Songfacts®:

• NOFX go reggae on "Eat The Meek," a big departure from the frantic punk sound they're known for. The song runs a leisurely 3:32, far longer than most of their tunes. Even though it's not at all typical of their sound, it's one of the band's most popular songs, played at most of their concerts.
• The title is a play on the phrase "eat the rich," a proletariat call-to-arms against inequality. The song flips the phrase to make it a satire of the upper classes getting rich off the poor. Perhaps the meek will win out in the end; the Bible says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
• The song opens with a blast of trumpet from band member El Hefe, who also plays guitar in the group. NOFX leader Fat Mike sings the lead vocal on the studio version, but El Hefe typically sings it when they perform the song live.
• "Eat The Meek" is the most enduring song from the seventh NOFX album, So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes. The album title comes from the Douglas Adams book So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish. They changed "fish" to "shoes" because it was not uncommon for fans to throw their shoes at the band during NOFX concerts.
• NOFX frontman Fax Mike cites this as an example of a deceptively complex song from the band. "'Eat The Meek,' which is a popular song of ours, has a 16-chord progression in the first verse and then a different 16-chord progression in the second verse, and a different 16-chord progression in the third verse," he told Songfacts. "No one notices. It's like Beatles songs – no one notices how complex they are. You just know they're good."
• The ska/reggae sound was big at this time and often crossed over to punk. Rancid, who like NOFX were signed to Epitaph Records, had a big hit with "Time Bomb." Goldfinger and Less Than Jake are other bands that merged pop and punk.