Stormtroopers Of Death includes the famous Billy Milano (M.O.D.) on vocals, Scott Ian on guitar and Charlie Benante on drums (both of Anthrax fame). Also, bassist Dan Lilker has been in many other underground metal bands, including Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault, Exit-13 and early Anthrax among others.
S.O.D. don’t always write songs to anger, but often pen lyrics to amuse. For instance, in response to their (misconstrued) earlier lyrics, S.O.D. wrote the politically-correct (and Agnostic Front-esque) We All Bleed Red: a track that condemns racists and racism. Also, S.O.D. include healthy doses of humor for the metal fan, poking fun at Slayer (Seasoning the Obese), Celtic Frost (Celtic Frosted Flakes), and King Diamond/Mercyful Fate (King at the King/Evil Is In). The cover to Bigger Than the Devil is a tribute to the classic Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden.
From The BNR Metal Pages (http://www.bnrmetal.com/):
“06/25/2002 : Following personal disputes between Billy Milano and the two Anthrax members (Scott Ian and Charlie Benante) concerning the “Behind The Music” VH-1 program on Anthrax (Milano felt that Danny Lilker was slighted) the band is once again disbanded. “
Speak English Or Die
S.O.D. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't get real jobs
Boats and boats and boats of you
Go home you fuckin' slobs
Selling hot dogs on the corner
Selling papers in the street
Pushing, pulling, digging, sweating
Where you come from must be beat
[CHORUS]
You always make us wait
You're the ones we hate
You can't communicate
Speak English Or Die
You don't know what I want
You don't know what I need
Why must I repeat myself
Can't you fuckin' read?
Nice fuckin' accents
Why can't you speak like me
What's that dot on you head,
Do you use it to see??
[CHORUS-MOSH PART-CHORUS]
The song 'Speak English or Die' by S.O.D is an extremely controversial song with extremely offensive and racist lyrics. The song is a commentary on the US's attitudes towards immigrants from non-English speaking countries who come to the US to find work and build a better life for themselves. The lyrics suggest that English is the only language that should be spoken in America, and immigrants who cannot speak English should go back to where they came from.
The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the track. It starts with an assertion that the immigrants are taking jobs from native Americans. The language used to describe the immigrants is also derogatory, suggesting that they are lazy and dirty. The chorus of the song repeats the line 'Speak English or Die' multiple times, highlighting the unacceptability of non-English speakers in the country. The song also suggests that immigrants don't understand American customs, language, or culture, and they should simply go back to where they came from.
The song can be seen as a critique of the anti-immigration sentiment that was prevalent in the US during the late 80s and early 90s. The lyrics depict a level of hatred towards non-English-speaking immigrants that is hard to fathom today, and the song has been widely criticized for its racist and offensive content. Despite this, it remains a popular song among fans of thrash metal and has garnered a cult following.
Line by Line Meaning
You come into this country
We do not want immigrants coming into our country.
You can't get real jobs
Immigrants are not wanted because they take away jobs from natural-born citizens.
Boats and boats and boats of you
There are way too many immigrants coming in, and it needs to stop.
Go home you fuckin' slobs
Immigrants are lazy and are not welcome in this country.
Selling hot dogs on the corner
Immigrants only do menial jobs and are not contributing to society.
Selling papers in the street
Immigrants are only good at selling little things and are not helping the economy.
Pushing, pulling, digging, sweating
Immigrants only do the physical jobs that natural-born citizens don't want to do.
Where you come from must be beat
Immigrants come from terrible countries, and therefore they are not good enough to be in our country.
[CHORUS]
No matter what, we will always hate immigrants.
You always make us wait
Immigrants only cause problems and are always making things harder for us.
You're the ones we hate
Immigrants are the cause of all the problems in our country.
You can't communicate
Immigrants do not speak English and therefore are a burden on society.
Speak English Or Die
We demand that all immigrants speak English, or they will not be able to survive in our country.
You don't know what I want
Immigrants cannot understand our needs and desires.
You don't know what I need
Immigrants do not know how to serve us because they are not from here.
Why must I repeat myself
Immigrants are stupid and do not understand simple directions.
Can't you fuckin' read?
Immigrants cannot read because they are not educated enough.
Nice fuckin' accents
Immigrants have embarrassing accents and we do not want to hear them.
Why can't you speak like me
Immigrants should speak like natural-born citizens if they want to fit in.
What's that dot on you head,
Immigrants have strange customs and practices that we do not understand.
Do you use it to see??
We make fun of immigrants' religious customs because we believe they are backwards and uneducated.
[CHORUS-MOSH PART-CHORUS]
We will continue to hate immigrants no matter what.
Contributed by Katherine F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.