Lyrics to "In a World Gone Mad"

"In a World Gone Mad" by The Beastie Boys

[CHORUS]

In a world gone mad it's hard to think right
So much violence hate and spite
Murder going on all day and night
Due time we fight the non-violent fight

Mirrors, smokescreens and lies
It's not the politicians but their actions I despise
You and Saddam should kick it like back in the day
With the cocaine and Courvoisier
But you build more bombs as you get more bold
As your mid-life crisis war unfolds
All you want to do is take control
Now put that axis of evil bullshit on hold
Citizen rule number 2080
Politicians are shady
So people watch your back 'cause I think they smoke crack
I don't doubt it look at how they act

[CHORUS]
In a world gone mad it's hard to think right
So much violence hate and spite
Murder going on all day and night
Due time we fight the non-violent fight

First the 'War On Terror' now war on Iraq
We're reaching a point where we can't turn back
Let's lose the guns and let's lose the bombs
And stop the corporate contributions that their built upon
Well I'll be sleeping on your speeches 'til I start to snore
'Cause I won't carry guns for an oil war
As-Salamu alaikum, wa alaikum assalam
Peace to the Middle East peace to Islam
Now don't get us wrong 'cause we love America
But that's no reason to get hysterica
They're layin' on the syrup thick
We ain't waffles we ain't havin' it

[CHORUS]
In a world gone mad it's hard to think right
So much violence hate and spite
Murder going on all day and night
Due time we fight the non-violent fight
Now how many people must get killed?
For oil families pockets to get filled?
How many oil families get killed?
Not a damn one so what's the deal?

It's time to lead the way and de-escalate
Lose the weapons of mass destruction and the hate
Say ooh ah what's the White House doin'?
Oh no! Say, what they got brewing?!
Well I'm not pro Bush and I'm not pro Saddam
We need these fools to remain calm
George Bush you're looking like Zoo Lander
Trying to play tough for the camera
What am I on crazy pills? We've got to stop it
Get your hand out my grandma's pocket
We need health care more than going to war
You think it's democracy they're fighting for?

[CHORUS]
In a world gone mad it's hard to think right
So much violence hate and spite
Murder going on all day and night
Due time we fight the non-violent fight

"In a World Gone Mad" by The Beasie Boys

Final Song Analysis:

The Beastie Boys are a punk-turned-hip/hop band who got their start in the early 1980s. Although being mainly of the alternative hip-hop genre, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 due their major success.


The song “In a World Gone Made” was released by the Beastie Boys in 2003 as a free download on their website. The song is socially relevant to the time period of 9/11 and the Iraq War, and is entirely a protest of America’s involvement in the war. Not only is the song a great example of an anti-war protest, but it is also full of poetic devices. The song starts off with the title line stating “in a world gone mad” which is an example of personification. Also in the chorus, there is a paradox in the words “non-violent fight”. In the first verse there is a few allusions and alliteration. The line “You and Saddam should kick it like back in the day” is an allusion to how before 9/11, George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein had gotten along and the U.S. had even helped Iraq out by providing them with weapons in the Iraq/Iran War. The line “cocaine and Courvoisier” is both alliteration and an allusion to both the heavy drug growing and trade in Iraq, and to a brand of alcohol that is somewhat of a symbol in the hip-hop community made famous by stars like P. Diddy. Another allusion, “axis of evil”, references the speech George W. Bush made after 9/11 in which he referred to the countries of Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan as such. More alliteration is found in this verse in the line, “build more bombs as you get more bold”.

The second verse of the song also contributes many allusions and alliteration. Some of this alliteration includes, “corporate contributions”, “sleeping on your speeches”, and “alaikum assalam”. Another allusion is of the “oil war”, which relates to the feelings of many Americans at this particular time that America was really only in Iraq because of the oil they had there, and not because the country’s security was at stake. The Beastie Boys also throw a little humor and symbolism into their song with the line “They’re layin’ on the syrup thick/We ain’t waffles we ain’t havin’ it”. The “syrup” symbolizes all of the propaganda promoted by the government that surrounded the Iraq War. In addition, in the song’s bridge there is irony within the lines, “Now how many people must get killed? For oil families pockets to get filled? How many oil Families get killed? Not a damn one so what’s the deal?”. This is ironic because the Beastie Boys are poking fun at how the only people dying in Iraq are the soldiers and civilians who have nothing to do with the oil trade, which the Beastie Boys believe is fueling (no pun intended) the war in Iraq.

