Know Your Enemy

this song seems to be about the 'system' in general and fighting against it. it talks about defiance, and the mind of a revolutionary which will change the system and "Now action must be taken We don't need the key We'll break in" is talking about breaking into the system to start revolution and ditch the capitalist system which has given the few the power to control the many. 'know your enemy' is obviously the main point in the song - to know as much, if not more, about your enemy than you do yourself because only then can you fight against them. the end is saying the enemy is the people who taught you to fit into the system and not be to yourself and who you should be, the people who made society the way it is. then there is the list of the characteristics of the system as it is - the capitalist system which makes an 'elite' section in society at everyone elses expense.

It's just too bad they had to break up.

Maynard gave me an erection ;)

Rage's idea with the first album was to make music that got normal people into politics. This song uses not hard to get lyrics to lure people into the political meaning. The only time when it gets a little foggy is at the end, but that is Zach's message that our own teachers and parents pound patriotism into us...........Basically we need to fuck the norm.

And the only reason we have an American Dream is because too many of us are sleeping.

This song kicks ass! Maynards contribution to the song rocks

"I came to America and was told that the streets of America were paved with gold. Well, when I got here, 1. The roads weren't paved with gold, 2. The roads weren't paved at all, and 3. I had to pave them!" -Italian proverb This song really reminds me of that quote

This song is fantastic, echoing Pink Floyd's "The Happiest Days of our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall." The music is fantastic in the superposition of different rhythms. The fast guitar riffs with the slower, syncopated drums and slap bass over the top, and then of course the funky tempo changes are typical of Rage. Of course the vocal style really mirrors the content of the song and the unique style of Rage goes against the norm which is what the song is all about.

What? The land of the free? Whoever told you that is your enemy. Purely genius way of wording that. We're free yet we get enlisted to go to war. Still in a room without a view makes me think of a prison cell meaning we're still not really free and they're saying we should not be so quick to go along with what we're told to do and be by folks who clearly stand for Compromise Conformity Assimilation Submission Ignorance Hypocrisy Brutality The Elite

All of which are American dreams. Maybe not yours but those are the things that keep us all in line and the corruption grows more and more.

I'm surprised no one caught the George Orwell reference at the beginning. "Movin to 92. Still in a room without a view..."

Winston (in the book 1984) was to "meet in the place where there is no darkness..."

The brainwashing room at the end basically. Where 2 2 is 5. And you either accept it and conform to big brothers will or fight it somehow...

Zach makes a lot of references to his book in his lyrics overall.

fuck off capitalism and beauracraity hypocrisy of "american dreams"