Rage Against the Machine released its eponymous debut album in 1992 to commercial and critical success, leading to a slot in the 1993 Lollapalooza festival. Their second album, Evil Empire, was released in 1996. Their third, The Battle of Los Angeles, followed in 1999, and in 2003, it was ranked number 426 on the same list. During their initial nine-year run, they became one of the most popular and influential bands in music history. They were also ranked No. 33 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
In 2000, Rage Against the Machine released the cover album Renegades and disbanded because of growing creative differences. Members formed the rock supergroup Audioslave with Chris Cornell, the former frontman of Soundgarden. The same year, Rage Against the Machine announced a reunion and performed together for the first time in seven years at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2007. Until 2011, the band continued to perform at more live venues and festivals around the world. In 2016, Morello, Commerford and Wilk formed a new band, Prophets of Rage, with B-Real, Chuck D, and DJ Lord. Rage Against the Machine were nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility in 2017 and 2018, although both bids failed. The band had a large influence on the nu metal genre which came to prominence during the second half of the 1990s. In 2003, their self-titled album was ranked number 368 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
At the start of 2024, Wilk confirmed that the group had permanently broken up.
Born of a Broken Man
Rage Against the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Capturing my memories
The frontier of loss
They try to escape across the street where
Jesus stripped bare
And raped the spirit he was supposed to nurture
In the name of my
In the name of my
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Like autumn leaves his sense fell from him
An empty glass of himself shattered somewhere within
His thoughts like a hundred moths
Trapped in a lampshade
Somewhere within
Their wings banging and burning
On through endless night
Forever awake he lies shaking and starving
Praying for someone to turn off the light
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
My fear is hunting me down
Capturing my memories
The frontier of laos
They try to escape across the street where
Jesus stripped bare
And raped the spirit he was supposed to nurture
In the name of my
In the name of my
Yeah
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
The lyrics of "Born of a Broken Man" by Rage Against the Machine explore the theme of struggling with past traumas and the struggle to find purpose and meaning in life. The song draws on the metaphor of a broken man, someone who has been shattered by life's hardships, but who refuses to succumb to his demons. The lyrics describe the singer's fears, which haunt him and capture his memories. The image of the frontier of loss suggests a psychological threshold that he is struggling to cross, perhaps to overcome his trauma.
The allusion to Jesus stripping himself bare and raping the spirit that he was supposed to nurture is a powerful indictment of the betrayal of religious institutions and their failure to provide a source of healing and redemption for the singer. The line "In the name of my" suggests that the singer has been personally affected by this betrayal, and that he is seeking a deeper meaning to his existence. The repetition of the phrase "Born of a broken man, but not a broken man" emphasizes the singer's determination to rise above his circumstances; he may be a product of his past, but he refuses to let it define him. The haunting image of the moth trapped in a lampshade suggests the futility of the singer's struggle, but also a sense of hope that he will eventually break free from his psychological entrapment.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life despite the traumas and hardships of the past. The singer refuses to remain a broken man, and instead embraces his struggles as part of his journey towards self-discovery and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
My fears hunt me down
My anxieties constantly bother and terrify me
Capturing my memories
They take hold of my recollections and refuse to let them go
The frontier of loss
The boundary where my experiences disappear into nothingness
They try to escape across the street where Jesus stripped bare
My fears make an attempt to leave, but are held back by the profound pain Jesus endured while naked on the cross
And raped the spirit he was supposed to nurture
Moreover, it violated the very spirit he was meant to cherish and cultivate.
In the name of my
This happened in my name
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
I came into being through a man who was shattered, yet I refuse to let it break me
Like autumn leaves his sense fell from him
His reason and sanity slipped away like dying leaves falling to the ground
An empty glass of himself shattered somewhere within
The essence of who he was became empty and broken, causing his spirit to shatter inside
His thoughts like a hundred moths trapped in a lampshade
His mind was cluttered with numerous, restless thoughts that were trapped and unable to escape
Somewhere within their wings banging and burning on through endless night
His thoughts were like moths whose wings were banging and burning, struggling to break free but unable to escape from the darkness of his mind
Forever awake he lies shaking and starving
He remains sleepless, restless and anxious, shaking with fear and starving for relief
Praying for someone to turn off the light
He beseeches someone to bring an end to his distress by extinguishing the light that exposes his fears
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: BRAD J. WILK, THOMAS B. MORELLO, TIMOTHY COMMERFORD, ZACK M. DE LA ROCHA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Samurai-ss5qs
My fears hunt me down
Capturing my memories
The frontier of loss
They try to escape across the street where
Jesus stripped bare
And raped the spirit he was supposed to nurture
In the name of my
In the name of my
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Like autumn leaves his sense fell from him
An empty glass of himself shattered somewhere within
His thoughts like a hundred moths
Trapped in a lampshade
Somewhere within
Their wings banging and burning
On through endless night
Forever awake he lies shaking and starving
Praying for someone to turn off the light
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
My fear is hunting me down
Capturing my memories
The frontier of laos
They try to escape across the street where
Jesus stripped bare
And raped the spirit he was supposed to nurture
In the name of my
In the name of my
Yeah
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, never a broken man
Born of a broken man, but not a broken man
@overthenever4262
Told of dreams on fronts of broken
midnight streams of naked lives
telling hopeless out of place truth's ,
In tha name of mine!
Hoping and throwing ropes for twisted
midnight dreams , in tha name of time!
In tha name of time
@overthenever4262
What I see ,
you are not me ! You try in the name
of mine to bring piece to a neighborhood
of shattered tears & misspelt fears .
I give blood while you take years , you
make pain when I spread hope and love!
your of a broken man ! The world of broken
men is not a state of mind but a state of
fear , a fear given to control . To control the
mind , the body , and to kill the spirit in you
in me in us all who come now before the
grate mother and to her I say ,
" Revolver "
@lostborgdrone
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing! He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord! forever!
psalm 23
amen ☝️🕋
@volkoff6357
My father is an abusive nassasict that I have cut out of my life. I now have a son of my own and put significant effort to ensure the line of abuse ends with me. My son will not be plagued with the same pain and anger that resides within me. I was born of a broken man, but an not a broken man. I love you, Wyatt.
"It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." -Frederick Douglass
@gregorygunther852
Respect to you! You're breaking the cycle of suffering and abuse not just for your son but for all who follow. You are truly a man. One's age does not guarantee manhood, it is one's deeds that do that. 🫶🏻💪🏻
@86thsamurai
21 years ago this song saved my life.
@mooseknuckle8334
We are all born broken men from broken men.
@tyler2755
Can relate
@overthenever4262
Love the name ,
🦌✊
I call my old boss
the knuckle's moose experess 🦞
@aquabob187
some of us were born gods
@mooseknuckle8334
@@aquabob187 Whatever helps you sleep at night.
@ananditotugarisman9122
Yeah as Phil said, "I'M BROKEENNN"
@evilbug555to666
Most underrated RATM song but one of my favourite RATM song as well
🔥🔥