"Slave to the Wage" was the second single to be released off of their third album "Black Market Music", the band make fleeting appearances in the music video, a woman engaging in the “rat race” and dreams of a life chasing dreams instead of deadlines is the main focus of this video. Molko states that the theme of the video was inspired by the only job he ever held working in a band, and aesthetically by the film 'Gattaca'.
"Slave to the Wage" reached number 19 on the U.K Singles chart. The "Slave for the Wage" single CD had two different versions, version one containing "Slave to the Wage (Radio Edit) " , "Leni" and "Bubblegun" which can both be found on the "Black Market Music : B sides" album. Version two contained "Slave to the Wage (Album Edit) ", "Holocaust" which can also be found on the "Covers" album released in 2003 and "Slave to the Wage (Les Rythmes Digitales Remix) " which cannot be found on any other album but this single's CD.
"Slave for the Wage" was played throughout the "Black Market Music" and "Sleeping With Ghosts" tour and was performed up until 2005. "Slave to the Wage" returned to live setlist's of the band's 2012 summer tour with the addition, years later an acoustic version of the song was apart of their 2015 MTV Unplugged performance.
Slave to the Wage
Placebo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run away from all your whoredom and wave
Your worries, and cares, goodbye
All it takes is one decision
A lot of guts, a little vision to wave
Your worries, and cares goodbye
It's a maze for rats to try [Repeat: x2]
A race for rats to die
It's a race, a race for rats
A race for rats to die
Sick and tired of Maggie's farm
She's a bitch, with broken arms to wave
Your worries, and cares, goodbye
It's a maze for rats to try [Repeat: x2]
It's a race, a race for rats
A race for rats to die
It's a race, a race for rats
A race for rats to die [Repeat: x3]
Burn away
Run away [Repeat: x2]
The lyrics of Placebo's "Slave To The Wage" are a commentary on the trappings of modern-day work life, where one can feel like a slave to their job and bogged down by the repetitiveness and lack of fulfillment it brings. The opening lines urge the listener to escape from their mundane and often degrading existence, both in their work and personal lives. The idea is that leaving behind the grind takes courage, but it can be done with a decisive action and a clear vision. The repetition of "wave your worries and cares goodbye" acts as a manifesto of sorts, urging the listener to leave behind their anxieties and escape what feels like an inescapable maze.
The chorus features the metaphor of a race for rats, signifying the pointless competition and the idea that oftentimes the ones in power treat their employees like nothing more than vermin working in a maze with no escape. The reference to Maggie's farm is a nod to the Bob Dylan classic "Maggie's Farm," which is also a critique of the oppressive nature of work under capitalism. It is also worth noting that the song is quite heavy musically, reflective of the weighty themes it touches upon.
Line by Line Meaning
Run away from all your boredom
Escape from the monotony and dullness in your life
Run away from all your whoredom and wave
Escape from all the immoral and unethical things you've done and say goodbye to them
Your worries, and cares, goodbye
Leave all your concerns behind and say farewell to them
All it takes is one decision
Making a decision is all you need
A lot of guts, a little vision to wave
You need courage and a little foresight to leave behind all your worries and cares
It's a maze for rats to try [Repeat: x2]
The world is a perplexing place for people to navigate and figure out
It's a race, a race for rats
Life is akin to a race for survival
A race for rats to die
A race that eventually leads to death
Sick and tired of Maggie's farm
Being fed up and fed up with the repetitive nature of work on Maggie's farm
She's a bitch, with broken arms to wave
Insulting and demeaning Maggie, who's unable to stop the endless cycle of work
Burn away
Erase all the negative things in your life
Run away [Repeat: x2]
Escape from your current situation and find something better.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BRIAN MOLKO, STEFAN OLSDAL, STEVEN HEWITT, SCOTT KANNBERG, STEPHEN JOSEPH MALKMUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Pvt_Hudson
Placebo's music doesn't seem to age, this would still sound fresh released today.
@skatoad
Anthem for the young (and old) working poor.
Such a good band.
@deemore
skatoad well said!! Fucking plebs these days don't know good music
@user-fl6gy2xw2b
Placebo is so underrated. It's criminal.
@zaklloyd7150
Thank you Brian.
@skiri987
This song is so modern. Never gets old, just better.
@twirlingparasol_
i am an employee in a sony factory in indiana. this is one of the major songs that gets me through... man. just got done with a 12 hour night shift. slaaaave to the wage, slave to the wage. that's me. it's sad that a certain class of people has no other choice but to work slave jobs. thank you, placebo. thank you for this song.
@viktoryiam8160
We all have choice. Why did you choose the factory?
@pietrovismara1698
@@viktoryiam8160 you idiot, they obv didn't have choice
@ChristianThueringer
@@viktoryiam8160 no, not everybody has a choice unfortunately