Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade

Their song “Bulls on Parade” addresses the American military-industrial complex, a situation in which industry (the arms industry, primarily) urges government to take military action, with the intent of obtaining military contracts, to thereby increase its revenue. The idiom "bulls on parade" refers to a bull market. The symbol may also mean the muscularity of American responses to complex problems; we act like mad bulls on dress parade rather than negotiating or using less violent strategies. The verse in the song, "Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes, not need, just feed the war cannibal animal", refers to the military-industrial complex in the song. Another verse, "They don't gotta burn tha books they just remove 'em" is an example of literary reference, alluding to Fahrenheit 451 and its author, Ray Bradbury's famous quote, "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture, just get people to stop reading them." With the words "Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' tha thirst of tha power dons", the song suggests that fear of terrorism is used to manipulate the American population into supporting military action. The phrase “the terror rains” serves a double meaning, suggesting that “the terror” by the government literally reigns.

- Alex Dennis

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