Greta Van Fleet’s “The Barbarians” Lyrics Meaning

Greta Van Fleet are like lyrical minimalists. But simultaneously, they’re masters at saying a lot with a few words. Indeed from the very-first line of the song “The Barbarians”, we are able to get a good idea of who the titular classification is being levied against. And that would be, most-simply put, warmongers – as the term “barbarian” is generally used.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Greta Van Fleet's The Barbarians at Lyrics.org.

America is the “Barbarian”?

But going a logical step further, they appear to actually be referring to the government of their homeland, the United States of America. For in terms of an entity being imbued with the “toys of war” for instance, a country like the US would most comply with such a metaphor. 

Also there are other clues dropped, such as who is referred to being identified by the color “red” and being “dressed in lead”. That first statement may be a reference to America’s official colors, which are red, white and blue. And the latter the fact that the United States commits more money to military spending, as in lead (i.e. bullets), than any other country in the world. 

And the vocalist concludes by stating “we are”. Or put differently, he considers himself part of this entity also. So that is yet another indication that he is not only referring to a nation but also one that he actually belongs to. And of course, this argument we are putting forth is theoretical. But at the same time, it doesn’t really take rocket science to put together what Greta Van Fleet may be talking about.

Babylon

Then in the chorus the singer uses the term “Babylon”, seemingly in reference to this selfsame entity. Babylon was of course an ancient civilization. But in more modern times the word is used more as an idiom or classification. What it generally represents is the global system – the new world order if you will. 

But when applied to a specific country, it is supposed to point to something like a rich but decadent nation. Or let’s say that Greta Van Fleet are apparently labeling the United States “Babylon”.

A Powerless Narrator

And the general feeling throughout is one of powerlessness on behalf of the singer. In other words, even though he may be a part of all this, it’s like the most he can do is sit back and watch. 

But still he is conscious of his being part of it nonetheless. And that leaves him to ask whether or not he and his ilk, i.e. his countrymen, are “prisoners or renegades” of the system. Or perhaps another way of asking that question is that even if he may be against the system, given his standing in it, does such a disposition even matter anyway?

But again, the lyrics are so terse and ambiguous that they can be interpreted in a number of ways. 

What “The Barbarians” is all about

Despite the above, in the name of not going on forever, we can bring this entire analysis to an expeditious conclusion. 

And that would be that the vocalist is negatively criticizing his homeland, America. He perceives the nation as being battle-hungry and subsequently destructive. And whereas the United States definitely has its issues with internal violence, he is apparently speaking more to the concept of actual warfare.

Simply put, this is an anti-war song! However, it features some major differences from others which conventionally fall into this classification. For instance, we can say that some of the lyrics rely on Biblical-levels of symbolism. 

And secondly, even though the narrator isn’t a soldier, he is putting himself into the mix. He is not one of those types who is dissing the powers that be, the warmongers of the world, as some type of an outsider. This isn’t an us-versus-them type of scenario. 

Rather he appears to be the type of person who is cognizant of what is actually happening. He understands that whether he agrees with war or not, being the citizen of a militaristic country means his tax dollars are used for such regardless. And he is also cognizant to know that when sh*t truly hits the fan, as in when judgement comes, he may very well be right there in the middle of it all.

Lyrics for "The Barbarians"

Release Date of “The Barbarians”

This is the 10th track on the playlist of Greta Van Fleet’s sophomore album, “The Battle at Garden’s Gate”. This is the follow-up to their debut full-length, 2018’s “Anthem of the Peaceful Army”. That project really put this crew from Frankenmuth, a small town in Michigan, on the mainstream-musical map.

Greta Van Fleet was founded by three brothers – Josh, Jake and Sam Kiszka – in 2012. The first two are monozygotic twins.  And the three of them respectively play the roles of lead vocalist, guitarist and bass guitarist. And in 2013 they were joined by drummer Danny Wagner.

Concerning Greta Van Fleet’s first album, it reached number 3 on the Hot 100 and made it to the pinnacle of Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart. Additionally it achieved gold status in Canada and Poland.

Writing and Production

“The Barbarians” was composed in 2020, with songwriting credit going to the aforementioned members of Greta Van Fleet. Meanwhile the track was produced by Greg Kurstin, who played such a role throughout the entirety of the album.

Did Greta Van Fleet release “The Barbarians” as a single?”

“The Barbarians”, which was one of the last songs that was added onto “The Battle at Garden’s Gate”, wasn’t a single. The album’s official singles are listed below:

2 Responses

  1. Gvf Fan says:

    I think the Babolyon part is actually referring to Pat Frank’s novel Alas Babylon. The book refers to how war affects everyone, not just those directly involved. Fits the song perfectly.

  2. Anonymous says:

    man, this is the last place I expected to find some rus or chin propaganda but hey, they still managed …

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