This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I wake up in the morning
Fold my hands and pray for rain
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane
It's a shame
The way she makes me
Scrub the floor
I ain't gonna work on, nah
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Nah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Well, he hands you a nickel
And he hands you a dime
And he asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time
Then he fines you every time you slam the door
I ain't gonna work for, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks
The National Guard stands around his door
I ain't gonna work, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
Well, she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law
And everybody says
She's the brains behind pa
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four
I ain't gonna work for, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well I try my best
To be just like I am
But everybody wants you
To be just like them
They sing while they slave and just get bored
I ain't gonna work on, nah
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I wake up in the morning
Fold my hands and pray for rain
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane
It's a shame
The way she makes me
Scrub the floor
I ain't gonna work on, nah
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Nah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Well, he hands you a nickel
And he hands you a dime
And he asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time
Then he fines you every time you slam the door
I ain't gonna work for, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks
The National Guard stands around his door
I ain't gonna work, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
Well, she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law
And everybody says
She's the brains behind pa
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four
I ain't gonna work for, nah
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well I try my best
To be just like I am
But everybody wants you
To be just like them
They sing while they slave and just get bored
I ain't gonna work on, nah
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
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Great version of a great song,
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I have a theory:
This was originally Dylan written, and he was always anti-big brother in his leanings. And of course, RATM has never been backwards in coming forwards in their views about the US and capitalism. (btw, does anyone else feel that there has never been a cover of a Dylan song that wasn't better than the original? Dylan's a great song writer - no question - but he can't sing for shit)
I always felt that 'Maggie's Farm' is actually an analogy for the US of A. Each member of Maggie's family is actually a metaphor for a different aspect of US society.
1) Maggie=US. Doesn't listen to a word the workers say. 2) Brother=coprporations. Pays out a pittance and pretends to be friendly, but you do any little thing to piss them off, they sue (or dock pay, or fine, whatever) 3) Pa=cops/military 4) Ma=religion. Is excessively old (and arguably so old its out of touch) but it still claims its relevance while controlling the enforcer.
The last bit's interesting but it has a minor change to Dylan's original. Dylan wrote (and whined): "They sing while you slave and I just get bored." RATM scream: "They sing, while they slave and just get bored"
I'm not sure who the 'they' is of both, but I'm sure they're refering to different groups. In fact the 'They' in the RATM version is probably referring to two. the first is the People in charge and the ones who get bored; everybody else are the ones who slave.
Anyway, as I said, it's just a theory
(btw, this is my first time posting, so please be gentle)
they are the slave owners and maggie's farm is a plantation. you can take both and use them as analogies for the U.S. today. mainly, because we are still in slavery, just not exactly the same as 400 yrs ago.
don't be so rigid. this song is not that complicated. you can't say that brother is corporations with any more certainty than you can say the Mona Lisa isn't smiling because she lost her job. It's not that rigid. It's just about oppression and resistance, and like good art, it leaves room for interpretation. (and Mona Lisa was probably just bored).
@Pretentious arse I agree with everything but who Ma is. I believe Ma is the Government itself House of Representatives/Senators/President etc. The line that makes me believe that is "She's 68 but swears she's 24" like how they make the rules for people today but their views are from the time and age that they grew up in.
@Pretentious arse I think I remember reading that Dylan's original was largely about against record labels and the music industry in general. They wanted him to keep singing gospel / folk songs and he pretty much gave them a big NO, and wrote this song.<br /> <br /> I agree that this is a great cover ... I thought Rage didn't an awesome jobs with all their covers on Renegades, gave most of them a new edge and slant.
Originally written by Bob Dylan in the 60's or early 70's...of course he was the greatest songwriter of the 20th century, but RATM doesn't do a bad job on this one either.
Either way you slice it, this is a great song if you want to medicate yourself. Rage succumbed to the pressure to the image, three stayed and one faded. Even then, they knew it would be difficult to play against the mainstream. Now they have more airtime dedicated to them than they ever did before. Did they make a lasting impact? Sure they did, in which column though. Did they win? They won accolades all across the board. Did they lose? In the philosophical and historical realm, they lost huge. They could never overcome the fact that history repeats itself. It always does no matter what. There will be poverty and oppression with every revolution. It called the nihilism of history (aka reality) and they accepted it. That the way it goes.
By the way, Rage and Dylan are masters without a doubt. Anything of Dylan's put to electric guitar is nothing sort of phenomenal. I am being contradictory, I love the music for the music but in realistic terms, their music was unreal because reality always wins.
OK, well "maggies farm" is the american social environment, "maggie" and her family are the leads of corporations. Working on the farm is being part of the American, or first world working class.
this song is POWERFUL. mad props to dylan for writing the lyrics...
I think it's interesting that in these days, there is not much choice whether or not to work for the man. With so many mergers, you are most likely working for a conglomerate. Sucky. Support local business, or better yet, work for yourself! Build your life, don't buy it.
Easyly the best song on the "renegades" record. Actually I didn't think they could do a Dylan song, turn it to their own style a still make it sound good, but they sure proved me wrong! This is a song about a slave worker working on a farm in America some time ago. There has also been some band who have directed this song to some person in Britain named Maggie.
the first time i heard this song my head almost exploded...i'm a huge dylan fan and i love the original, and at first i couldn't get over hearing rage do it, but then i grew to love it. if anyone covers this song, i'm really glad it's them. it rocks.
Hey maggotface, I believe the Maggie in England you are referring to is Margaret Thatcher, fucking whore, when she was the prime minister she decided it wou8ld be a good idea to close all the coal mines, putting thousands of people out of work.
pretentious arse has a damn good point, pa ma brother and maggie do seem to have the charecteristics of the orginizations he equates them to.