Men at Work – Down Under (1983) – Video & Lyrics

Image by StephenMitchell via Flickr

Currently at the centre of an ugly royalty and copyright dispute (which you can read more about here), this was one of the catchiest songs of the 80s, as well as being responsible for introducing Vegemite to many people outside Australia. Keep in mind that there are a number of specific Australian English words in the lyrics, but help is at hand with these online dictionaries:

Australian National Dictionary

Slang Dictionary

So sing along, enjoy and let us know what other songs you’d like to see here!

Travelling in a fried-out combie

On a hippie trail, head full of zombie

I met a strange lady, she made me nervous

She took me in and gave me breakfast

And she said,

“Do you come from a land down under?

Where women glow and men plunder?

Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?

You’d better run, you’d better take cover.”

Buying bread from a man in Brussels

He was six-foot-four and full of muscles

I said, “Do you speak-a my language?”

He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich

And he said,

“I come from a land down under

Where beer does flow and men chunder

Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?

You’d better run, you’d better take cover.”

Lyin’ in a den in Bombay

With a slack jaw, and not much to say

I said to the man, “Are you trying to tempt me

Because I come from the land of plenty?”

And he said,

“Do you come from a land down under?

Where women glow and men plunder?

Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?

You ‘d better run, you’d better take cover.”

Yeah!

Living in a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder

Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?

You’d better run, you’d better take cover!

………………………………………………..

Strange Random Australia Quote:

“God bless America. God save the Queen. God defend New Zealand and thank Christ for Australia.” – Russell Crowe