Tom's solo is also notable as he simply uses feedback from the amp, along with using his whammy bar to adjust the pitch of the feedback. By flicking his toggle switch on and off, he is able to create the high-pitched solo. At the end of the song, there is some sound from a Korean radio station that guitarist Tom Morello picked up on his amp.
The video was nominated at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rock Video but lost to Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff", causing the infamous incident where bassist Tim Commerford climbed on a large piece of the award show set. Commerford later stated he had pulled the stunt in protest that cameras at the awards show were already hovering over Limp Bizkit before anything was even announced, with which he disagreed.
Sleep Now in the Fire
Rage Against the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The cost of my desire
Jesus blessed me with its future
And I protect it with fire
So raise your fists
And march around
Don't dare take what you need
I'll jail and bury those committed
Crawl with me into tomorrow
Or I'll drag you to your grave
I'm deep inside your children
They'll betray you in my name
Sleep now in the fire
The lie is my expense
The scope of my desire
The Party blessed me with its future
And I protect it with fire
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
And the fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire
For it's the end of history
It's caged and frozen still
There is no other pill to take
So swallow the one
That made you ill
The Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
The fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire
In the song "Sleep Now in the Fire" by Rage Against the Machine, the lyrics are a critical view of the world economic order, where the accumulation of power and wealth is the ultimate goal. The lyrics suggest that Jesus has blessed the world, but instead of using it for the benefit of all, it becomes fuel for the greed of the privileged few. The singer believes that the economic system is designed to protect the powerful and the elite, and they will do whatever it takes to maintain their status, even if it means burying those who oppose them.
The lyrics also mention famous historical figures who represent oppression and domination. The Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were the three ships that Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic when he "discovered" America. The noose and the rapist represent the legacy of lynching and sexual violence against people of color in America. The fields overseer refers to the slave owners who exploited black labor in the southern states. The agents of orange are a reference to the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, which caused massive ecological and human damage, and the priests of Hiroshima refer to the atomic bombing of Japan. All of these events are examples of the cost of desire for power and domination.
"Sleep Now in the Fire" is a call to action, encouraging listeners to join in the struggle against the current system. The dark, vivid and forceful words used by the singer serve as a warning that if something is not done soon, the world will be consumed by this fire of greed.
Line by Line Meaning
The world is my expense
The expenses I incur are so vast that they can be described to be impacting the entire world.
The cost of my desire
The expenses come from my strong and intense desires.
Jesus blessed me with its future
I consider myself to have been blessed as I have great plans for the future.
And I protect it with fire
I will go to great lengths to protect my plans.
So raise your fists
I command you to show your loyalty and support for my cause.
And march around
I want you to be vocal and be a part of my movement.
Don't dare take what you need
Under no circumstances should you be selfish and take what you want.
I'll jail and bury those committed
I will harshly punish those who don't conform to my ways.
And smother the rest in greed
Those who don't share my goals and are not punished, will eventually be pushed into a life of greed and ambition.
Crawl with me into tomorrow
I want you to be a part of my future.
Or I'll drag you to your grave
Join me willingly or face the consequences.
I'm deep inside your children
I have deeply influenced the younger generations.
They'll betray you in my name
They will turn on you and hurt you, all for my cause.
The lie is my expense
The cost of my aspirations come from the foundation of deceit.
The scope of my desire
The range of my desires extends beyond what is practical and realistic.
The Party blessed me with its future
The political party I belong to has promised a better future.
And I protect it with fire
I will ensure that my political party's future is safe and secure.
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
I am the conquering force, much like how civilization was brought to other parts of the world.
The noose and the rapist
I have power like the hangman and the sexual predator.
And the fields overseer
I have the authority over people's livelihoods.
The agents of orange
I am capable of producing destruction and violence, much like the Vietnam War.
The priests of Hiroshima
I have the power to bring devastation and death.
For it's the end of history
The current situation has reached its climax and will reshape the future.
It's caged and frozen still
The current state is stagnant and has been halted.
There is no other pill to take
There is no other option to change the present state.
So swallow the one
Take the only option you have in order to move forward.
That made you ill
Even though it may not seem like the best option, it is the only one.
Sleep now in the fire
Accept the situation and deal with the consequences.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRAD J. WILK, THOMAS B. MORELLO, TIMOTHY COMMERFORD, ZACK M. DE LA ROCHA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ángel Loaiza
LETRA :The world is my expense
The cost of my desire
Jesus blessed me with its future
And I protect it with fire
So raise your fists
And march around
Don't dare take what you need
I'll jail and bury those committed
And smother the rest in greed
Crawl with me into tomorrow
Or I'll drag you to your grave
I'm deep inside your children
They'll betray you in my name
Sleep now in the fire
The lie is my expense
The scope of my desire
The Party blessed me with its future
And I protect it with fire
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
And the fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire
For it's the end of history
It's caged and frozen still
There is no other pill to take
So swallow the one
That made you ill
The Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
The fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Nigel Cicero
That "No money was harmed" at the end is fucking legendary.
XenoKaiju
Shame I can't see it with these frikkin' link cards at the end. Damn YouTube -_-
Scott Ord
If I hadn't read the above comment, I would have missed that gem - cheers!
Ray Grenade
It’s illegal to destroy money !
Blair Dawson
They knew what the goblist etiltes where up to 20 year timeframe
Kaan
RATM is way ahead of our times. Every single song they made back in 90's means too much and fit so good in these days 2020-2021.
kat
Nah not ahead of their times, it's just the problem never went away.
C D
@kat ^^^^^ Exactly. I honestly kind of hate when people say this lol. Same exact thing is all over the comment section of 6:00 by grandson and it gets irritating
Kaan
@kat They so are. They are not like other " love " lyrics bands or whatever. I wasn't that awake when I used to listen them back of 90's. Had no idea about their lyrics but just enjoyed with their sound. Now whenever I listen them it really makes sense.
Maybe it's been always same to you but not to me and I'm sure there are many people just like me.
So again I repeat, they are way ahead of our times. That's what/how I think.
Michael DeFeo
Without a doubt Dude. I'm totally with you on that one.