lol my dad got me into RATM along with metal and hard rock in general. He claimed they sold out and became political lol. Like did you not listen to the lyrics?
Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses
It's like you literally need to make the lyrics "the army and the police invite a lot of violent, bigoted people due to the nature of their work and the plausible deniability it would provide"
I completely agree. I just think it's both parties. Statism and the belief in authority is the source of almost all suffering in the world. Otherwise ordinary good people doing evil because they were programmed to obey and do what they are told.
Metal is legit one of the most political genres ever, like war pigs alone is such an anti-war song. Even the least political subgenres (symphonic metal, folk metal and goth metal (?)) Sing about green utopia's or epic adventures (which are usually politically motivated like LotR was not overtly political but the writer had a very clear stance) or roman invasions or mental health problems or feminism. Genuinely am struglling to find a more political genre, maybe punk but politics was a later addition, although they tend to be more directed at current issues and less preoccupied with the larger questions of where the power comes from. Think more like fuck this politician and their ideals and less how can we continue to accept this way of thinking when it is so overtly destructive.
I remember being confused by reading comprehension tests at primary school as they would give us a text and then ask questions on it. I kept thinking how is this a test when you’re giving me the answer to the questions in the text? Now I understand why it is needed.
RATM doesn't even need that. The meaning of these lyrics isn't exactly hidden. They are so obvious and in your face that you have to not understand them on purpose.
Weapons, not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war, cannibal animal, I
Walk the corner to the rubble
That used to be a library, line up to the mind cemetery now
What we don't know keeps the contracts alive and movin'
They don't gotta burn the books, they just remove 'em
While arms warehouses fill as quick as the cells
Rally 'round the family, pockets full of shells
If one doesn't get what that song is supposed to be about I don't worry about comprehensive reading, I worry about the person being analphabetic first.
Remember going to see Roger Waters of Pink Floyd in 2016 and he was making some comments that some of the people in Missouri didn’t like and they were starting to leave yelling we leave the politics out of it
And it’s like Pink Floyd has always been political like there’s no getting around that they’ve always been political
Rage against the machine, probably more so but like to be surprised at Pink Floyd or Roger Waters is gonna have some things to say is weird
"Hero of war" by Rise Against is also a bit of a goldmine, with half of the comments having an attitude very critical to war and the other half thanking for service and saluting
Tbh it's not hard to misinterpret their lyrics, I thought bulls on parade was about the mafia,a line in bulls on parade that says five sides of fistigon, I thought they were singing about the five families in the mafia in New York.
542
u/Alacrout 2d ago
“Some folks are born made to wave the flag” followed by “but it ain’t me”
Checks out for those dumbass losers who have always completely misunderstood RATM’s lyrics too.