Sleep Now in the Fire
Producers
Sleep Now in the Fire Lyrics
Yeah
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
Just don't 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
[Chorus]
Hey, hey
Sleep now in the fire
Hey, hey
Sleep now in the fire
[Verse 2]
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 Niña, 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
[Chorus]
Hey, hey
Sleep now in the fire
Hey, hey, hey
Sleep now in the fire
[Verse 3]
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 makes you ill
[Pre-Chorus]
The Niña, 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
Yeah
[Outro]
Sleep now in the fire
Sleep now in the fire
Sleep now in the fire
Sleep now in the fire
About
“Sleep Now in the Fire” is the fifth track from the 1999 album The Battle of Los Angeles by the band Rage Against the Machine. It was released as a single on November 4, 1999. The song contains lyrics about greed, such as the conquest of Native Americans, Christopher Columbus' voyage by Nina, the Pinta, and Santa Maria and U.S. slavery in the 19th century as well as criticism of actions taken by the US government in wartime, including the bombing of Hiroshima and the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. The guitar riff is a reworking of The Stooges TV Eye, from 1970s Fun House. The song’s main riff is similar to Nirvana’s 1991 song, “Breed”; although Sleep Now In The Fire is one and a half pitch higher.
Guitarist Tom Morello’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 recording, a Korean radio station is heard coming from Morello’s amplifier.
Q&A
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