Rage Against the Machine - Sleep Now in the Fire

The song “Sleep Now In the Fire” from the album “The Battle of Los Angeles” contains lyrics about greed, such as the conquest of Native Americans by Christopher Columbus, U.S. slavery in the 1800’s, as well as criticism of actions taken by the US government in wartime. “I am the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria. The noose-man, the rapist, the field’s overseer. The agents of orange, the priests of Hiroshima. The cost of my desire, sleep now in the fire.” This lyric references Columbus’ three ships that he traveled in when sailing for the New World, and the vehicles by which he conquered the Native Americans and forced them to do his bidding. The noose-man is referring to being an executioner, of deciding who lives or dies based on his own beliefs. The rapist is not a sexual one, but a rapist of humanity. It could be said that a country has raped another if they take their resources and use their people. The field’s overseer means that I direct the work to be done; I force you to do the work as I see fit, possibly a reference to slavery in the U.S. The agents of orange refer to Agent Orange: a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people being killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects. The priests of Hiroshima means that I judged the people of Hiroshima, I then condemned them to their death. I kill those people to accomplish my goals. This is an obvious reference to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945, which killed 70,000–80,000 people, and injured another 70,000. The last lines mean these are the consequences of my desire, and now you “sleep in the fire.” Another interesting point to note is that the music video for “Sleep Now in the Fire” was directed by Michael Moore and features the band playing in front of the New York Stock Exchange. The shoot for the music video on January 26, 2000, caused the doors of the New York Stock Exchange to be closed. In fact, the Stock Exchange locked its doors mid-day in response to fears of crowds gathering to watch the filming.

- Alex Dennis

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