“The ocean is a desert with it's life underground And a perfect disguise above” America, “A Horse with No Name.” Having spent my formative years as a desert rat and feeling somewhat an authority on the subject, I will go on record to dispute the veracity of these claims. There is no such ocean of life underground in the desert. Yes, critters live in burrows in the ground and plants have roots in the ground, but if you dig, it’s mostly sandy dirt. And there’s no disguise, what you see is it.