This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Another rainy morning mingling at the market
Bartering for food for another day
Rifle shots ring out behind the crumbling buildings
Executions have begun
Sprawled in the square are today's broken bodies
Lots to pick clean if you're first and quick
Rift through their pockets, peel off their clothes
To wear or sell when you wash out the blood
Run my little brother
Run to the chicken farm
Opportunity is calling
You might even find a watch
We're going down
To the chicken farm
Napalm rains no more
But the war goes on
Little brother died playing at the dump today
He found a new toy and held it up proud
Then it blew him to bits
How many more children
Will be killed or die at birth
Deformed by Agent Orange
In our food chain forever more
We're going down
To the chicken farm
This time we'll buy our way out
I've got a plan; you wait and see
I smuggled you this map
In the gash I sliced in my thigh
I hope I'm there to join you, love
We're blown to bits one by one in this camp
We crawl shaking through the fields at gunpoint all day
To defuse leftover landmines - by hand
We shiver on the deck and stiffen for the worst
If the pirates come around we might as well be dead
We'll be thrown in the sea
Or butchered if we're women
All in the name of gold
One foot in a land we can barely understand
Can't speak the tongue of Yankee hospitality
Our kids at school get beat up
To the tune of "Boat people, go home"
Sliced with a machete
From the breast of our homeland
Our new world tries to spit us out
But it sure beats the chicken farm
Bartering for food for another day
Rifle shots ring out behind the crumbling buildings
Executions have begun
Sprawled in the square are today's broken bodies
Lots to pick clean if you're first and quick
Rift through their pockets, peel off their clothes
To wear or sell when you wash out the blood
Run my little brother
Run to the chicken farm
Opportunity is calling
You might even find a watch
We're going down
To the chicken farm
Napalm rains no more
But the war goes on
Little brother died playing at the dump today
He found a new toy and held it up proud
Then it blew him to bits
How many more children
Will be killed or die at birth
Deformed by Agent Orange
In our food chain forever more
We're going down
To the chicken farm
This time we'll buy our way out
I've got a plan; you wait and see
I smuggled you this map
In the gash I sliced in my thigh
I hope I'm there to join you, love
We're blown to bits one by one in this camp
We crawl shaking through the fields at gunpoint all day
To defuse leftover landmines - by hand
We shiver on the deck and stiffen for the worst
If the pirates come around we might as well be dead
We'll be thrown in the sea
Or butchered if we're women
All in the name of gold
One foot in a land we can barely understand
Can't speak the tongue of Yankee hospitality
Our kids at school get beat up
To the tune of "Boat people, go home"
Sliced with a machete
From the breast of our homeland
Our new world tries to spit us out
But it sure beats the chicken farm
Lyrics submitted by Ice
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a great dk song and no comments!? i think this would be a very good song to start a discussion about... i think the song is about the early immigrants coming over from less fortunate countries where they can barely survive... and they see the u.s. as 'the land of oppurtunity' only to be beat up and teased, but it sure beats the chicken farm... anyway this song has some of the best dk lyrics there are
The 'Chicken Farm' in this song has elements of the Khymer Rouge's Killing Fields in Cambodia (also alluded to in holiday in cambodia) and other regimes in Vietnam and parts of Laos that became established in the devestation left in the area after the Vietnam war. I think a point these lyrics are trying to make is not simply that 'immigrants come to america and america is hostile towards them, even though america had a hand in causing the problems that led them here', but also that Americans (or any western 'culture') are too thick to understand these events and this chain, and simply resort to violence and hostility when faced with cultures they do not understand (because they 'dont want no gooks or blacks or injuns or spics or anybody except W.A.S.Ps in their country. Native Ameri-whats?)
ironically, im studying the vietnam war right now in my history class. this song will really help my presentation on the war. it's not only about immigrants having a hard time coming over here after the war, but also from children playing in dumps and being blown up by undefused bombs. this song is depressing but it is 100% the truth. i salute u Dead Kennedys
This is a really depressing song. So much shit like this going on and people seem to not notice. Really cool song, love the guitar in the beginning
This one's about the ramifications of war that take place after the war is over, whether it be economical devastation or leftover artillery. After a weak country loses a war, the living conditions are almost unbearable, and the only option for many citizens is to immigrate to a country like America. Unfortunately, oftentimes when they get here they face racism and poverty. It's still better than where they came from, but it's a no-win situation.
Yeah, it's about Vietnamese and Cambodian "boat people". It says so pretty clearly...
Yup, everyone got it clearly in my opinion. It can be related to most immigrants though, even if it was written thinking about Vietnamese and Cambodian people. Immigrants most of the time know they'll have a hard time in their new country, sometimes not even knowing the language, but it'll be many times better than their past conditions. Those conditions in this case are exquisitely described in this song.
this song describes a lot of horrible circumstances that all around the world have to face every day, call it afghanistan, iraq, cambodia, etc....and what makes me so angry is that a lot of times these conditions are caused by the american army, and then when immigrants get to america, they get a spit in the face by the society that caused their migration...kinda ironic and stupid, but sometimes, it happens