Chords + Lyrics | Know Your Enemy
Intro
||: F#m7 (kill switch) :||
Huh! Yeah! We’re coming back then with another bombtrack.
Think ya know what it’s all about. Huh!
Hey yo, so check this out. Yeah!
||: F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C5 B5 A5 |
| 1. F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | C#5 B5 A5 E5 :||
| 2. F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | 6/4 C#5 B5 A5 | 4/4
Know your enemy! Come on!
Verse 1
||: F#5 (Conspirian riff) :||
Born with insight and a raised fist a witness to the slit wrist, that’s with.
We move into ’92, still in a room without a view.
Ya got to know, ya got to know that when I say go, go, go.
Amp up and amplify, defy, I’m a brother with a furious mind.
Action must be taken, we don’t need the key, we’ll break in.
Something must be done, about vengeance, a badge, and a gun.
‘Cause I’ll rip the mike, rip the stage, rip the system, I was born to rage against ’em.
Fist in ya face, in the place and I’ll drop the style clearly.
Chorus 1
||: F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C5 B5 A5 |
| 1. F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | C#5 B5 A5 E5 :||
| 2. F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | 6/4 C#5 B5 C | 4/4
Know your enemy, know your enemy! Yeah!
Hey yo, and dick with this. Uggh!
Verse 2
Word is born, fight the war, fuck the norm.
Now I got no patience, so sick of complacence.
With the D the E the F the I the A the N the C the E.
Mind of a revolutionary, so clear the lane, the finger to the land of the chains.
What? The land of the free? Whoever told you that is your enemy?
Now, something must be done, about vengeance, a badge, and a gun.
‘Cause I’ll rip the mike, rip the stage, rip the system, I was born to rage against ’em.
| F#5 C | N.C |
Now action must be taken. We don’t need the key, we’ll break in.
Breakdown
||: F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C | F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C5 B5 F5 :||
I’ve got no patience now.
So sick of complacence now. I’ve got no patience now.
So sick of complacence now. Sick of sick of sick of sick of you.
Time has come to pay.
Instrumental (chorus riff)
| F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C5 B5 A5 |
| F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | C#5 B5 A5 E5 |
Know your enemy!
Solo
||: F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C5 B5 A5 |
| 1-3. F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | C#5 B5 A5 E5 :||
| 4. F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | C#5 B5 A5 | A5 | A5 |
| A5 | A5 | A5 | A5 |
| A5 N.C | N.C | N.C | (whammy bends)| (whammy bends) |
Outro (verse riff)
||: F#5 (Conspirian riff) :||
Come on! Yes, I know my enemies, they’re the teachers who taught me to fight me.
Compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission. Ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite.
||: All of which are American dreams :|| x4
End
||: N.C :||
||: All of which are American dreams :|| x4
Know Your Enemy Chords: Learn the progressions
Intro
Using a kill switch, the intro is based on notes from the F# minor pentatonic scale, with the major 7th briefly acting as a chromatic approach note.
To describe the harmony, I’ve labelled it F#m7. Technically, to include every interval, it would be F#m11maj7—but that felt like it might cause even more rage than even this band could manage.
Chorus (+ Intro)
The chorus riff (which first appears instrumentally in the intro) is best described like this:
||: F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C5 B5 A5 |
| 1. F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | C#5 B5 A5 E5 :||
| 2. F#7(omit3) A5 F#7(omit3) | 6/4 C#5 B5 A5 |
That final bar of 6/4 is unique—we return to 4/4 straight after.
To get TAB for how to play this and all other sections of Know Your Enemy, check out the TAB lesson here: Know Your Enemy – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Verse + Outro
The verse is based on the F# Conspirian scale—essentially a minor pentatonic with the b5 and major 7th added. This is, for me, the best part of the tune; that doubled bass line sounds incredible.
Breakdown
The breakdown features spoken/sung vocals with a softer tone, set against a syncopated and aggressive rhythm—great contrast.
The harmony centres around an F# power chord with an open E string, which I’ve labelled F#7(omit3). Every other two bars introduce dissonance: first with a C triad, then with C5 – B5 – F5 power chords, like this:
||: F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C | F#7(omit3) | F#7(omit3) C5 B5 F5 :||
Solo
The solo is without doubt the most complex section to learn—it took a long time to transcribe note for note.
The chord movement follows the chorus progression, but here only the bass is playing.
Here’s a chord chart.
Know Your Enemy Chord Chart | PDF + iRealPro Download
Download my chord chart to help keep track of the structure—the riffs need to be memorised and ingrained into your muscle memory to play this well with a band.
Know Your Enemy TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get TAB for everything—including a full note-for-note transcription of that crazy solo!
As a preview, here’s my favourite section: the bass line riff played during the verse and outro. This riff uses the same notes as a scale I “invented”—the Conspirian—which might explain why I like it so much!
What Know Your Enemy Teaches You About Groove, Dynamics, and Creativity
Know Your Enemy is a standout track from Rage Against The Machine’s debut album. Though never released as a single, it remains one of the band’s most recognisable songs.
Lyrically, it critiques the American government, using the phrase “American Dream” to highlight how its message has been distorted—turning the system itself into the real enemy.
What makes this tune essential to learn is how perfectly it captures the core identity of the band. The guitar work blends raw simplicity with inventive ideas, showing how a few well-chosen notes can create something far more powerful than overly complex playing (until you hit the solo that is!).
The riffs are built around strong rhythmic phrasing and tight interplay with the bass, which is a defining feature of the band’s sound. Learning this track helps you lock into that groove-focused mindset, where timing and feel matter far more than speed or flash.
It also introduces you to a more experimental side of guitar playing. Rather than relying on traditional chord shapes or scales alone, the song explores unusual note choices and textures that give it a distinctive edge. This approach encourages you to think beyond standard patterns and focus on sound, attitude, and intent.
From the stripped-back intro through to the explosive sections and intricate solo, it takes you through a wide range of musical ideas while still feeling cohesive. As a player, this challenges you to control dynamics, switch between roles, and maintain consistency across contrasting sections.
Ultimately, Know Your Enemy is essential because it teaches you how to serve the song. Every part is deliberate, memorable, and full of character—making it a perfect study in how great riffs, strong rhythm, and bold ideas come together to create something timeless.
Know Your Enemy Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Know Your Enemy (Rage Against The Machine) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
