Rage Against the Machine - Born of a Broken Man Meaning

Born of a Broken Man Lyrics

My fears hunt me down
Capturing my memories
The frontier of loss
They try to escape across the street where
Jesus stripped bare
And raped the spirit he was supposed to nurture
In the name of my
In the name of my

Born of a broken...

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   #1 top rated interpretation:
   Warren

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   Nov 16th 2006 !⃝

   Zach de la Rocha's father was an artist, until he converted to Christianity amidst a Christian community. His art was his way of expressing himself, and it was taken away from him.. The community forbid him to create artwork because they were considered "idols."
   
   Stripped of his one passion in life, Zach's father had a mental breakdown. You can understand what that's like from Zach's perspective, if someone tried to take away his music - which is HIS form of expression. Christianity is also at odds with RATM's politics, which is completely secular and hard-left socialist - which is incompatible with religion.
   
   "They try to escape across the street where
   Jesus stripped bare
   And raped the spirit he was supposed to nurture
   In the name of my"
   
   The community destroyed Zach's father's life by taking away his artwork (in the name of God) when they should have been encouraging and accepting.
   
   "Like autumn leaves
   His sense fell from him
   An empty glass of himself
   Shattered somewhere within
   His thoughts like a hundred moths
   Trapped in a lampshade
   Somewhere within
   Their wings banging and burning
   On through endless nights
   Forever awake he lies shaking and starving
   Praying for someone to turn off the light"
   
   All about his father here, telling the story of his mental breakdown.
   
   "Born of a broken man
   Never a broken man
   Born of a broken man
   But not a broken man"
   
   Possibly speaking about himself, that Zach was born of a broken man (his father), but Zach himself hasn't been broken, and never will be.
2. anonymous

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   Jun 9th 2022 !⃝

   I highly doubt it has anything to do with Israel and Palestine. It's obvious that the whole song is about his father and his resentment
   towards Jesus and Christianity; effectively throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
3. anonymous

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   Jun 1st 2022 !⃝

   they try to escape the streets where jesus stripped bare,
   and raped the spirit he was suppose to nurture.
   
   Pretty sure this is about palestine and israel.