Know Your Enemy (song)

Song infobox
Name = Know Your Enemy


Artist = Rage Against the Machine
Album = Rage Against the Machine
Released = November 3, 1992
track_no = 6
Genre = Alternative metal
Length = 4:55
Writer = Zack de la Rocha
Composer = Rage Against the Machine
Label = Epic Records
Producer = Garth 'GGGarth' Richardson, Rage Against the Machine
prev = "Bullet in the Head"
prev_no = 5
next = "Wake Up"
next_no = 7
Audio_sample? = Listen|filename=Know Your Enemy.ogg|title="Know Your Enemy"|description=Short sample of "Know Your Enemy"|format=Ogg"Know Your Enemy" is a song by the American metal band Rage Against the Machine. It features Maynard James Keenan on vocals during the bridge section.

Political statements

The song's main message is that the American government touts itself as the land of the free, but lies and takes freedom away. That message is evident in lines such as, "What? The land of the free? Whoever told you that is your enemy!", "As we move into '92, still in a room without a view!" and "Yes I know my enemies! They're the teachers that taught me to fight me." The song ends with the following lines:blockquote|"Compromise
Conformity
Assimilation
Submission
Ignorance
Hypocrisy
Brutality
The Elite
All of which are American dreams" [x8]

Beat

The song is in 4/4. In the opening of the song, Tom Morello uses his guitar's toggle switch to switch between a pickup that is turned off, and one that is on, to create a tremolo effect. This is similar to the "transform" effect used by hip-hop DJs from whom Morello took much of his inspiration.Fact|date=March 2007 After this, it starts up in a fast paced riff, which leads into the verse, another fast paced riff centred upon the bass guitar. The chorus then returns to the original riff again, and then returns back to the verse. Then, the song goes into a slower, 4/4 beat with trance-like vocals (performed by Maynard James Keenan of Tool), which are brought to an end by Tom Morello's guitar solo using the Digitech Whammy Pedal (as well as the toggle switch technique later in the solo). The song ends with the original riff.

Chorus

The chorus features a riff by Morello followed by repetitions of the phrase "Know Your Enemy".