RATM’s Zack De La Rocha Returns With Occupy Wall Street Poem

Rage Against the Machine/One Day as a Lion frontman Zack de la Rocha's lyrics have always embodied the struggle of the people against government/corporate corruption and oppression. While we don't hear many new songs from Zack these days, he proved he's still got it by posting a poem about the Occupy Wall Street protests.

For a while it looked like Zack de la Rocha was going to become the next Axl Rose -- disappearing from music for nearly a decade after the split of Rage Against the Machine. Finally Zack started doing some shows with Rage again and came back with new material on his One Day as a Lion EP in 2008.

Fast forward to 2011 where the Occupy Wall Street movement has been on for months. This seems like the type of thing RATM would've been all about, in fact, Rage guitarist Tom Morello has been performing at several of the Occupy protests and is a firm supporter of the cause. The band is no stranger to causing problems on Wall Street -- The New York Stock Exchange was forced to close it's doors when Rage shot their video for 'Sleep Now in the Fire' years ago. Morello told us recently that Zack has been hard at work new music with One Day as a Lion, but de la Rocha still managed to pen this poem in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement:

“This poem is dedicated to the Occupy movement whose courage is changing the world. Stay Strong. We are winning.” – Zack de la Rocha

The beginning spills through city veins
Into the arteries
And under powers poison clouds
We move like the shadows
Through the alley ways
Through nightmares bought and sold as dreams
Through barren factories
Through boarded schools
Through rotting fields
Through the burning doors of the past
Through imaginations exploding
To break the curfews in our minds
Our actions awaken dreams of actions multiplied
A restless fury
Once buried like burning embers
Left alone to smolder
But together stacked under the walls of a dying order
All sparks are counted
Calloused hands raised in silence
Over the bonfire of hope unincorporated
It’s flame restores tomorrows meaning
Across the graveyards of hollow promises
As gold dipped vultures pick at what is left of our denial
And the youngest among us
Stare at us stoned like eyes determined
And say
Death for us may come early
Cause dignity has no price
At the corner of now and nowhere
Anywhere
Everywhere
Tomorrow is calling
Tomorrow is calling
Do not be afraid