Album: Evil Empire (1996)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Some Rage Against The Machine songs have specific targets, others are lyrical shotgun blasts, taking aim at oppression and injustice in general and calling for action. "Roll Right" fall into the later category.

    The band hoped that listeners would get interested in activism through their songs, and in the liner notes to the album, they included an extensive reading list for anyone looking to dive deeper. Books on that list include:

    Animal Farm by George Orwell
    A New Society: Reflections for Today's World by Che Guevara
    Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis
    Capital: A Critique of Political Economy Volume 1 by Karl Marx
  • Like many Rage songs, this one has a line that's forcefully repeated:

    Roll right! Roll call!
    And now we're alright, we're all calm!


    Lead singer Zack De La Rocha didn't often explain these, so it's open to interpretation. It probably doesn't mean moving to the right ideologically.
  • The line, "Send 'em to the seventh level!" is a reference to Dante's nine levels of hell. The seventh level is where warmongers went.
  • The song is part of Evil Empire, RATM's second album. It went straight to #1 when it was released in 1996, as did their next one, The Battle Of Los Angeles in 1999. The band, though, would often rage against each other, and they broke up in 2000. They staged two reunions but neither resulted in new music.

Comments: 1

  • Simon from London, England'Lick off the shot my stories shock ya like
    Ellison' Reference to Ralph Ellison who wrote the 'Invisible Man' in 1953 - a novel which addresses many of the social and intellectual issues facing the post-civil-war American Black identity.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.