After recording their first album, which featured the single Talking to a Stranger, the band traveled to Germany to record with famed producer Conny Plank. In 1984, the band reorganized, adding a three-piece horn section and losing the second guitarist. By 1986, the band's style was moving away from the sweat-drenched rhythmic jams of their early days to a more song-centered aproach centered on Seymour (whose younger brother Nick was a member of Crowded House). Throw Your Arms Around Me was a successful single in many countries.
The band was never able to match the worldwide attention they reached in 1986, though they continued to record with considerable success in Australia, and maintained a loyal fanbase elsewhere.
They broke up in 1998, but returned to play one concert on 14 March 2009 for "Sound Relief" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was a multi-venue rock music concert in support of relief for the Victorian Bushfire Crisis.
Towtruck
Hunters & Collectors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To drive it round and round our neighbourhood
We pass it round
Pass around this plumber's friend
Pass it round
Pass around the plumber's friend
And then we even built a yellow towtruck
And drove it out into the big country
The distortion was incredible
All of Groper's Fat Gang dressed in sleeveless T-shirts
Whinging, whinging for perfection
Hear them whinging, whinging for perfection
We bought a yellow towtruck
And drove this organ round the big country
We went way past the Dimazio Line
The distortion was incredible
All of Groper's Fat Gang dressed in sleeveless T-shirts
Whinging, they're whinging for perfection
Hear them whinging, hear them whinging for perfection
Generous towtruck
Here it comes
Generous towtruck
We were dancing in a pig marathon
So who's taken my bloody wheelchair?
We got ourselves a stick-book situation here
So we had better phone for the yellow towtruck, hadn't we?
And we had to swab the plumber's fat
We had to hand-crank our way out, we had to hand-crank our way out
But we dragged it all the way out there, and all the way back
We dragged it all the way out there, and all the way...
Back back
Change down you fools!
Change down!
Stop, stop, stop!
That's it, go home!
It's the end of the song!
So go!
Generous towtruck
Here it comes
Generous towtruck
The lyrics to Hunters & Collectors' 'Towtruck' are quite enigmatic, and could be interpreted in a number of different ways. On the surface, the song seems to be about a group of friends who've acquired a yellow tow truck, and are enjoying driving it around their neighbourhood, and the country beyond. There's a sense of camaraderie and fun as they pass around the plumber's friend (a type of pipe wrench) and dance in a pig marathon. However, there's also an undercurrent of dissatisfaction or anxiety, as the gang members, known as Groper's Fat Gang, are "whinging for perfection". The distortion referred to in the song could be a musical reference, or it could be a metaphor for the flaws or conflicts inherent in the group dynamic.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more surreal and confusing. The group finds themselves in a "stick-book situation", and have to call on the tow truck to help them out. They also have to "swab the plumber's fat", which could be a literal reference to cleaning grease off the truck, or it could be a metaphor for dealing with the messiness of their relationships. The final lines of the song are chaotic and ultimately nonsensical - the group gives up on the tow truck and tells everyone to go home. It's possible that the song is a commentary on friendship, community, and the difficulty of finding perfection in imperfect situations.
Line by Line Meaning
We bought a yellow towtruck
We acquired a yellow towtruck
To drive it round and round our neighbourhood
We used the towtruck in our local area, driving in circles
We pass it round
We shared the towtruck among ourselves
Pass around this plumber's friend
Let's share this plunger
And then we even built a yellow towtruck
We went a step further and constructed our own yellow towtruck
And drove it out into the big country
We took it on a long journey outside of our local area
We went way past the Dimazio Line
We traveled beyond a certain point or boundary
The distortion was incredible
The sound produced was greatly amplified or magnified
All of Groper's Fat Gang dressed in sleeveless T-shirts
Everyone in our group, including Groper's Fat Gang, were wearing sleeveless shirts
Whinging, whinging for perfection
Complaining and grumbling about wanting everything to be perfect
Hear them whinging, whinging for perfection
You can hear them complaining about wanting everything to be perfect
And drove this organ round the big country
We took a musical instrument on our journey through the countryside
Generous towtruck
Our towtruck was very helpful and accommodating
Here it comes
Look out, it's coming!
We were dancing in a pig marathon
We were participating in a dance competition or festival with pigs
So who's taken my bloody wheelchair?
Who stole my wheelchair?
We got ourselves a stick-book situation here
We're in a challenging or difficult situation
So we had better phone for the yellow towtruck, hadn't we?
We need to call for the yellow towtruck to help us out
And we had to swab the plumber's fat
We had to clean off the plunger
We had to hand-crank our way out, we had to hand-crank our way out
We had to manually operate the towtruck to escape a sticky situation
But we dragged it all the way out there, and all the way back
Despite difficulties, we managed to bring the towtruck to our destination and back again
Back back
We're leaving and returning to our starting point
Change down you fools!
Slow down, everyone!
Change down!
Switch to a lower gear
Stop, stop, stop!
Halt, don't move any further!
That's it, go home!
We're finished, it's time to leave
It's the end of the song!
This marks the conclusion of our musical performance
So go!
We encourage you to leave now
Contributed by Anthony N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@davidhines68
One of my few fond 80s memories.
@angrypossumsx1259
This is the REAL Hunters and Collectors with Greg Perano’s awesome tribal percussion.
@markdarwin5555
As a H&C fan from way back when this song really does it for me! Builds and Builds......
@tonverhappen5806
Saw a towtruck for a truck last week and searched for this song. Thnx for putting it online!! Had it on cassette and bad song if you drive middle night over dirtroads home after visiting friend.... Window open all 4 lights on. Mad driving and never had a speedticket... -=_=-
@bushwalkallabout
This was always one of their outstanding tracks and yet gets very little attention...'cept from me!! The build up is colossal!!! Early Hunnas were sensational. Bring back the gas cylinder!!
@Astrostevo
Agreed. Love this song.
@johnromaine4623
It is awesome! Loved those early recordings, they were brilliant punk, and I'm not sure the band thought of themselves that way back then!
@huepix
Yup.
This is my favourite H&C composition.
And, as you say, hardly ever hear it. Can't even find a live version.
@huepix
@@johnromaine4623 someone once told me they reckoned it was Ozzy Ska
@kevmac1230
@@johnromaine4623 Might be my favorite H&C track.But what is it about?