One Man Revolution

2007 | Folk

Spotify | Amazon

“Ten trials whose outcomes all fixed from the start. -- Nine judges sitting counting their money in the dark."

Trivia

• The Nightwatchman is the pseudonym Morello used to perform his political folk songs at open mics.
• Morello was also a touring musician with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
• Thomas Baptiste Morello is a musician, singer, songwriter, actor and political activist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave.

THE HOT TAKES

Luke Tatum

The injustice of fixed trials. The rebellion of a worn, stolid man. This is a song that stays with you. The imagery of judges counting their payoff money and contrasted against a man who seems dead-set on returning to his loved one. The counting down from ten to one might remind you of a Christmas carol, but this is far too somber a song for that to get in the way. It also seems to suggest the countdown to the end for this man. He wil never turn or bend, but he may be stopped by the law for his past crimes. This is an open-ended question, of course, but it seems we are led to believe that the hero here is a righteous one, choosing morality over legality and living according to his own principles. This is a great way to end the year, because our task in trying to share our political ideology can be tiresome. We can have what seems like the entire world against us. But it's a fight worth fighting, and so we fight.

Nicky P

It's no secret how i feel about Tom Morello and Rage Against The Machine. Over-rated Commie Trash comes to mind...but maybe I say that just to trigger people. Personally I'd rather listen to The Night Watchmen stuff any day of the week. This particular song I think gets to the core of the rot of our criminal justice system. The song seems to be about a vigilante fighting back against the very real humans that make our system corrupt. My favorite line in the song is where he rebukes the Bob Marley line and says he did not spare the deputy. Like it or not every part of the system keeps it running and punishing the innocent. I even really like his crappy vocals on the material. They make it feel authentic.