Traveling in a fried-out Kombi
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 better run, you better take cover

Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six-foot-four and full of muscle
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 better run, you better take cover, yeah

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

Oh, you come from a land down under? (Ooh, yeah, yeah)
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover ('cause we are)

Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
(Can't you hear thunder) can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover

Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? (Ooh yeah)
Better run, you better take cover (we are)

Living in a land down under (ooh yeah)
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you, can't you hear the thunder?
Better run, you better take cover

Living in a land down under (living in a land down under)
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you, can't you hear the thunder?


Lyrics submitted by numb

Down Under Lyrics as written by Ronald Graham Strykert Colin James Hay

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Down Under song meanings
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  • +14
    General Comment

    LOL, as a qualified Australian, let me translate this one:

    • A VW Kombi van is the Australian poor man's road trip vehicle of choice. "Fried out" means that it's in really poor condition and overheating.

    • "Zombie" is marijuana, though some other people claim it's other drugs.

    • The thunder refers to both Australia's tropical storminess, and also to the awesomeness of the people/country (like footsteps, ie: we're coming! Better take cover!)

    • Vegemite is the national sandwich spread, made from yeast extract (beer scum, kind of). Usually only Australians can stand the taste (I eat it from the jar, haha), so eating a Vegemite sandwich is a good way to prove you're an Aussie (it's our secret "language" overseas).

    • To "Chunder", in Australian slang, is to puke. So, they're saying we get drunk and barf a lot, which...is true. Ahem.

    And of course, Australia is the land down under all the other countries. Hence, the land down under.

    braille16on December 24, 2009   Link

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