Forest

This is based on the first book in the bible, Genesis. The line, "Walk with me my little child into the forest of denial" is symbolizing Adam and Eve. In Genesis, God tells them to eat from any tree except for one that is possessed by Satan. One day they disobey God and eat from the cursed tree, incurring His wrath. The lyric was written by lead singer Serj Tankian, who is not a fan of organized religion, especially Christianity (see: "Suite-Pee" from their first album) - his spiritual beliefs lean toward Eastern thought and transcendentalism. In this context, the song can be seen as a satire on The Bible.

The song relates to the ancient Israelites and God. The song starts out in the Garden Of Eden, then to Moses and 40 years in the desert, and then the last part is about Solomon and his reign. The Israelites were on the top of the mountain winning battles and being faithful to God. Then they would turn to idolatry or some other sin and God would punish them (valley of the mountain). Then they would realize what they had did and repented. God would forgive them and they would be back on top.

SOAD guitarist Daron Malakian wrote the music to this song, and along with Serj Tankian, produced it with Rick Rubin, their label boss. "Forest" was one of over 30 songs they recorded for their second album, Toxicity, and one of 15 to make the cut. Most of the other songs were leaked on the internet, so the band quickly packaged them into their next album, Steal This Album!, released in 2002.