Think the world can be Black, White and Jew?
PEACEMAKER DIE,
Mr. Righteous One
You say you have this plan?
If we care to understand
PEACEMAKER DIE,
Mr. Nice Guy
You dare to speak the truth?
I'll twist and turn it into lies
Blessed are the warmongers,
Blessed are the warmongers
For they shall be called,
Man-made Gods
PEACEMAKER DIE,
PEACEMAKER DIE,
PEACEMAKER DIE,
I DON'T KNOW WHY?
PEACEMAKER DIE,
PEACEMAKER DIE,
PEACEMAKER DIE,
PEACEMAKER DIE,
PEACEMAKER DIE,
I DON'T KNOW WHY?
PEACEMAKER DIE,
Mr. Goody Two
Do you really thing the world
Can be Black, White, and Jew?
PEACEMAKER DIE,
Mr. Music Man
Don't turn your back on me?
Cause I'm the one with the gun
Blessed are the warmongers,
Blessed are the warmongers,
For they shall be called,
Sons of God
I have a dream this afternoon,
That the brotherhood of man,
Will become a reality
In this day, with this faith,
I will go out and,
Carve the tunnel of hope,
Through the mountain of despair
With this faith,
I will go out with you and,
Transform dark yesterdays
Into bright tomorrows
With this faith,
We will be able to achieve
This new day
When all of God's children,
Black men and white men,
Jews and gentiles,
Protestants and Catholics
Will be able to join hands
And sing with the negroes,
In the spiritual of old
Free at last, free at last,
Thank God almighty,
We're free at last.
Chorus
This is a song written by Extreme in 1992. The last part of it you might recognize as Martin Luther King Junior's "I have a dream" speech. This song portrays an incredible message of racial toleration. But how could it be encouraging racial toleration when its main line is "Peacemaker Die?" That's the beauty of this song. Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, the song's writers, used irony to appeal to logos. This song is written from the point of view of the assassinators of King, almost in a form of mockery. With phrases like "Blessed are the warmongers for they shall be called man-made gods," they really make you realize how stupid racism really is. It almost completely destroys any logic for being racist.
They also used several rhetorical questions. "Think the world can be Black, White and Jew?" is the opening line and immediately makes you think and wonder what the song is going to be about. This is interesting because it is an ironic rhetorical question. They used two figures of language in one!
The last thing I wanted to talk about is the usage of King's speech. This is played as the climax of the song, and up until that point, you aren't sure what the song is talking about. As soon as the speech starts rolling you understand, "oh, so that's what this song is about!" I think of this as imagery, appealing to pathos. I think that this speech holds a special place in many peoples' hearts, and it creates a very emotional atmosphere mixed with the music playing in the background. This is probably one of the most rhetorical songs I have ever heard. It definitely affects its audience using several rhetorical tools in order to motivate all to be a little more tolerant of our neighbors.
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6 comments:
I have never heard this song before. It seems like there is a lot of anger and rage in this words. It almost seems like there is violence amidst this song.
I think when an artist uses irony and makes you really think about the song, then they song becomes more meaningful. I also think it is really neat that the artist used Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech to get their message across. Using the speech in their song would definately catch a listener's attention.
I think this is a very interesting song. It definately does a good job proving its point by using the speech in the background at the end. I think you did a good job analyzing the rhetorical tools they used.
I was also very confused what this song was trying to say, until I read the last part, Martin's speech. The song is very different, and I like it's message.
I know, isn't the irony of it just amazing? It really just drives the point in with a hard hit. It is even better with the music they play and I suggest you all look up this song and listen to it for yourselves.
Wow, I think I am going to go listen to this song now. I don't think I have heard it before. But the lyrics and message from this song sound great. The use of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech seems really effective. Interesting stuff. And good analysis as well. You did a great job critically thinking about this song.
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