Take the Power Back
Producers
Take the Power Back Lyrics
(Crank the music up)
Bring that shit in, uh
Yeah, the movement's in motion with massive militant poetry
Now check this out, uh
[Verse 1]
In the right light, study becomes insight
But the system that dissed us, teaches us to read and write
So-called facts are fraud
They want us to allege and pledge and bow down to their god
Lost the culture, the culture lost
Spun our minds and through time, ignorance has taken over
Yo, we gotta take the power back
Bam, here's the plan
Motherfuck Uncle Sam, step back, I know who I am
Raise up your ear, I'll drop the style and clear
It's the beats and the lyrics they fear
The rage is relentless
We need a movement with a quickness
You are the witness of change and to counteract
We gotta take the power back
[Chorus]
Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on
Yeah, we gotta take the power back
The present curriculum, I put my fist in 'em
Eurocentric, every last one of 'em
See right through the red, white, and blue disguise
With lecture I puncture the structure of lies
Installed in our minds and attempting to hold us back
We've got to take it back
Holes in our spirit causing tears and fears
One-sided stories for years and years and years
I'm inferior? Who's inferior?
Yeah, we need to check the interior
Of the system who cares about only one culture
And that, is why we gotta take the power back
[Chorus]
Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on
Yeah, we gotta take the power back
[Interlude 1]
Ayo check, we're gonna have to break it
Break it, break it down, aw shit
[Guitar Solo]
[Interlude 2]
And like this
Uh! Come on
Yeah, bring it back the other way
Uh
The teacher stands in front of the class
But the lesson plan he can't recall
The student's eyes don't perceive the lies
Bouncing off every fucking wall
His composure is well kept
I guess he fears playing the fool
The complacent students sit
And listen to that bullshit that he'd learned in school
Europe ain't my rope to swing on
Can't learn a thing from it, yet we hang from it
(Gotta get it, gotta get it together then
Like the motherfuckin' Weathermen)
Expose and close the doors on those who try
To strangle and mangle the truth
'Cause the circle of hatred continues unless we react
We gotta take the power back
[Chorus]
Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on
Yeah, we gotta take the power back
[Bridge]
No more lies
No more lies
No more lies
No more lies
No more lies
No more lies
No more lies
No more lies
Uh! Yeah
Take it back, y'all
Take it back, a-take it back, a-take it back, y'all
Come on, take it back, y'all
Take it back, a-take it back, a-take it back, y'all
Come on, uh! Yeah
About
Rage Against the Machine are famous for their revolutionary activism and left-wing political views which form the foundations of the band. Using music as a vehicle for social activism, their lyrical themes have often critiqued the domestic and foreign policies of current and former US governments. Speaking on the significance of music as the primary medium for revolution, frontman Zack de la Rocha emphasised that
music has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges and to establish real dialogue.
De la Rocha argues that the current political, social and cultural systems within the United States are immoral in today’s society. With this in mind, “Take the Power Back” serves as a message to empower individuals to reclaim power from the government so it can be returned to the people. However, this must be achieved through self-education – lies are bred at the hands of capitalist media and schooling is heavily Eurocentric so we must educate ourselves on our own cultures and those of minorities.
During the 2000 Democratic National Convention, Rage Against the Machine held a free concert in protest of the two party system. De la Rocha told the crowd:
Brothers and sisters, all electoral freedoms in this country are over so long as it’s controlled by corporations. Brothers and sisters, we are not going to allow these streets to be taken over by the Democrats or the Republicans. Because it’s all of us who have built this city, and we can tear it down unless they give us what we need
“Take the Power Back” later appeared on a cryptic webpage as the slogan for the supergroup Prophets of Rage.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning