What about sunrise?
What about rain?
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain?
What about killing fields?
Is there a time?
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine?
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we've shed before?
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth, these weeping shores?
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
What have we done to the world?
Look what we've done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son?
What about flowering fields?
Is there a time?
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine?
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war?
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth, these weeping shores?
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are
Although I know we've drifted far
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Hey, what about yesterday?
(What about us?)
What about the seas?
(What about us?)
The heavens are falling down
(What about us?)
I can't even breathe
(What about us?)
What about apathy?
(What about us?)
I need you
(What about us?)
What about nature's worth?
(Ooh)
It's our planet's womb
(What about us?)
What about animals?
(What about it?)
We've turned kingdoms to dust
(What about us?)
What about elephants?
(What about us?)
Have we lost their trust
(What about us?)
What about crying whales?
(What about us?)
We're ravaging the seas
(What about us?)
What about forest trails?
(Ooh)
Burnt despite our pleas
(What about us?)
What about the holy land?
(What about it?)
Torn apart by creed
(What about us?)
What about the common man?
(What about us?)
Can't we set him free
(What about us?)
What about children dying?
(What about us?)
Can't you hear them cry?
(What about us?)
Where did we go wrong?
(Ooh)
Someone tell me why
(What about us?)
What about baby boy?
(What about it?)
What about the days?
(What about us?)
What about all their joy?
(What about us?)
What about the man?
(What about us?)
What about the crying man?
(What about us?)
What about Abraham?
(What about us?)
What about death again?
(Ooh)
Do we give a damn?
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
About This Song
"Earth Song" is Michael Jackson's impassioned environmental and humanitarian anthem that serves as both a mournful lament and urgent call to action about humanity's destruction of the planet. The song builds from intimate, questioning verses that catalogue environmental devastation and human suffering-from deforestation and pollution to war and poverty-into a gospel-influenced, emotionally explosive climax where Jackson's vocals soar with anguish and desperation. Musically, the track evolves from sparse, haunting instrumentation to a full orchestral arrangement featuring a children's choir, creating a spiritual, almost prayer-like quality that elevates the environmental message to sacred territory. Jackson's vocal performance is particularly striking, moving from vulnerable whispers to raw, primal screams that convey genuine pain about the world's condition. The song's power lies in its ability to make environmental destruction feel deeply personal and spiritual rather than abstract, with Jackson positioning himself as both witness and prophet of ecological apocalypse. The track resonated globally because it captured growing environmental consciousness of the 1990s while transcending typical protest songs through its emotional intensity and universal themes of loss and redemption. Its accompanying music video, featuring real footage of environmental destruction and human suffering, reinforced the song's message that Earth itself is crying out for healing. "Earth Song" became one of Jackson's most politically significant works, demonstrating how pop music could address serious global issues without sacrificing emotional impact.
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