Sleep Now In The Fire

This song has nothing to do with rape or murder. This song is sung literally from Greed's point of view. The song is a personification of greed. Greed is deep inside of our children, greed was at the heart of 'Nam ("agents of orange" refers to Agent Orange, a nerve gas used in Vietnam) and the bombing of Hiroshima.

But what really matters is that this song rocks so hard. I'm 100% serious when I say that Rage is remembered second for their lyrics, and first for their hard rocking and sweet grooves. Tom Morello is a god of guitar.

It's the Imperialistic white man talking to the rest of the world. Using democracy and christianity to endoctrinate them. Telling them try whatever you want, you cannot resist me. Either conform or die. With the line " i'm deep inside your chidlren, they'll betray you in my name" he's saying the white man will use consumerism, christianity and democracy to brain wash your people from generation to generation, destroying your original culture until you no longer accept it. Instead you'll fight to protect the white mans imposed culture.

Actualy Agent Orange was a defoliant, meaning it made plants drop their leaves. Tons of it was sprayed all over Nam to expose the enemy. Nobody, at the time, knew that it seriously messed people up including giving them cancer. -Just a little fact-

I think it talks about America because of the lyrics " I am the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria" the next line may talk about the horrors within, the next two about the things America unleashes on the world. and the final two about America doing a lot of things it wants to because it can. GO AMERICA

This song of emnity from an extreme liberal reflects his view of American government as intensly conservative. His loss of faith in the system is discernably deeply rooted as he expresses his scrupulous ideals about the misuse of power. He starts off by pointing out that when America gained all of its power, it was trusted to guide the world on a righteous path.(lines1-4) However, corruption led to the power laying in the hands of the greedy, and that while America still shows its supposed high ideals by letting people speak freely and stand for themselves, the promised carte blanche is empty and worthless.(lines 5-7) He goes on to state that Big Brother will protect its 'Pigs' by eliminating those that pose a threat to abidement of the status quo. His final two lines of the first verse say that his ideals are inside the new generation, and that eventually the young will fix things. The next two verses point out events in which America took advantage of others. He names Colombus' ships, which brought the Anglo-Saxon people to the new world, and eradicated the Native Americans for European greed. He names the noose, which was used on black slaves in a world where 'all men are created equal' and used by self proclaimed vigilantes who would kill those who disagreed with them. He names the Rapist, someone who totally takes advantage of another. The fields overseer was the cruel monster who would watch the slaves work, and beat them. The agents of orange are a chemical agent used in Bio-warfare during Vienam. The priests of Hiroshima are in reference to all the civillians killed in the A-Bomb drops of 1945. The cost of my desire, is the greed of American Corporations. At the beginnging of the second and third verse he says two different lines. In the second he says that 'the lie is the governments expense for it to attain its craving. The party are the leaders who profit off American greed. The beginning of the last verse states that the hunger for money will lead to the end of the world, and that we are at the brink of disaster. He says the government wants you to believe this is the only way, so take it 'though it made you ill'.

I just wrote about this for english class, so i thought i might as well add my thoughts:When one first hears “Sleep Now in the Fire”, they hear a song about destruction. This is accurate, but there is still more depth to the lyrics. The artist, Zack de la Rocha, wrote this song to illustrate the inner greed in everybody with the use of allusions. These allusions, or historical references, allow the listener to understand concrete examples of greed in humanity. The allusions are scattered throughout the entire song. The overarching theme of the song is greed, which can be found in the quote “I’m deep inside your children; they’ll betray you in my name”. The word “children” is ambiguous, but for a reason. It shows that greed is timeless, every child is a glutton. Their greed will take over their conscience, and they will ultimately become dishonest and corrupt. This theme encompasses the rest of the lyrics, as the artist continues to give specific examples of greed. The lyrics include a wide “scope” of “desires”, showing that people can be greedy in different shapes and forms. For example, Rocha alludes to slavery when he talks about “the field’s overseer”. The field could be a cotton plantation, and the overseer could be the landowner. Landowners were commonly cruel and brutal towards their slaves who worked in the fields. They would beat them and sometimes even kill them all because of one thing: greed. They wanted to make the most profit possible, so they often resorted to physical cruelty. The landowners became increasingly corrupt, and slaves suffered greatly from mistreatment. This was the “expense”, or consequence, of their desire. Furthermore, the “agents of orange” in the song refer to the herbicide, Agent Orange, which was used in the Vietnam War. It was a chemical that wiped out most of the trees and vegetation in Vietnam in order to win the war. The toxic chemical did not only wipe out trees, but people as well. Americas government could be viewed as greedy for victory here, as the use of this chemical did not how any concern for innocent people. They were willing to go to such lengths in order to achieve victory; it was simply the “cost” of their desire to win the war. Also, the lyrics refer to the “Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria”. At first glance, these lyrics seem out of place because they are simply the name of historical ships. The word most likely to be associated with these ships is exploration. However, underneath the exploration, there is a motive. That motive is greed. Greed drove Christopher Columbus to explore the seas with the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. He was in search of spices, silks, and above all, wealth. His goal was to exploit the land he discovered. Through this reference, Rocha demonstrates that greed is at the heart of even the most admired people. Overall, Rocha has made it clear through specific historical examples that the song is about greed. In addition, he states the consequences that ensue as a result. The title of the song as well as the ending says “Sleep now in the fire”, the meaning of the line can be interpreted to mean the fate of those who were greedy. When they die, Rocha states that they will pay for their greed and actions by burning in the “fire” that is hell.

the song is about how the people who you americans work so hard to protect and who you trust are the very same people who are not working hard to protect you but instead want your money and want your vote

linkinparkdeftones:

It's referring to the lines preceding it, "the world is my expense, the cost of my desire". It's saying that "Jesus blessed me to lead the world into it's future, and I'll protect the world with fire (that could be capitalism, greed, etc.)." I think it may be referring to how our government has many very religious people running it, and they believe that many of the diplomatic/corporate decisions that are made coincide with their religious beliefs. They believe they are always doing the right thing, sort of.

tom morello truly is a guitar god

Rage condemns capitalism, but America is no longer a capitalist nation. Capitalism is good. Corporatism is bad, and a form of fascism. America is a fascist nation. So, Rage's message is good, but capitalism is not the reason that America is fascist, it is corporatism.

In a truly capitalist society, saving would be encouraged and the nation's people would not be in debt, and therefore less greedy. If RATM realized this, then maybe they wouldn't decide that the complete polar opposite of capitalism, communism is the only solution to greed. America is not a capitalist society, because a capitalist society does not foster greed, it fosters charity and savings. Corporatism or fascism, the same thing, foster greed. So, the problem is not capitalism, it is corporatism or fascism. America is a fascist nation, not a capitalist nation, although it was founded on true capitalist principles.

We have strayed far from our principles. The solution to big government corporatism and greed is not communism, but libertarianism.