Rage Against the Machine

Released: December 5, 2000

Songwriter: Bob Dylan

Producer: Rage Against the Machine Rick Rubin

[Note: cover of Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" with lyric changes]

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more
Well, I wake up in the morning, fold my hands, and pray for rain
I got a head full of ideas that are drivin' me insane
It's a shame, the way she makes me
Scrub the floor
I ain't gonna work on, nah
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Nah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Well, he hands you a nickel, and he hands you a dime
And he asks you with a grin, if you're havin' a good time
Then he fines you every time you slam the door
I ain't gonna work for, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigar out in your face just for kicks
His bedroom window, it is made out of bricks
The National Guard .stands around his door
I ain't gonna work for, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
Well, she talks to all the servants about man and God and law
And everybody says she's the brains behind ma
She's sixty-eight but she says she's twenty-four
I ain't gonna work for, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more

[Guitar riff]

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more
Well, I try my best to be just like I am
But everybody wants you
To be just like them
They sing while they slave, and I just get bored
I ain't gonna work on, nah
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more

Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, Rage Against the Machine are critically acclaimed for their aggressive, politically charged rhymes. During the 1990s, they found huge success with their politicised image, broad array of influences and punk attitudes. The band represents an important intersection in 90s culture – between the musical expression of urban black rebels (hip-hop, funk) and their white counterpart (metal, punk rock).

Accompanying a musical fusion of punk, hip-hop and metal, the lyricism of frontman Zack de la Rocha provides a fiery critique of corporate America, government oppression, and cultural imperialism. Both de la Rocha and guitarist Tom Morello were born into activist families, influential to shaping the band’s political views and activism. De la Rocha’s father devoted his artistic work to Chicano causes, and Morello was raised by a civil rights activist mother and a Kenyan rebel-turned-diplomat father.

Rage Against the Machine view their music as a vehicle for social activism, and de la Rocha has explained this by

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