Down Under
Funeral Dress Lyrics


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[Originally by Men at Work]

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,
"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 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."

Overall Meaning

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.
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Comments from YouTube:

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.

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