Sleep Now In The Fire

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 These allusions, or historical references, allow the listener to understand concrete examples of greed in humanity.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.