By: The Foo Fighters

 Interpretive  Enjoyable

 Person under corrupt leadership  Finally speaking out against this corruption  Man or woman  Adult

Keep you in the dark You know they all pretend Keep you in the dark And so it all began  ”you” – corrupt leaders  The followers pretend they do not see what the leaders are doing and pretend the corruption does not exist.  ”So it all began,” this is how the leaders were able to rise to power, by the citizens not taking action.

Send in your skeletons Sing as their bones go marching in again They need you buried deep The secrets that you keep are ever ready Are you ready?  Using an army of supporters (skeletons) who do whatever the leaders tell them to do.  The people need the leaders to continue hiding what they are doing.  Leaders keep many secrets from their people.  ”Are you ready?” = A challenge to the corrupt leaders. Showing that the speaker is prepared to stop them.

I’m finished making sense Done pleading ignorance That whole defense  ”Making sense” - The other people consider the smart thing to do to put it aside like they are doing.  “Done pleading ignorance” – The speaker is done pretending he/she does not know what is going on.

Spinning infinity Boy, the wheel is spinning me It’s never ending, never ending Same old story  Cycle that does not stop  The leaders continue to do the things that make them corrupt

What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays? You’re the pretender What if I say that I’ll never surrender?  The speaker is not another one of the people who are just going to let it happen  The speaker is not going to let the leaders use him/her and “play” him/her  Calling the leaders “the pretender” because they are acting like they are not doing the things they are doing  Shows he/she is willing to do anything to achieve his/her goal

In time or so I’m told I’m just another soul for sale, oh well The page is out of print, we are not permanent We’re temporary, temporary Same old story  The leaders consider their people “souls for sale” and they use them for their own benefit.  The leaders use the people and then are done with them  “same old story” – this is what the leaders always do

I’m the voice inside your head you refuse to hear I’m the face that you have to face, mirrorin’ your stare I’m what’s left, I’m what’s right, I’m the enemy I’m the hand that’ll take you down, bring you to your knees So who are you? Yeah, who are you? Yeah, who are you? Yeah who are you?  The speaker is saying that the leaders have a conscience that they refuse to listen to and that he/she is forcing them to realize that what they are doing is wrong  “mirrorin’ your stare” – the speaker is fighting back with the same force they are using  The speaker is the result of what the leaders are doing to their people.  “the hand that’ll take you down, bring you to your knees” – the speaker believes he/she is capable of stopping them  The speaker questions the leaders to make them consider what they are doing to others

Keep you in the dark, you know they all pretend Chorus x 4 So who are you? Yeah, who are you? Yeah, who are you?  “Keep you in the dark” – The people put their knowledge of what the leaders are doing in the dark where they can not see it.  “you know they all pretend” – The people pretend they do not recognize what the leaders are doing.  The speaker questions the leaders again to ask who they are that they can do this to other people.  These questions are the ending to the song to stand as a lasting impression on the leaders and leave them considering the questions.

What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays? You’re the pretender What if I say that I’ll never surrender? Ex:  Allows the speaker to get his message across with a more personal tone First Person Point of View - Narration from the perspective of "I" or "We." Narrators may be involved with the action or may simply observe it; they may also be reliable or unreliable. Second Person Point of View - The story or the piece of writing is from the perspective of “you.”

It’s never ending, never ending Same old story We’re temporary, temporary Same old story Ex:  Adds emphasis  The repetition of “never ending” and “same old story” helps to illustrate that these two phrases mean it keeps on continuing Repetition - The return of a word, phrase, stanza form, or effect in any form of literature. Repetition is an effective literary device that may bring comfort, suggest order, or add special meaning to a piece of literature.

Spinning Infinity Boy, the wheel is spinning me It’s never ending, never ending Same old story Ex:  The wheel represents the ongoing cycle that the speaker is undergoing  The symbolism helps to get across the speaker’s point Symbolism - The use of one object or action (a symbol) to represent or suggest something else.

Similar to Underclass Hero By: Sum 41  Both songs are about overthrowing leaders who are controlling them.  Do not want to be controlled by the people trying to control them.  Both speakers feel they are being unfairly treated. Common theme: Be a leader, not a follower. Do not let others take advantage of you. Stand up for yourself.