Formed in 1996, Linkin Park rose to international fame with their debut studio album, Hybrid Theory (2000), which became certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Released during the peak of the nu metal scene, the album's singles' heavy airplay on MTV led the singles "One Step Closer", "Crawling" and "In the End" all to chart highly on the US Mainstream Rock chart. The lattermost also crossed over to the nation's Billboard Hot 100. Their second album, Meteora (2003), continued the band's success. The band explored experimental sounds on their third album, Minutes to Midnight (2007). By the end of the decade, Linkin Park was among the most successful and popular rock acts.
The band continued to explore a wider variation of musical types on their fourth album, A Thousand Suns (2010), layering their music with more electronic sounds. The band's fifth album, Living Things (2012), combined musical elements from all of their previous records. Their sixth album, The Hunting Party (2014), returned to a heavier rock sound, and their seventh album, One More Light (2017), was a substantially more pop-oriented record. Linkin Park went on a hiatus when longtime lead vocalist Bennington died in July 2017. In April 2022, Shinoda revealed the band was neither working on new music nor planning on touring for the foreseeable future.
Linkin Park is among the best-selling bands of the 21st century and the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 100 million records worldwide. They have won two Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards and three World Music Awards. In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium. Billboard ranked Linkin Park No. 19 on the Best Artists of the Decade list. In 2012, the band was voted as the greatest artist of the 2000s in a Bracket Madness poll on VH1. In 2014, the band was declared as "The Biggest Rock Band in the World Right Now" by Kerrang!.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linkin_Park
Studio albums
Hybrid Theory (2000)
Meteora (2003)
Minutes to Midnight (2007)
A Thousand Suns (2010)
Living Things (2012)
The Hunting Party (2014)
One More Light (2017)
Wrectches And Kings
Linkin Park Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the operation of the machine
Becomes so odious
Makes you so sick at heart
That you can't take part
You can't even passively take part
And you've got to put your bodies
Upon the gears and upon the wheels
And you've got to make it stop
To save face, how low can you go?
Talk a lot of game, but yet, you don't know
Static on the way, make us all say whoa
The people up top push the people down low
Get down, and obey every word
Steady, get in line if you haven't yet heard
Wanna take what I got? Don't be absurd
Don't fight the power, nobody gets hurt
If you haven't heard yet, then I'm lettin' you know
There ain't shit we don't run when the guns unload
And no one make a move 'less my people say so
Got everything outta control, now everybody go
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Steel unload, final blow
We, the animals, take control
Hear us now, clear and true
Wretches and kings, we come for you
So keep pace, how slow can you go?
Talk a lot of shit, and yet, you don't know
Fire on the way, make you all say whoa
The people up top and the people down low
Get down, and I'm runnin' it like that
The front of the attack is exactly where I'm at
Somewhere in-between the kick and the hi-hat
The pen and the contract, the pitch and the contact
So get with the combat, I'm lettin' 'em know
There ain't shit you can say to make me back down, no
So, push the button, let the whole thing blow
Spinnin' everything outta control, now everybody go
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Steel unload, final blow
We, the animals, take control
Hear us now, clear and true
Wretches and kings, we come for you
Steel unload, fire blow
Filthy animals, beat them low
Skin and bone, black and blue
No more this sun shall beat onto you
From the front to the back and the side-to-side
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
Front to the back and the side-to-side
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
Front to the back and the side-to-side
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
Front to the back and the side-to-side
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
Front to the back and the side-to-side
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
Front to the back and the side-to-side
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
When the operation of the machine
Becomes so odious
Makes you so sick at heart
That you can't take part
You can't even passively take part
And you've got to put your bodies
Upon the gears and upon the wheels
Upon the levers, upon all the apparatus
And you've got to make it stop
And you've got to indicate to the people
Who run it, to the people who own it
That unless you're free, the machine
Will be prevented from working at all
The first verse of Linkin Park's "Wretches and Kings" is a direct quotation of a speech by Mario Savio, a key figure in the Berkeley Free Speech Movement of the 1960s. The speech is about the need for people to actively engage in opposing an oppressive system rather than passively accepting it. The song then goes on to explore the idea of the "people up top" pushing the "people down low" and the need for the oppressed to take control and "come for" their oppressors.
The chorus speaks to the idea of power and control, and the need for those who hold it to be held accountable. The repeated use of "hey, hey, hey" is reminiscent of a protest chant, giving the song an anthemic quality. The second verse continues the themes explored in the first, with the added idea of a call to arms ("get with the combat") and an unapologetic rejection of any attempts to silence or intimidate ("there ain't shit you can say to make me back down").
