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.
Roll Right
Rage Against the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Main line adrenaline Gaza to Tienanmen
From the basement I'm dwellin' in
I cock back tha sling to stone a settler
And breaks him off clean, call me the upsetter
Here comes the hands on the leashes
The cross, the capital, the pale families, the fear and the mouthpieces
The single sista lynch
And the master's drums echo, echo, echo, echo, echo, echo
Roll right! Roll call!
But now we're alright, we're all calm!
Roll right! Roll call!
And now we're alright, we're all calm!
This hits like fists bomb with the left and don't miss
With the sickest stilo I spark fear like pigs in the park
Head crack, I hijack the papers
The vapors caught fire up in your mind
Come back rewind one time
Here comes the hands on the leashes
The cross, the capital, the pale families, the fear and the mouthpieces
The single sista lynch
The cell doors crash
And the master's drums echo, echo, echo, echo, echo, echo
Roll right! Roll call!
But now we're alright, we're all calm!
Roll right! Roll call!
We gotta take 'em to tha seventh level
We gotta take 'em to tha seventh level
For their lives and my lives were never settled
Come on, don't freeze when zero hour comes
Come on, come on, don't freeze when zero hour comes
Come on
Send 'em to tha seventh level!
Send 'em to tha seventh level!
Send 'em to tha seventh level!
Send 'em to tha seventh level!
For their lives and my lives were never settled
In the song "Roll Right" by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine, the lyrics describe the powerful imagery of resistance against dominant societal forces. The opening lines urge the listener to pay attention to the singer's words, comparing them to writer Ralph Ellison's shocking stories. The following lines describe the adrenaline-fueled rush of protest movements from Gaza to Tienanmen Square. The singer then positions himself in the basement, ready to take aim and launch his words like stones at colonial settlers. The repeated refrain of "Roll right! Roll call!" calls listeners to take action with the singer, to band together and rise up against oppressive forces.
Throughout the verse, the image of hands on leashes represents the controlling forces that manipulate and subjugate the masses. The references to the cross and the capital evoke religious and political power structures, while "pale families" invoke white supremacy. The "single sista lynch" line alludes to the lynching of black women and the intersection of race and gender in systemic oppression. The use of "echo, echo" echoes the militaristic pounding of drums, invoking the call to action for listeners to join the singer in the struggle.
The final lines of the song call for collective resistance, urging listeners to "take 'em to the seventh level". This phrase alludes to both biblical imagery and the idea of transcending the current societal structures. The repetition of the phrase "send 'em to the seventh level" reinforces the message that in order to move forward, dominant systems of oppression must be dismantled.
Overall, "Roll Right" is a call to action for listeners to recognize and resist the forces that are responsible for societal subjugation – to band together, rise up, and fight.
Line by Line Meaning
Lick off the shot my stories shock ya like Ellison
My rap verses are so powerful, they'll stun you like the works of Ralph Ellison.
Main line adrenaline Gaza to Tienanmen
I ride the surge of intensity from warzones like Gaza to uprisings like Tienanmen Square.
From the basement I'm dwellin' in
I cock back tha sling to stone a settler
And breaks him off clean, call me the upsetter
My radical views were formed in the hidden depths, but I'm ready to take action against oppressive folks, and do it with precision.
Here comes the hands on the leashes
The cross, the capital, the pale families, the fear and the mouthpieces
The single sista lynch
The cell doors crash
And the master's drums echo, echo, echo, echo, echo, echo
Oppressors are closing in, including religious leaders, corporate powers, racist factions, and propaganda machines, while violence and imprisonment intensifies, and a dominant message continues to echo.
Roll right! Roll call!
But now we're alright, we're all calm!
Roll right! Roll call!
And now we're alright, we're all calm!
Despite extreme circumstances, we remain confident and united, and refuse to panic or waver.
This hits like fists bomb with the left and don't miss
With the sickest stilo I spark fear like pigs in the park
Head crack, I hijack the papers
The vapors caught fire up in your mind
Come back rewind one time
My rhymes are like explosive punches, striking fear in the hearts of authority figures. I expose the flaws and corruption of media outlets, and generate intense thought and emotion in my listeners.
We gotta take 'em to tha seventh level
For their lives and my lives were never settled
Come on, don't freeze when zero hour comes
Come on, come on, don't freeze when zero hour comes
Come on
We must push towards a higher level of understanding and action, because there is still a great degree of injustice and suffering. We cannot hesitate when the most critical moments arrive.
Send 'em to tha seventh level!
Send 'em to tha seventh level!
Send 'em to tha seventh level!
Send 'em to tha seventh level!
For their lives and my lives were never settled
Let's raise the game and elevate the discourse, because we deserve better than these oppressive systems that have always given us a raw deal.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: COMMERFORD, DE LA ROCHA, MORELLO, WILK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind