What began in 1985 as an effort to … Read Full Bio ↴Funeral Dress- Sing along Pogo Punk!
What began in 1985 as an effort to bring some life in the almost dead Belgian punkscene has evolved into one of the longest lasting bands in their genre. 7 studio albums, 1 dvd, 10 US Tours, tons of shows around Europe, and they 're still here.
Late 1986, early '87 Funeral dress recorded 5 songs for a demo and released their first single "army life". It was a very basic 4-track recording but it layed out the groundworks for numerous future releases. After this release the band got more and more gigs and started to build up a following. In 1990 they released their first full-length album 'Free Beer For The Punx '. This album contains some classics, such as Sex, Drugs and Rock'n Roll, The pogo never stops, I'm in love with OI and the sing-a-long title track.
During the nineties, they played more and bigger shows with bands like GBH, The Exploited, Sham 69, X Ray Spex and many more. They also released their 2nd album " Songs about sex, beer and punkrock" and did their first us tour in 1998.
In 2000 they launched their 3rd album 'party Political Bullshit' followed by another us tour with their good friends The Casualties, The Virus and Endless Struggle. In 2001 their 4th studio album ' A way of life' got released, Promoted by numerous gigs all over Europe and another US Tour in 2002.
By the end of 2002 some new members joined the band. This line up proved to be the most productive ever and is still together 11 years later. The first single off the new line up "Party On" became an instant hit on Belgium's national radio and stayed in the charts for 18 weeks. Ensuring them lots of gigs all over Belgium, Europe, Russia and the USA. (Shared the stage with Simple minds, Deep purple, and many more) From 2002 on the current line up released 3 studio Albums: 'Come On Follow' (2004), 'Hello From The Underground' (2006) and 'Global Warning' (2009). They Made an appearance in 2 movies: 'Ex Drummer' and 'Punk's not dead the movie' and reached the Belgian charts several times after 'Party on(. In 2013 they will release their 8th studio album.
Down Under
Funeral Dress Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Traveling 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,
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 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 better run, you better take cover."
Lying 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! Do you come from a land down under? (oh 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."
The lyrics to Funeral Dress's cover of Men at Work's "Down Under" tell the story of a traveler's encounters with various people during their journeys. The opening lines describe the setting - a "fried-out combie" (a type of van), on a "hippie trail," with the traveler's head "full of zombie" (presumably from drugs or exhaustion). They then meet a "strange lady" who makes them nervous, but who takes them in and feeds them breakfast. She then asks if they come from "a land down under" - Australia, where "women glow and men plunder" and "thunder" can be heard. The traveler is warned to "run" and "take cover." Later, they buy bread from a muscular man in Brussels who gives them a "vegemite sandwich" and tells them he comes from "a land down under" where beer flows and men vomit. Finally, the traveler finds themselves in a den in Bombay with not much to say, but when they mention that they come from "the land of plenty," a man asks if they come from "a land down under" and warns them again to take cover.
The song's lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways. The repeated warnings to "take cover" suggest that there is danger lurking in the "land down under," and the references to vomiting and being tempted could be seen as commentary on the excesses and temptations of Australian culture. On the other hand, the repeated references to "glowing" women and the general sense of excitement and adventure conveyed in the song's imagery could be seen as celebrating the allure and excitement of Australia as a travel destination.
Line by Line Meaning
Traveling in a fried-out combie
We're driving in a van that's been through a lot, and it's not in the best shape
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie
We're traveling with the hippies, and we're feeling a bit out of it
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
We met a woman who was odd and kind of creepy
She took me in and gave me breakfast
Despite her oddness, she was hospitable and fed us
And she said,
Then she asked us a question
Do you come from a land down under?
She asked if we're from Australia
Where women glow and men plunder?
She described Australia as a place where women are beautiful and men are rough
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
She warned us of an impending storm
You better run, you better take cover.
She told us to find shelter and stay safe
Buying bread from a man in Brussels
We bought bread from a large, muscular man in Brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscles
He was a big and strong guy
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
I asked him if he spoke my language
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich
He didn't answer my question but gave me a sandwich made with a popular Australian spread
And he said,
Then he asked us a question
I come from a land down under
He told us he was from Australia
Where beer does flow and men chunder
He described Australia as a place where there's plenty of beer and guys throw up
Lying in a den in Bombay
We found ourselves in a shady place in Bombay
With a slack jaw, and not much to say
We were speechless and a bit stunned
I said to the man, "Are you trying to tempt me
I asked the man if he was trying to seduce me
Because I come from the land of plenty?"
I explained that I come from a place where there's a lot of everything
And he said,
Then he asked us a question
"Oh! Do you come from a land down under? (oh yeah yeah)
He repeated the question asked earlier by the strange lady
Where women glow and men plunder?
He repeated the same line the lady used earlier to describe Australia
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
He warned us of the coming storm, just like the lady did
You better run, you better take cover.
He repeated the advice to find shelter and stay safe
Contributed by Jake F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Angel Patton
Forgot about this gem! Great band and cover 🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻💚
Fanatico de Espanol
both versions are great men at work and these just keep Oi Oi!
HMStan
Amazing cover! The sound makes me smile!^^
Florence M-P
love it ! <3
Dewey Kitt
I didn't even know this was a cover.... You know it's a good cover when you can't tell it's a cover!
Herr Durza R.F. Sinister
THIS is a great cover!!!
De Petris István
very nice cover. i liked it the most.
michelle baltazar
Love this song! Bad ass band! :3 whooo hoo!
Aka El Circo
De puta madre... suenan asombrosos!
Saludos desde México...
Kon E. Linngus
Badass cover; Leftover Crack did an awesome cover too, but I also like the original version too.