The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
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?
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?
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
To GarmGarf, despite understanding where you are coming from... I must elaborate on Australian history just a little, as I get a little tired of people referring to Australians as convicts... during the late 18th & 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government. This was to establish a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their overburdened correctional facilities. Over the 80 years more than 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia. The number of convicts pales, however, compared to the immigrants who arrived in Australia in the 1851-1871 gold rush. In 1852 alone, 370,000 immigrants arrived in Australia and by 1871 the total population had trebled from 430,000 to 1.7 million people (the last convicts to be transported to Australia arrived in Western Australia in 1868).
Many of the Convicts were sent to Australia for quite odd crimes. For example, Irish Catholics were transported for simply looking suspicious. Likewise, political reformers were transported for trying to form unions, suggesting politicians get paid & promoting the French revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality & fraternity.
By today's standards, all of the Convicts sent to Australia had only committed trivial crimes. The serious crimes, such as rape, murder, or impersonating an Egyptian, were punished with the death penalty.
Now, back to the song lyrics.... (sorry if this is annoying to some of you, but GarmGarf annoyed me.... I agree (and laughed) at both conflicting comments by BrandiYannes and i-think and agree with abmad on other issues... who cares where you're from, however, there is definitely a cultural reference that a lot of Australians can relate to in regards to this song. In saying that, it doesn't mean that if not explained, non-Australians wouldn't get it. That's absurd to think that... Now getting back to the song lyrics... check out this clip on youtube: youtube.com/watch. It will give you an insight into what the song is about.
A combie is an old hippie van that a lot of young (and older) Australians used to travel around in to different parts of Australia - hence "on a hippie trail". Secondly, fried-out combie - anyone who has owned a combie will know that the engines used to always overheat due to the long hours on the road in the scorching heat... so, travelling in a fried-out combie, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie - believe me, this refers to being stoned on pot.... a strange lady, is just a freaky tarot reader who sits there and stares at people... she's just strange.. no need to analyse this.
"Do you come from a land down under? Where women glow and men plunder?" - women who are tanned, gorgeous, the men who worked the land...
"Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?" - this refers to the magnificent storms in Australia... You better run, you better take cover." - no need to analyse this.
"Buying bread from a man in Brussels" - this is just them travelling around the world and meeting other Australians.
"He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich" - I salute anyone who isn't Australian who likes Vegemite. Unless you've grown up on it, it really is disgusting, but to most Australians, we are fed this from birth basically, so the taste is delicious to us...
"I come from a land down under" - because of where we're situated on the world map (not in the world)
"Where beer does flow and men chunder" - the men like to drink, then they vomit (classy I know, but a reality - go to Germany, London etc... it's all the same).
"Lying in a den in Bombay, with a slack jaw, and not much to say" - watch the clip. They're all off their head.. stoned on crack or something... hence the slack jaw.. they can't talk...
I said to the man, "Are you trying to tempt me - despite it being a shoe in the video clip, they're referring to more drugs....
Because I come from the land of plenty?" - we have plenty where we come from
I hope that helps... I only registered so I could reply to these posts.... classic responses.... stay cool and be nice.... :D
It doesn't matter if Australians are truly descended from convicts or not, it's the fact that they have the stereotype of being descended from convicts.
@jules007 🔥😍 love seeing the proudness you have in your home country. It's awesome
@jules007 🔥😍 love seeing the proudness you have in your home country. It's awesome sounds like what's happening in America right now 😂😎. In the 50s America claim weed made black men smile at white women, it's one of the first things they said to make it illegal until much like alcohol prohibition, they found a way to make it controllable, legal and taxable. 😊