Hoodoo Gurus (sometimes just shortened to 'Gurus') are an Australian rock b… Read Full Bio ↴Hoodoo Gurus (sometimes just shortened to 'Gurus') are an Australian rock band combining elements of seventies power pop, bubblegum pop, Beatle-esque harmonies, psychedelia and grungy garage rock. Guitarists Dave Faulkner, Rod Radalj, and Kimble Rendall were joined by drummer James Baker when the band formed in Sydney in 1981. Baker and Radalj had been members of Perth band The Scientists in 1977-79, while Baker had drummed with Faulkner and in another Perth band, The Victims, in 1978-79.

The original lineup was notable for having three guitars and no bass player, creating a distinctive, layered sound. Kimble Rendall left in 1982 before the release of their first single, Leilani, and went on to become a noted music video director. He was effectively replaced by bassist Clyde Bramley. Radalj was not happy with Rendall's departure or Faulkner's increasing influence, and left the band himself, to be replaced by one-time Fun Things guitarist Brad Shepherd. This line-up released the band's break-through first album, Stoneage Romeos, in 1984.

In 1998, the band officially split but reformed for occasional concerts in subsequent years. A full-fledged reunion came in 2004, when they released Mach Schau and began touring again. The band received another boost when Come Anytime (from 1989's Magnum Cum Louder) was used as the theme song to the Australian TV show Thank God You're Here.

Discography:
Stoneage Romeos (1984), Mars Needs Guitars! (1985), Blow Your Cool! (1987), Magnum Cum Louder (1989), Kinky (1991), Crank (1994), Blue Cave (1996), Mach Schau (2004), Purity of Essence (2010)

Compilations:
Electric Soup (1992), Gorilla Biscuit (1992), Electric Chair (1998), Armchair Gurus (1998), Bite The Bullet (1998), Ampology (2000)

Get High!
Hoodoo Gurus Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everybody wants to buy a one-way ticket to paradise.
Everybody's had enough of too much work and self sacrifice.
They wanna get higher,
They wanna get ...

Everybody wants to take a tiny pill they call happiness.
They'd eat 'em by the dozen and they'd never even think about side effects.
They wanna get higher,

They wanna get high!
They just wanna get high.

I would never try to tell you I'm any better than all the rest,
I'm looking for a panacea, so far nothing can pass the test.
I wanna get higher
I wanna get high
I just wanna get high
Somedays, you just wanna get high
I wanna get,
You wanna get,
They wanna get (higher)
He wants to get,
She wants to get,
They all wanna get high!

We wanna get-
Yeah, we need to get-
We just better get one thing straight
There are no easy answers for all of us
But when they discover one
I'll tell you I'll be the first on that bus!

I wanna get higher,
I wanna get-
I gotta get higher
And I'm gonna get high!
I just wanna get high,
Somedays you just wanna get high.
Well these days
We just wanna get high!
And always
wanna kiss all our cares bye-bye,
Bye-bye!
I wanna get,
You wanna get,
They wanna get (higher)
He wants to get,
She wants to get,

We're all gonna get
High!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Hoodoo Gurus' song “Get High!” depict the universal desire of human beings to escape from the drudgery of their everyday lives and elatedly float away to a paradise of pleasure and happiness. The opening lines set the tone of the song, with the idea of a one-way ticket to paradise being a common metaphor for achieving happiness and fulfillment within oneself. The second line speaks to the exhaustion and tension people face in their daily lives, leading them to the point of seeking ways to escape their routine existence.

The lyrics further delve into the fact that people feel happier when they take drugs, and such feelings of euphoria are looked at as a small pill of happiness; however, people do not think about the cons of consuming the same in excessive amounts. The chorus repeatedly shows people's craving for the feeling of being high; everyone seeks it, making it clear that it is not limited to a handful of people but a widely experienced phenomenon.

In the third stanza, the singer does not portray any superiority over anyone regarding this desire. Instead, he states that he is looking for a "panacea," a cure that can help him leave behind the mundane reality and attain the utopia of blissful existence. He follows the same pattern of repeating the chorus again, which gives the impression that more than anything, everyone desires that feeling of getting high.

Overall, it can be concluded that the song presents the craving for getting high and escaping reality as a regular human phenomenon that is prevalent across all walks of life. The act of seeking an easy way out may not be the solution, but it represents a common human need for escapism that is relatable to most people.

Line by Line Meaning

Everybody wants to buy a one-way ticket to paradise.
Everyone wants to escape reality permanently.

Everybody's had enough of too much work and self sacrifice.
Everyone is tired of constantly working and sacrificing their own well-being.

They wanna get higher,
They want to achieve a greater state of consciousness.

They wanna get ...
They want to experience a powerful sensation.

Everybody wants to take a tiny pill they call happiness.
Everyone desires a quick and easy solution to their problems.

They'd eat 'em by the dozen and they'd never even think about side effects.
They would consume these pills excessively and disregard any negative consequences.

They wanna get high!
They want to achieve a euphoric state of mind.

I would never try to tell you I'm any better than all the rest,
I do not claim to be superior to others.

I'm looking for a panacea, so far nothing can pass the test.
I am seeking a cure-all solution, but I have not found one that works.

Somedays, you just wanna get high
Sometimes you just want to escape reality for a while.

We just better get one thing straight
We need to be clear about one thing.

There are no easy answers for all of us
There are no simple solutions that work for everyone.

But when they discover one
But if a universal solution is found,

I'll tell you I'll be the first on that bus!
I will be the first to embrace it.

I gotta get higher
I need to feel more elated.

And I'm gonna get high!
I will achieve a euphoric state of mind.

Well these days
Currently

We just wanna get high!
We all want to escape reality for a while.