In the third and last verse, the Beastie Boys continue on with the allusions, saying that “George Bush you’re looking like Zoo Lander”, which is a reference to a Ben Stiller movie in which his character is sometimes made about to be a foolish model who is brainwashed to do bad things. The line “get your hand out my grandma’s pocket” is figurative language and also symbolism, for it represents the government’s excessive taxing of senior citizens to help pay for the war. Also in the last verse the line “we need health care more than going to war” is an understatement, because it is common sense that our government’s money should be spent on more important things than funding an unpopular war. The last line of the song, “You think it’s democracy they’re fighting for?” is ironic because of America’s representation as a model democratic society that only fights to convert other countries into democracies. Yet the Beastie Boys believe that America is not in Iraq and the Middle East to fight for freedom. The universal relevance of this song catapulted its popularity when it was released, mainly because it speaks out against the government, whom many Americans were beginning to lose faith in during that time.

Album Review

U2's "War"

The title of U2’s 1983 album “War” is self-explanatory. The entire disc is a compilation of songs that protest the wrong-doings and tragedies of war. With song titles such as “The Refugee” and “Surrender”, it is full of lyrics that make you think about the horrific things that happen in war. The album is a documentation mainly of the troubles in Northern Ireland during the 1980’s. The first song on the album is “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, the most profound example of anti-war activism within U2’s music. The song is a seemingly rock ballad against a military style drum beat. The lyrics speak of the Bloody Sunday incident in 1972 in which Irish civilians were shot by the British military in a brutal blood bath. The song made listeners aware without profiling U2 as radical protesters.


Throughout the album, a diverse combination of slow melody and harsh drum beats and guitar rifts can be heard. The songs “Seconds” and “New Years Day” both feature light melodies with thought-provoking (but not too thought-provoking) lyrics that quietly criticize the government and its ongoing wars. Nearing the end of the album, “Surrender” is lighter still. The lyrics talk of living on the streets and surviving poverty. In another direction, the song “The Refugee” has more of a punk-rock feel and again protests pointless fighting. It talks of a man going to war but “he don’t know what for”. While the songs of “War” can be completely different in melody, the purpose of their lyrics is the same: to promote awareness in Ireland and the world about the adversities of senseless wars.

99 Red Balloons - Goldfinger (Nena Cover)

Los Angeles punk-rock band Goldfinger may be only barely known for their own work, but are oppositely famous for their cover of German 1980s pop song. In the year 2000, Goldfinger recorded Nena’s “99 Luftballoons”, which translates in English into “99 Red Balloons”. The original song was a post-Cold War protest song. The original German song was extremely popular in Europe, and gained that same popularity in the United States; however, many Germans argued that the English translation of the song did not match up with the German. Although Nena is considered a one-hit-wonder band, both the German and English versions of “99 Red Balloons” are still played on U.S. radio today.


One of the most prominent poetic devices evident in “99 Red Balloons” is imagery. The title in itself is a great example. It is perfectly easy to picture dozens of red balloons floating in the sky. The song tells the story of a war-like reaction to ninety-nine balloons floating over the Berlin Wall, an allusion to the Cold War that was going on at this time. The song also alludes to the idea of a nuclear war, or World War III, happening. The line, “back at the base, bugs in the software” uses alliteration and also describes a military base recognizing the innocent red balloons as an attack. The line “panic lads, it’s a red alert” may also be an allusion to the Cold War and the “Red Scare”, or fear of communism, that was still going on in the United States.

In the fourth stanza, a “war machine” is personified as opening “one eager eye”. This is also symbolism of the world’s readiness to go to war at any time during this era. In the next stanza, the line “worry, worry, super-scurry/ call the troops out in a hurry” not only uses alliteration and rhyme, but also shows how one mistake in military radar can lead to an unnecessary panic. “The President is on the line/ as ninety-nine red balloons go by”, is ambiguous because “on the line” can either mean on a telephone line or on the line of fighting in war. The next line, “ninety-nine knights of the air/ riding super high-tech jet fighters”, uses imagery to portray military warfare. The song means to raise awareness of the dangers of war, not to glorify its equipment.

