Know Your Enemy
Rage Against the Machine Lyrics

Huh
This line is an expressive interjection with no deep meaning

Yeah, we're comin' back in with another bomb track
The band is releasing another powerful track

Think ya know what it's all about, huh
Challenging the audience to really understand the song's message

Ayo, so check this out, yeah
Asking the audience to pay attention to the lyrics that follow

Know your enemy
Recognize your adversary and understand their motives and actions

Come on
Encouraging the audience to embrace the message

Born with insight and a raised fist
As someone who is aware and ready to fight for their beliefs

A witness to the slit wrist, as we move into '92
Having seen the hurt caused by society and carrying that into the next decade

Still in a room without a view
Feeling trapped and confined in a world that doesn't prioritize their beliefs

Ya got to know, ya got to know
Stressing the importance of recognizing and understanding one's enemy

That when I say go, go, go
Urging action and momentum towards a fight against the enemy

Amp up and amplify, defy
Increasing the intensity and volume of one's message while opposing authority

I'm a brother with a furious mind
A person who is enraged and determined to take action

Action must be taken
Urging for definitive action against one's enemy

We don't need the key, we'll break in
Finding a way to defeat the enemy without their support or approval

Something must be done
Expressing a sense of urgency and a need for change

About vengeance, a badge and a gun
Taking action against those who use violence to oppress others

'Cause I'll rip the mic, rip the stage, rip the system
Vowing to rebel and challenge the current system of power

I was born to rage against 'em
This person has always been inclined and ready to fight their oppressors

Fist in ya face in the place
Symbolically assaulting enemies with a raised fist

And I'll drop the style clearly
Communicating his message with clarity

Know your enemy
Reiterating the importance of understanding one's adversary

Ayo, get with this, uh
Encouraging audiences to understand and embrace this message

Word is born
This is a message of truth

Fight the war, fuck the norm
Encouraging rebellion against oppressive norms

Now I got no patience
This singer has no more tolerance for the status quo

So sick of complacence
Tired of seeing people be content with oppression

With the D the E the F the I the A the N the C the E
Using spelling to emphasize the importance of defiance

Mind of a revolutionary
Thinking with the ideas of someone seeking major societal change

So clear the lane
Get out of the way or move aside

The finger to the land of the chains
Expressing an obscene gesture towards the companies and people who profit from oppression

What? "The land of the free"?
Sarcastically questioning whether or not America is really a free country

Whoever told you that is your enemy
Challenging false messages that oppress people and calling out their source as the real enemy

Sick of, sick of, sick of, sick of you
Fed up with people who perpetuate oppressive systems

Time has come to pay
The consequences are finally coming for those who profit from and perpetuate oppression

Yes, I know my enemies
The singer has taken the time to truly understand their opposition

They're the teachers who taught me to fight me
Realizing that those who were meant to educate and guide have instead driven people to rebel

Compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission
Listing the oppressive norms that people are expected to follow

Ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite
Listing the oppressive values that people are expected to accept

All of which are American dreams
Calling out the idea that these expectations are the hallmark of the American Dream

All of which are American dreams
Reiterating that these are not just societal norms, but rather the ideal of American culture

All of which are American dreams
The repetition underscores the idea that these are deeply ingrained in American society and culture

All of which are American dreams
The singer wants to emphasize that these oppressive ideas are not just dreams but a reality for many Americans

All of which are American dreams
Emphasizing that to know your enemy is to recognize how pervasive and powerful these oppressive norms are in the US

All of which are American dreams
Reiterating the message that these are the ideas that need to be fought against