You Know What You Are?

Album: The Land Of Rape And Honey (1988)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The opening creepy laugh in this song (which pans left and right in the speakers) is a sample from the bartender scene in Clint Eastwood's movie A Fistful of Dollars. Other movie clips in the song are from Platoon ("Come on, motherf--kers!"), Aliens ("Die, Motherf--ker!") and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ("You know what you are?"). Regarding his habit of sampling movies, Al Jourgensen of Ministry told us: "The thing is with sampling, you have to be creative. You can't just use the obvious, or something that's going to get you in legal trouble. When we first started sampling, there were no rules. It was like the Wild West. So I could sample off Apocalypse Now and Platoon and all this other stuff that I had, obvious stuff. But then you had to start getting a little more clever, because lawyers get involved. And lawyers suck."

Comments: 1

  • AnonymousAgro classic! "Oh my God, my f--king arm!!!" also from Platoon @ 1:45
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Bob Daisley

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Al Jourgensen of Ministry

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.

Linda Perry

Linda PerrySongwriter Interviews

Songwriting Hall of Famer Linda Perry talks about her songs "What's Up" and "Beautiful," her songwriting process, and her move into film music.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock Photography

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?