The last stanza of the lyrics read: “Now it’s all over and I’m standing pretty/ In this dust that was a city/ If I could find a souvenir/ Just to prove the world was here”. These last lines allude to the end of the world, or the so-called Apocalypse. The songwriter believes that nuclear warfare could be the cause of this. “Dust that was a city” uses imagery to show the destruction that war can result in. Nena’s purpose in creating this song was to make people aware of the threat of nuclear war during this time period. While many bands have covered this song over the years, Goldfinger’s version is significant because while it is sung in English, it also sings one verse in the original German.

Lyrics:
You and I, and a little toy shop

Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one, they were gone

Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, "Some thing's out there"
Floating in the summer sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic lads, it's a red alert
There's something here from somewhere else

The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine Decision Street
Ninety-nine ministers meet
To worry, worry, super-scurry
Call the troops out in a hurry

This is what we've waiting for
This is it boys, this is war
The President is on the line
As ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine knights of the air
Riding super high-tech jet fighters
Everyone's a super hero
Everyone's a Captain Kirk
With orders to identify, to clarify and classify
Scrambling in the summer sky
As ninety-nine red balloons go by
Ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine dreams I have had
Every one a red balloon
Now it's all over and I'm standin' pretty
In this dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon
I think of you and let it go


Goldfinger's Video for "99 Red Balloons"

Metallica: One

The Doors: The Unknown Soldier

Wait until the war is over

And we're both a little older
The unknown soldier

Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Unborn living, living, dead
Bullet strikes the helmet's head

And it's all over
For the unknown soldier
It's all over
For the unknown soldier
Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Comp'nee
Halt
Preeee-zent!
Arms!

Make a grave for the unknown soldier
Nestled in your hollow shoulder
The unknown soldier
Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Bullet strikes the helmet's head

And, it's all over
The war is over
It's all over
The war is over
Well, all over, baby
All over, baby
Oh, over, yeah
All over, baby
Wooooo, hah-hah
All over
All over, baby
Oh, woa-yeah
All over
All over
Heyy

Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2

Song Analysis

U2, which began as four teenagers jamming in a basement, is now regarded as the “World’s Biggest Band”. The Irish rock group from Dublin has pushed the boundaries of rock for over thirty years, and still has plenty of great music to put out there. Their lyrics have mostly focused on political and social awareness, as seen in some of their albums, War, Under a Blood Red Sky, and The Unforgettable Fire. One of the most well known songs off of War is “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, a powerful combination of poetry and storytelling that portrayed the horrors caused by the dangerous civil rights movement going on in Northern Ireland at the time.

Although this song is obviously a political protest song, Bono, the lead singer of U2, always made sure to note that it was “not a rebel song”. The lyrics are made up of alliteration, imagery, a creative rhyme scheme, and much symbolism. The line “broken bottles under children’s feet” is a great example of both alliteration and imagery used together. In an even more slightly morbid imaging, the next line “bodies strewn across the dead end street” gives the listener a grim picture of the violence that took place in Northern Ireland during this time period. Bono uses figurative language when he says “I won’t heed the battle call”; this means that he will not submit and join everyone else with the violence. Ambiguity is found in the line “there’s many lost, but tell me who has won”. “Many lost” can mean either the number of people who has died or mean who has lost the battle. Figurative language is found again in the line “the trench is dug within our hearts”, seeing as a trench could not literally be dug into some one’s heart. The trench can be a symbol for the heartbreak being experienced because of the war. Throughout the song Bono asks, “how long must we sing this song?”, really meaning: how long will this violence last? The entire song is an allusion to the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry, a city in Northern Ireland, where civil rights protesters were viciously shot and killed by British troops. This protest song is more of a peace promoting song than an anti-war one.

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” is one of U2’s signature songs, as well as one of the most performed on stage. Its social relevance and political stand-points makes it one of the most celebrated protest songs of its generation. It is not just a metaphor for peace, but also was an eye-opener to many people living in that time period to the horrific events that were going on in the world. Bono even emphasized his yearning for peace in his live performances of the song, during which he wrapped a white flag around his body. This gesture became a symbol for U2’s reputation as a socially outspoken, peace-keeping musical act.

Check out a video of U2 performing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" LIVE

Lyrics:

I can't believe the news today

Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away

How long
How long, must we sing this song
How long
How long
'Cause tonight
We can be as one
Tonight

Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
Torn apart

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

How long
How long, must we sing this song
How long
How long
'Cause tonight
We can be as one
Tonight


Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday



Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Oh, wipe your blood shot eyes
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday


And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday