During the last week of April 1999, the KMFDM website ceased all traffic except for a message from the band condemning and thoroughly distancing themselves from the shootings that had occured at Columbine High School on April 20th. News organizations had been repeatedly printing stories about how the two murderers involved in that shooting were fans of industrial rock including Rammstein and KMFDM. The news specifically mentioned a line from this song that Eric Harris had been very fond of: "I cannot keep my hate inside / I'm gonna set myself on fire."
The initial shock of the tragedy in Littleton, Colorado left parents, teachers, and pundits scrambling for a reason. Were these two being preached to by bands with violent lyrics? Unfortunately, while many ultimately accepted that music likely had very little to do with the troubled youths' actions, very few ever analyzed the rest of the lyrics of the song.
This song, and this entire album, is clearly an anti-violence mantra. The "set myself on fire" is likely a reference to self-immolation performed by Buddhist monks in Vietnam and Tibet in non-violent protest of oppressive government practices. Other lines, such as "How much longer do we tolerate mass murder?" speak for themselves; the line "We shall use all peaceful means to overcome tyranny" couldn't be more straight forward. Clearly, if any music is to blame, it was most definitely not "Terror" by KMFDM.
During the last week of April 1999, the KMFDM website ceased all traffic except for a message from the band condemning and thoroughly distancing themselves from the shootings that had occured at Columbine High School on April 20th. News organizations had been repeatedly printing stories about how the two murderers involved in that shooting were fans of industrial rock including Rammstein and KMFDM. The news specifically mentioned a line from this song that Eric Harris had been very fond of: "I cannot keep my hate inside / I'm gonna set myself on fire."
The initial shock of the tragedy in Littleton, Colorado left parents, teachers, and pundits scrambling for a reason. Were these two being preached to by bands with violent lyrics? Unfortunately, while many ultimately accepted that music likely had very little to do with the troubled youths' actions, very few ever analyzed the rest of the lyrics of the song.
This song, and this entire album, is clearly an anti-violence mantra. The "set myself on fire" is likely a reference to self-immolation performed by Buddhist monks in Vietnam and Tibet in non-violent protest of oppressive government practices. Other lines, such as "How much longer do we tolerate mass murder?" speak for themselves; the line "We shall use all peaceful means to overcome tyranny" couldn't be more straight forward. Clearly, if any music is to blame, it was most definitely not "Terror" by KMFDM.