Lyrics
Fertile Crescent
Come and see the brilliant light,
Don't let your emotions mask your sight,
It's the manifestation of a deeper fight
That affects me and you.
My optimism was running high,
A new world order was on my mind,
But I couldn't believe it when I heard them say
They're blowing it away.
And the fertile crescent is burning today
And baby, my emotions are too.
The cradle of humanity has led us all astray
And we're all in this together, don't you know,
'Cause our species has nowhere else to go.
Aggression rears it's ugly head,
Retaliation brings further dread,
The two are linked by unseen threads
That wind back through time.
I don't agree with this outdated trend,
Nationalism is an evil friend,
But hatred is instilled by invisible lines
Drawn in our minds.
And the fertile crescent is burning today
And baby, my emotions are too.
The cradle of humanity has led us all astray
And we're all in this together, don't you know,
'Cause our species has nowhere else to go.
Versions & recordings
Grouped by recording
First released on Generator · 1992
Appears on
First released on New World Order: War #1 · 1991
Song Interpretations
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I strongly agree with the proposition that it is about the gulf war in 90/91. Several lines, especially in the second verse, speak for that. The 90/91 Gulf war started with Iraq invading Kuwait ("aggression rears its ugly head") and the US and 34 other nations responded ("retaliation brings further dread"). This is how it's always been (next two verses). And I guess we all believe that's an "outdated trend." Also the…
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Basically, this song is about how, from the very beginning, mankind has been misled to believing what those in power feel is correct. This is the reason for the thousands of different faiths. One person says one thing, another agrees, and something new has arisen that gets humanity as a whole no where. In my opinion, and those of some of my close friends, if humans could just accept responsibility for their own li…
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It is my understanding that Greg Graffin wrote this song shortly after hearing about the United States declaration of war on Iraq. The 'Fertile Crescent' is the name often used to describe the very arable land located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which account for the most populated areas of Iraq, such as Baghdad. It should also be noted that the very first civilization was settled at around 10,000 BC…
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The 'Fertile Crescent' is the name often used to describe the very arable land located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which account for the most populated areas of Iraq, such as Baghdad. It should also be noted that the very first civilization was settled at around 10,000 BC in current day Iraq but was then called Mesopotamia, and is often referred to as the 'cradle of civilization' or as Greg puts it, "the cradle of humanity".
In this song Greg explains his frustration with the war in Iraq. He believes that there are no reasons for war in the modern world and he keeps hoping the world will change. This is shown in the line "my optimism was running high, and a new world order was on my mind."
Wars in ancient Mesopotamia were fought in competition for unsettled land but since the world is entirely inhabited today, these wars are outdated. This is shown when he says "I don't believe in this outdated trend" and "We are all in this together don't you know, cause our species has nowhere else to go" I think he blames the war more so on Iraq than the United States which is shown in the line "the cradle of humanity has lead us all astray".