Shake Like You

This song is about the beginning and early evolution of civilization, especially in regards to authority in the form of religion. It was written from a frame of reference familiar with Christianity. I have added corrections to the lyrics. There are three primary players in this song. The Narrator/Singer, the power brokers, and finally the people/fooled.

" Beginning of this world, swelled with mankind Who built a tool to kill a fool and lead the blind Invent a rule to keep you down & call it "sin" Then stand behind the wall and watch the games begin"

Early in the history of mankind we began forming organized political power structures. The earliest form of authority that stood the test of time was the divine, that is to say, religion. It was and continues to be a powerful tool in bringing others around to a point of view that makes them more likely to help achieve the goals of those in power who espouse that view. This tool, religion, serves also as affiliation. Those who do not share it are seen as opposed to it and will be struck down or marginalized. The power brokers help to propagate this tool but do so from safety letting true believers make war while they profit.

"And if this, some, leads to strife.(?) So be it! Fire becomes you!"

Those power brokers do not care about the suffering of those who wage these wars and in fact are amused as they watch them burn.

"Separate by class and keep the middle low Instill the order with a border just for show Give them weapons and let them have their piece of mind Then tip them off so they can kill what's not their kind"

As time goes on order becomes entrenched and societal stratification begins. As individuals become safe and distribution of labor allows them to consider the world beyond their next meal, pride in the common ideal becomes nationalism. Depending on what side of an arbitrarily(economically) positioned line a person is born on they are human or beast. Those in power must give more and more to those following them to keep their followers from feeling like fools and where this fails they point across their borders at those different than them and paint them as enemy. (This can be clearly seen in modern times with the 24 hour news cycle."

"...And watch them shake like you."

Shake like you is used in several ways here. In conjunction with the stanza it follows the singer/narrator is indicating that those across the border are shaking with the same rage that you are. There is an implication that the "shakers" are fools because they are those being led to rage by their respective power model.

"And with His cross on your back And His blood on your hands Give in! Die!"

This is a powerful idea. Though they carry the cross of Jesus, they are the ones that killed him. That is to say, though they espouse the words of Jesus, they have destroyed those words with misrepresentation. Upon realization of this truth the narrator believes the fools will be spiritually crushed and thus give up. This implies the narrator believes the power brokers are evil unto the point of complete annihilation.

"If tales come true when judgment's due they'll call us liars And put us in their hell and set our souls on fire Remember sin your only friend he brought you through Hallucinate with hate and watch them shake like you"

I'm not sure my understanding of the above stanza is correct or complete. It seems to be from the perspective of the power brokers hundreds/thousands of years after those ones who created the power structure initially. They, themselves are considering the possibility of the divine and the existence of Hell. Mid stanza the narrator interjects speaking to the power brokers in Hell (implying that the narrator believes it a foregone conclusion) and taunts them by falsely consoling them with memories of their sinful behavior in life. He then says they will 'hallucinate with hate and watch them shake like you' indicating that now powerless in Hell they will imagine revenge while someone (the previously fooled people?) look on 'shake like you' that is to say laugh at the fallen power brokers as they once laughed at the people they led.

There are some vocals that are buried under a lot of instrumentation through out the song that I wish I could understand. Perhaps someone who knows the song better could tell me what's being said?

Near the end Pepper says "that one's smoking a joint and there's one with spots, if I had my way I'd have you fuckin' shot" -- a reference to Pink Floyd's 'In The Flesh' :)

Lyric update: After the "...fire becomes you" and "...give in, die" sections, he says "Amen, amen, brother, A-fucking-men!"

I think the lyrics "watch them shake like you" is a reference to someone powerful (a leader or a God or the like), but he's extremely paranoid (shakes). So to keep his mind off of it, he tries to make everyone shake like him by pitting them against each other.

No, didn't really make sense after I wrote it down, but it's worth a shot.

At first I thought you were stupid but after i fully read it I kind of see what your getting at except the paranoid bit. Probably better than what I could come up with. Anyways this is a great song for listening not for figuring out.