Living Colour rose to fame with their debut album Vivid in 1988. Although the band scored a number of hits, they are best remembered for their signature anthem "Cult of Personality", which won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990. They were also named Best New Artist at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards and won their second Grammy Award for their follow-up album Time's Up. After disbanding in 1995, Living Colour reunited in late 2000.
Sacred
Living Colour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are they never gonna learn
How many times must we tell them
Are they never gonna learn
This is sacred ground, sacred ground
How many times must we tell them
This is sacred ground, sacred ground
For all those trying to make a stand,
Fighting to save their
Tribal land, for all those trying to make a stand,
Dying to protect their tribal land
For all those dying to protect their tribal land
Rainbow warriors, Chico Mendez
All the dissidents that they tried to suppress
How many more martyrs
Must there be will this be our poisoned
Legacy how many times must us tell them
Are they never gonna learn
This is sacred ground, sacred ground
How many times we must tell them
Are they never gonna learn
This sacred ground, sacred ground
For those who lie before the bulldozers
And chainsaws
Battling the devouring megacorps
Here they come with their cash draws grins
Vampires, parasites and vermin
How many times must we tell you
Are they never gonna learn
This sacred ground, sacred ground
How many times must we tell you
Are you never gonna learn
This sacred ground, sacred ground
How many times
How many times
Living Colour's song "Sacred" speaks to the ongoing struggle of Indigenous people around the world to protect their ancestral lands from destruction by corporations and governments. The repeated line "How many times must we tell them, are they never gonna learn" conveys a sense of frustration and weariness with the seemingly endless battle against those who would exploit and desecrate these sacred spaces. The song also references particular figures in this struggle, including Chico Mendez and the Rainbow Warriors, emphasizing the global nature of this resistance.
The lyrics "for all those trying to make a stand, dying to protect their tribal land" and "for those who lie before the bulldozers and chainsaws" highlight the high stakes of this conflict, as many activists have lost their lives in the fight for their communities and land. The lines "here they come with their cash draws grins, vampires, parasites and vermin" underscore the greed and callousness of those who seek to profit from these lands at any cost.
Overall, "Sacred" serves as a powerful call to action, reminding us that these lands and the peoples who inhabit them are not expendable resources but rather integral parts of our shared planet.
Line by Line Meaning
How many times must we tell them
How many times do we have to inform and educate them about the value of this land?
Are they never gonna learn
Will they ever comprehend and appreciate the significance of this place?
This is sacred ground, sacred ground
This land holds significant cultural, historical, and spiritual value and should be respected and protected.
For all those trying to make a stand,
For those who are fighting for their rights to protect and preserve this land,
Fighting to save their tribal land,
Pleading for their ancestral land to be left untouched and unharmed,
Dying to protect their tribal land
Sacrificing their lives to safeguard the sanctity of their sacred land.
Rainbow warriors, Chico Mendez
Referring to activists and protectors of the earth, like indigenous peoples (Rainbow warriors) and environmentalists (Chico Mendez) who fought for the preservation of nature.
All the dissidents that they tried to suppress
Recognizing those who were oppressed and silenced, like activists and environmentalists, who fought for the cause despite opposition and suppression.
How many more martyrs
How many more people must we lose or sacrifice before something substantial is done?
Must there be will this be our poisoned
Will this destruction and neglect of sacred land be our downfall as a society?
Legacy how many times must us tell them
How many times must we plead and beg them to respect the land and its heritage?
For those who lie before the bulldozers
For those who lay in front of bulldozers, the appointed tools of destruction for logging and mining,
And chainsaws battling the devouring megacorps
Fighting against big corporations who prioritize profit over protection and who extensively harm the land with mechanical devices like chainsaws.
Here they come with their cash draws grins
Conveying the mentality of corporations who disregard the importance of the land and instead value cash and profit to replace earth’s only wealth- the natural resources.
Vampires, parasites and vermin
Metaphors for the organizations who are destroying the earth and exploiting every inch of land, and are therefore unfit to hold a moral or ethical ground.
How many times must we tell you
How many times do we have to repeat that this land is sacred and it holds enormous value?
Are you never gonna learn
Will you ever understand the detrimental effects of your actions and give up your selfish ways for the sake of the earth?
How many times must we tell you
How many times should we inform that this land deserves to be conserved and protected?
This sacred ground, sacred ground
This land is perceived as sacred, and so ought to be treated as such.
How many times
How many more attempts must we undertake to make them realize the essence and importance of this land?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: A 'MARK STEWART' SALVADOR, COREY GLOVER, DOUG WIMBISH, VERNON REID, WILL CALHOUN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind