In USMC culture, the phrase “What makes the grass grow?” is a motivation and combat-spirit chant, and the traditional response is “Blood, blood, blood!” in a loud, aggressive cadence.

Meaning in the USMC

  • The call-and-response is used in training and formation runs to build aggression, unity, and a warrior mindset among Marines.
  • “Grass” is symbolic: it represents the battlefield and the legacy of those who fought and died there, and “blood” represents sacrifice and the cost of victory.

Why Marines Say It

  • The chant reinforces that mission success is paid for with hard work, suffering, and, in war, the blood of Marines and enemies alike.
  • It connects new Marines to generations before them who used the same words, from past conflicts up to modern deployments, as a reminder of that legacy.

Figurative vs literal

  • Literally, grass grows from sunlight, water, and nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil, not blood alone.
  • Figuratively, the phrase is about discipline, sacrifice, and resilience: Marines say the “grass grows” because they sweat, bleed, and grind to accomplish the mission and honor those who fell before them.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.