The band was formed from the fusion of 2 smallers bands, the Hot Pants and the Casse-pieds.
Mano Negra mixed a number of styles: straight rock (with a lead guitar), latin music (with a brass section), punk (influenced by The Clash). Their songs often mixed French, Spanish and English lyrics.
Frontman Manu Chao later reappeared as as the lead in Radio Bemba Sound System to record their eponymous 2002 live album. He has also released four solo albums, Clandestino and Proxima Estacion: Esperanza in 1998 and 2002,Siberie M'Etait Conteee in 2005 and La Radiolina in 2007.
Former band member Tom Darnal was one of the founders of the band P18
About name
La Mano Negra ("The Black Hand") was a supposed anarchist organization in Andalucía, Spain, accused of many terrorist acts. Although, in latter studies, its existence was found unlikely and was probably an excuse used by the government under Sagasta to oppress anarchist activity in southern Spain.
Killin'rats
Mano Negra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now record
There's a place in the city
Just down by the river
All the rats went crazy
Got fangs made of silver
Killin' rats
They're cruisin' downtown
Their eyes full of anger
If they can't hurt you
They will find another
Killin' rats
They will shot down your father
They will spit on your mother
Rape browny girls, girls and slaughter your brother
Killin' rats, killin' rats
Record
Those rats need a scratch like that
Those rats need a scratch like that
All you real cool cats
Put yourself together
Get them back to their swamp
Before they make you surrender
Killin' rats
Old cats, they quiver
'Cause it makes them remember
About a long time ago
When they fought rat's father
Killin' rats
Was a rat called Hitler
Set the world on fire
This is no fare game
They wanna do it again
Killin' rats, killin' rats
Those rats need a scratch like that, rats
Those rats need a scratch like that, rats
Those rats need a scratch like that, rats
I need a scratch
The lyrics to Mano Negra’s song “Killin’ rats” tell the story of a group of rats in the city who have turned violent and are wreaking havoc on the community. They have fangs made of silver and are killing without discrimination; they will shoot down fathers, rape brown girls, and slaughter brothers. The song’s narrator urges the “real cool cats” to band together and put an end to the chaos before they surrender. The song references historical events such as Hitler’s reign and warns that history could repeat itself, reminding the listener that the threat of violence is never far away.
The lyrics are metaphorical in nature, with the rats representing the dangers of unchecked violence and aggression. The call to action in the lyrics encourages people to band together to fight against this evil, to take responsibility for their communities and ensure that the violence and aggression do not take hold. The song is a warning against complacency and apathy, and a call to action for people to take a stand against violence.
Line by Line Meaning
You're ready
The listener is ready to hear and record the song
Now record
The listener is encouraged to record the song
There's a place in the city
There is a specific location in the city where something is happening
Just down by the river
This location is close to a river
All the rats went crazy
The rats in this location are behaving erratically
Got fangs made of silver
The rats have sharp, deadly teeth
Killin' rats
The people in the song are killing the rats
They're cruisin' downtown
The rats are moving around the city center
Their eyes full of anger
The rats are angry and aggressive
If they can't hurt you
If the rats can't physically harm you
They will find another
They will hurt someone else instead
Killin' rats
The people in the song are killing the rats
They will shot down your father
The rats will kill the listener's father
They will spit on your mother
The rats will disrespect the listener's mother
Rape browny girls, girls and slaughter your brother
The rats will sexually assault and kill women of color, and kill the listener's brother
All you real cool cats
This phrase is addressing a group of people who are cool and relaxed
Put yourself together
This group is being asked to get organized and be proactive
Get them back to their swamp
The rats should be returned to their natural habitat
Before they make you surrender
If the rats are not dealt with properly, they will cause the people to give up
Old cats, they quiver
Older people are scared or nervous about the situation with the rats
'Cause it makes them remember
The situation with the rats reminds the older people of a past experience
About a long time ago
This past experience happened a while back
When they fought rat's father
This past experience involved fighting or dealing with the leader of the rats
Was a rat called Hitler
There was a rat in the past who was similar in power to Hitler
Set the world on fire
This rat caused a lot of destruction and chaos
This is no fare game
The current situation with the rats is not fair or just
They wanna do it again
The rats want to cause destruction and chaos like their past leader
Those rats need a scratch like that, rats
This phrase is repeated throughout the song and its meaning is unclear
I need a scratch
The singer wants a physical itch to be scratched
Contributed by Isabella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Narutoz z
je ne comprent rien...
Slina Roche
That's you are ready, so break it 🙂