: The Southeast in Two Winds a Storm and a Prophecy_, by Subcommandante Marcos. Marcos is the unofficial spokesperson of the EZLN in Mexico and the second section of the book is entitled "The Second Wind: The Wind From Below." The line "We in wit tha wind below," is a reference to the whole of the Zapatista movement itself. "NAFTA comin' with tha new disaster" The North American Free Trade Agreement, which was hotly contested in the United States political scene, allows for free trade between Canada, the US, and Mexico. Proponents said it removed trade barriers, and detractors said US businesses would ship all their manufacturing to Mexico because of the virtual slave labor available there. What has actually occurred is subject to interpretation. "Tha Plan de Ayala's kin" The Plan de Ayala was a plan made by Emiliano Zapata prior to the Chiapas rebellion. Its main idea was to give land to the landworkers. The slogan of the plan is "Tierra y Libertad" (Land and Freedom). "She is Chol, Tzotzil, Tojolobal, Tzeltal" Indigenous Central American Mayan tribes, nearly wiped out during the Spanish invasion. Historically and currently the under-class in Mexican society. "GE... NBC... Disney... ABC..." Major multinational American corporations and broadcasting conglomerates. GE owns NBC (among many, many other things), and Disney owns ABC (also among many, many other things). The Disney merger likely happened after the lyrics were written, and is therefore an interesting coincidence. GE has owned NBC for years. See also the Unofficial FAQ for information on the censoring of Rage Against the Machine by NBC on their program "Saturday Night Live." Roll Right "Shock ya like Ellison" Ralph Ellison wrote "Invisible Man," in 1952. A fictional account of a black man in a white world, it is now regarded as a classic and widely read in the US school system. In its time it caused a great disruption because of the harsh truthfulness and the power of Ellison's prose. "Gaza to Tiananmen" The Gaza Strip is a narrow band of desertlike land along the western Mediterranean coast. It has been fought over by Israelite Jews and Palestinians for many years and is a continuing territorial dispute. Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, China, was the site of a massacre of demonstrating pro-democracy students in June of 1989. "Sickest stilo" "Sick" is a word used to mean "cool" or "good" in the hip-hop culture. A "stilo" is a stiletto, a long, thin knife. "Take em to, the 7th level" The 7th level (sphere) of hell, as according to Dante's Inferno. It was reserved for the warmakers and usurers. Year of tha Boomerang The "Year of the Boomerang" Frantz Fanon wrote such works as Wretched of the Earth, wherein he denounced the third-world colonization practiced by prosperous nations. One of Fanon's most famous speeches was called the "Year of the Boomerang." In the speech he talked about the oppressor's force boomeranging back to destroy him in the form of colonial revolutions. He was referring to the Algerian War, specifically. "Dark now in Dachau" Dachau was a Nazi-run concentration camp in World War II. It was the primary site for the grotesque medical experiments performed on prisoner Jews, twins, Gypsies, and so on. "Grip tha cannon like Fanon" Frantz Fanon wrote such works as Wretched of the Earth, wherein he denounced the third-world colonization practiced by prosperous nations. One of Fanon's most famous speeches was called the "Year of the Boomerang." In the speech he talked about the oppressor's force boomeranging back to destroy him in the form of colonial revolutions. He was referring to the Algerian War, specifically. "Goin' out heavy sorta like Mount Tai" Mount Tai, or Tai Shan, is part of the Tien Shan mountain range. It is the section that lies in China near the village where the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius was born. It is 5000 ft. (1,500 m.) high. It has become a pilgrimage center for many and is used for agriculture and mining at the base, where the local inhabitants live. [Main]  [Lyrics]  [Che Guevara]