Overall, "Wretches and Kings" is a powerful song about the need for individual and collective agency in the face of oppression and inequality. It encourages listeners to take a stand and fight back against those who seek to hold them down, while also acknowledging the risks and challenges inherent in such a fight.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a time
There comes a moment
When the operation of the machine
When the system that governs us
Becomes so odious
Becomes so repulsive
Makes you so sick at heart
Makes you feel disgusted
That you can't take part
That you can't participate
You can't even passively take part
You can't even support it passively
And you've got to put your bodies
You have to use your bodies
Upon the gears and upon the wheels
On top of the machine's working parts
Upon the levers, upon all the apparatus
On the levers and all equipment
And you've got to make it stop
You have to make it stop working
To save face, how low can you go?
How much are you willing to sacrifice to appear good?
Talk a lot of game, but yet, you don't know
You sound impressive but lack knowledge
Static on the way, make us all say whoa
Obstacles to our goals, make us hesitate
The people up top push the people down low
The elites suppress the masses
Get down, and obey every word
Do what we command
Steady, get in line if you haven't yet heard
If you don't know yet, listen and obey
Wanna take what I got? Don't be absurd
Do not pursue what I have, it's pointless
Don't fight the power, nobody gets hurt
Do not challenge the status quo, and there won't be any consequences
If you haven't heard yet, then I'm lettin' you know
If you are unaware, then listen
There ain't shit we don't run when the guns unload
There isn't anything we can't control when we use force
And no one make a move 'less my people say so
No one acts without our approval
Got everything outta control, now everybody go
We have everything under control, and it's time to act
Steel unload, final blow
The final strike is underway
We, the animals, take control
We, the oppressed, seize power
Hear us now, clear and true
Listen to what we say, it's important
Wretches and kings, we come for you
Both the poor and the rich are targeted
So keep pace, how slow can you go?
Will you stall or work with us?
Talk a lot of shit, and yet, you don't know
You boast but lack understanding
Fire on the way, make you all say whoa
Trouble is coming, and we must react
The people up top and the people down low
Both the rich and poor must follow our will
Get down, and I'm runnin' it like that
Obey me, and I run things smoothly
The front of the attack is exactly where I'm at
I take the lead in the assault
Somewhere in-between the kick and the hi-hat
The sweet spot, the perfect balance
The pen and the contract, the pitch and the contact
The legal processes, and the negotiations
So get with the combat, I'm lettin' 'em know
Join the fight, this is my warning
There ain't shit you can say to make me back down, no
No excuse will convince me to stop fighting
So, push the button, let the whole thing blow
Take action, let things spiral out of control
Spinnin' everything outta control, now everybody go
Everything spirals out of control, so everyone must act
Steel unload, fire blow
We take full control and use force
Filthy animals, beat them low
Despicable people, bring them down
Skin and bone, black and blue
Injured and battered
No more this sun shall beat onto you
This suffering shall end
From the front to the back and the side-to-side
Everyone, listen and participate
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
If you agree with me, raise your hands
Front to the back and the side-to-side
All around us, everyone should listen
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
If you understand and agree, raise your hands
Front to the back and the side-to-side
All around us, everyone should listen
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
If you comprehend and support me, raise your hands
Front to the back and the side-to-side
Listen and participate, everyone
If you fear what I feel, put 'em up real high
If you empathize with me, raise your hands
When the operation of the machine
When the system that controls us
Becomes so odious
Becomes so repulsive
Makes you so sick at heart
Makes you feel disgusted
That you can't take part
That you can't participate
You can't even passively take part
You can't even support it passively
And you've got to put your bodies
You have to use your bodies
Upon the gears and upon the wheels
On top of the machine's working parts
Upon the levers, upon all the apparatus
On the levers and all equipment
And you've got to make it stop
You have to make it stop working
And you've got to indicate to the people
And you must communicate to those in charge
Who run it, to the people who own it
Those in charge, and those who hold power
That unless you're free, the machine
You need to tell them that unless you're free, the machine
Will be prevented from working at all
Will no longer function
Contributed by Max R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tygrstryke3492
Honestly, the speech they sample in the song is amazing, and it’s put to good use in the song. And for those curious it’s a speech by Mario Savio from December 1964.
@fumikonakamura2926
Thank you, I was looking for this comment!!!
@laurenmcnichols1511
I was just about to Google who was speaking
@ajaySharma-zy5xg
the hidden treasure of linkin park wretches and kings this song deserves a billion views
@rhinoujakey8887
Not only this underrated song...
@Sivarajansam931
yes exactly
@demian1784
no, siendo sinceros esta canción no está a la altura de la banda, es de los pocos bajos que tiene Linkin Park
@The-Athenian
Loving the bass on this one. Great workout song too.
@tristanfredell9712
Hell yeah it is
@Dayz3O6
Mr. Hahn going crazy at the end!