This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Out where the river broke
The bloodwood and the desert oak
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels
Steam at forty-five degrees
The time has come to say "Fair's fair"
To pay the rent, to pay our share
The time has come, a fact's a fact
It belongs to them, let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
The time has come to say "Fair's fair"
To pay the rent now, to pay our share
Four wheels scare the cockatoos
From Kintore, east to Yuendemu
The Western Desert lives and breathes
In forty-five degrees
The time has come to say "Fair's fair"
To pay the rent, to pay our share
The time has come, a fact's a fact
It belongs to them, let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
The time has come to say "Fair's fair"
To pay the rent now, to pay our share
The time has come, a fact's a fact
It belongs to them, we're gonna give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
The bloodwood and the desert oak
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels
Steam at forty-five degrees
The time has come to say "Fair's fair"
To pay the rent, to pay our share
The time has come, a fact's a fact
It belongs to them, let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
The time has come to say "Fair's fair"
To pay the rent now, to pay our share
Four wheels scare the cockatoos
From Kintore, east to Yuendemu
The Western Desert lives and breathes
In forty-five degrees
The time has come to say "Fair's fair"
To pay the rent, to pay our share
The time has come, a fact's a fact
It belongs to them, let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
The time has come to say "Fair's fair"
To pay the rent now, to pay our share
The time has come, a fact's a fact
It belongs to them, we're gonna give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
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It's about giving a part of Australia back to the Aborigines.
beds are burning = burning of fossil fuels that come from beds, coal, oil and otherwise and effects on mother earth<br /> dance while world is turning = we keep doing the same thing, expecting different results<br /> time to give up on being greedy goats and give back to the earth, not keep taking
thank you for that lovely little bit of nationalistic stereotyping. if you would care to investigate before spouting off self-righteous bullshit, you would have found that Midnight Oil has made multiple efforts with multiple tribes of indigenous people to right the wrongs perpetrated on them. they have multiple NONPROFIT tours of the bushland to get a feel for the plight of the Aborigines and gave donated significantly to legal action against the abuse of Aboriginal land rights. hell, you don't even have to know all that to not be "skeptical"--just look at the remainder of the Deisel and Dust album. the entire thing is committed specifically to the issues facing the indigenous peoples of Australia.
sigh i dunno. i'm just pissed because i'm an oiler to the core. any other band and i might be inclined to agree with you. but Midnight Oil wasn't--isn't--any other band. that's the reason i'm an oiler even now.
"But perhaps he should lead by example ? lol "
umm... I think he lives a perfect example. He is now more well known for his good work in the community, than as "that dude from Midnight Oil". I think he is a wonderful role model and he's done wonders for this country.
cacambo43 - 'how can we dance while our earth is turning' is a metaphor for indifference toward suffering that is going on as the earth turns, while 'how do we sleep while our beds are burning' is one for guilt, and for "shitting where you eat," so to speak. In other words, if you burn you're own bed (where you sleep), you're only hurting yourself in the long run.
I like it. I couldn't figure out the song and you seem to make the most sense with the lyrics. Thanks.
@ShepherdofBeing This "indifference" reminds me of the "Cremation Of Care" ritual done at Bohemian Groove. White people actually do rituals to free their conscience of the things they do.
Beds Are Burning is about the plight of the aborigines in Australia but what's going on down under is the same old thing Stateside. It's an absolute smame that we Americans do absolutely nothing for the natives in far-flung locales like Boise and Phoenix. They are the ones who suffer the most. What the Oils wrote is true. We're all in this together. It belongs to them-give it back!
It thus puts the point across that - you can say or believe what ever you want on issues of white colonisation, but the truth exists irrespective of what you think - and that truth is that kids were stolen (as was the land) and that whilst we can't change the past, we can "give it back" by offering and apology, as was given in parliament earlier this year. People who hold racist views on this issue are the rejects of modern society, they are uneducated and from the lower tiers of society. How can we dance, when their views are the ones held by politicians and other people apparently "at the top"? It's an injustice that causes our "beds" to burn.
I think its about insulation, to be honest.
I can not BELIEVE some of the racist comments coming from people. It obviously mean's you are uneducated about Indigenous culture. I am 16 year's old doing research for a school report and some of the stereotypical remarks about Aboriginal people being the cause of most crime, got me all chocked up. Hopefully now, 6 to 5 years later you all have a better understanding. My Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather was apart of the stolen generation which by the way would not have even happened if white settlement did not occur. It is Aboriginal land and the reason Indigenous area's can be run down and full of crime is because they were dumped in missions and didn't have access to education, the same education that some people ^^ take advantage of. For the key board warriors up the top who are bagging out my culture, I double dare you to go ahead and say what you have got to say to one of our faces and see how it all pans out. Read a book or do some research and learn a little more so I don't have to see comments like this again. Cheers.
DAMN RIGHT!!! I TOTALLY AGREE!!! I personally are not from indigenous descent butu some of my best friends are and a lot of my family are. I totally agree with you. Some people are so ignorant of their own history, it's not funny! Some of the things that come out of people's mouths nowadays still, are so disrespectful that I've flared up to the point of... well, let's just say they got what they deserved. I strongly believe it should be compulsory for every person to go through the history of their OWN country and understand what terrible things went on. It's sad that they don't, to be honest. Sorry, I'm ranting again but I can get so worked up about rascism against the indigenous population. Er... yeah so... just wanted to say, I agreed with you full heartily!!
Ah how refreshing it is to hear intelligent opinions like yours Denika, on a song from 1987. You show a better understanding of the meaning of the song even though you weren't born until 9 years after its release! I'm glad and appreciative, that our future is in the hands of people like you.<br /> <br /> Music is such an amazing medium, some people sing all the words and have no idea what the song is about, which is perfectly fine! Then others can comprehend exactly what the musicians are trying to convey through their songs! <br /> <br /> Music is politics people, music is the universal language....
No apostrophe in words like "year's" and "mean's". Nice education there champ. Did you go to a State school pleb?
@Hoffies so out of their whole post that is what you focus on? "Forest from the trees"
It's a shame about the Oils breaking up (for now anyway...) I might not see them live. Anyway, to everyone who doubts Midnight Oil, such as the people above me ^^, you're just misinformed and stupid. Midnight Oil were a great band with a swagful of great songs and I wish more people knew more of their songs than 'Beds Are Burning' and a small handful of others that get played a lot. Other songs to start out on by the Oils which rock include: 'Short Memory', 'Sometimes', 'Truganini', 'Forgotten Years' etc.
I made the trip from Melbourne to Sydney on January 29th, 2005, to go to the Wave Aid concert. It was there that I got to see Midnight Oil play live, for the first and most likely last time in my life.
They played this song, along with a handful of others, and it was an amazing experience to just shout out the words, along with 50,000 other Australians.
Peter Garrett and the Oils, always saying what everyone else was thinking, but too scared to say. Lets hope his political career won't muffle him too much.
What a group of Champions the Oils are.
Cheers!