The band split in 2002 to allow Garrett to focus on his political career. He became a member of the Australian House of Representatives and the was the Australian Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts from 2007-2010. From 2010, he was the Australian Minister for Education. Garrett did not stand for re-election in 2013. The band has reunited since then for two benefit concerts: the 2005 WaveAid concert for Indian Ocean Tsunami victims and in March 2009 the band reformed for two shows in Canberra as a warm up for "Sound Relief" in Melbourne, a benefit concert for the Victorian Bushfire victims.
The Oils, as they are known to their fans, began as a progressive rock band called Farm in the early 1970s, then under the Midnight Oil name developed a reputation as an impressive and hard-working live act associated with the surfing community of Sydney. They became one of Australia's most respected bands, known for their live performances, and also for their activism and support for community groups and causes.
Midnight Oil's first two albums Midnight Oil and Head Injuries were originally released on an independent label, followed by the EP Bird Noises in 1980. Their third album, Place without a Postcard, was recorded in Great Britain with the respected producer Glyn Johns (Led Zeppelin, The Who) on the back of a brief tour of the UK.
Their fourth album, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (spoken as "10 to 1"), marked both the Oil's major Australian breakthrough and the beginning of their successful association with producer Nick Launay. This album also saw considerable success in the college radio scene of the US, prompting a tour of North America.
Following on from 10-1, the Oils with Nick Launay recorded the fifth album Red Sails in the Sunset during a three month stint in Tokyo in 1984, becoming the first known western band to record an entire album in Japan. Red Sails was reasonably successful in Australia, featuring songs like Best of Both Worlds and Kosciuszko, but the album's quirky, experimental sound failed to make major inroads overseas. Also during 1984, frontman Peter Garrett was narrowly defeated in an election for the New South Wales, representing the Nuclear Disarmament Party (NDP).
In 1985, following the release of the EP Species Deceases the Oils embarked on a career-changing tour of remote Aboriginal communities of outback Australia with legendary Aboriginal group, the Warumpi Band. The tour led to the recording of Midnight Oil's major international breakthrough success Diesel and Dust, released in 1987 which featured their biggest international hit Beds Are Burning. The following album Blue Sky Mining, released in 1990 had two songs that topped the US Modern Rock charts, Blue Sky Mine and Forgotten Years. Both Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining were produced with Warne Livesey.
Between 1988 and 1992, the band's Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining discs became known worldwide, as did their political activism for causes ranging from nuclear disarmament to aboriginal rights and environmental issues. Their subsequent albums sold less well outside Australia, but the Oils maintained a following throughout the 1990s and into the new century.
The Midnight Oil lineup remained quite stable over the band's long career: Garrett as lead singer and harmonica, Jim Moginie on guitar and keyboards, Martin Rotsey on guitar, and Rob Hirst on drums. Andrew (Bear) James, the first bass player, left in 1980 due to ill health. Peter Gifford replaced him and in turn quit the band in 1987 citing the pressures of touring. New Zealander Bones Hillman, (ex Swingers) replaced him, and remained with the group until its dissolution in 2002. Gary Morris was the band's manager and effective sixth member (often credited with the simple title "Business, no singing" on albums) throughout.
In 2004 Peter Garrett was elected to Federal Parliament as the Labor member for Kingsford-Smith in Sydney. In November 2007 he became Minister for Arts in the Australian government as a member of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's front bench. He retired from Parliament in 2013. Jim Moginie continues his involvement with music through his own band, The Family Dog and as a producer for artists such as Sarah Blasko. Rob Hirst is also involved with several musical projects such as Hirst and Greene, Ghostwriters, The Angry Tradesmen and The Backsliders. Moginie, Hirst and Martin Rotsey continue to play and record together in instrumental band The Break.
The band reformed in 2016, launched a world tour in 2017 and released the live album Armistice Day: Live at the Domain, Sydney with an accompanying film. 2020 saw the release of the mini-album called The Makarrata Project. Bass guitarist Bones Hillman died on 7 November 2020 of cancer. On 18 May 2021, the band announced their upcoming thirteenth album, Show of Hands, the last recordings to feature Hillman. The first single, released on 28 October, was Rising Seas.
The Dead Heart
Midnight Oil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't serve your king
Know your custom, don't speak your tongue
White man came, took everyone
We don't serve your country
Don't serve your king
White man listen to the songs we sing
We carry in our hearts the true country
And that cannot be stolen
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
And that cannot be broken
We don't serve your country
Don't serve your king
Know your custom, don't speak your tongue
White man came, took everyone
We don't need protection
Don't need your hand
Keep your promise on where we stand
We will listen we'll understand
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
We carry in our hearts the true country
And that cannot be stolen
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
And that cannot be broken
We carry in our hearts the true country
And that cannot be stolen
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
And that cannot be broken
Broken
Mining companies, pastoral companies
Uranium companies of, companies of
Collected companies
Got more right than people, yeah
Got more say than people, yeah
More say than the people, oh yeah
More say than people, yeah
More say than people, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Forty thousand years that makes a difference to the state of things
The dead heart
The dead heart
The dead heart, oh, lives here
The dead heart
The dead heart, I said
The dead heart lives
It lives here
The Dead Heart by Midnight Oil is a political protest song that expresses the Australian aboriginals' struggles against the British occupation and their forced assimilation into British culture. The lyrics describe how the British colonizers have taken their land and replaced it with their own, forcing them to abandon their religious beliefs, language, and traditions. The song speaks to the Australian aboriginals' resistance against this forced assimilation and their determination to preserve their heritage and way of life.
The opening lyrics, "We don't serve your country, don't serve your king, know your custom, don't speak your tongue, white man came took everyone," are a reference to the fact that the British colonizers forcibly took over Australia, removed the native people from their land, and attempted to impose their language and culture on them. The repeated chorus, "We carry in our hearts the true country, and that cannot be stolen, we follow in the steps of our ancestry, and that cannot be broken," speaks to the aboriginals' connection with their land and their determination to preserve their cultural heritage.
The song's lyrics also touch on the issue of modern corporations that exploit the land and the people who live on it for profit. The verse, "mining companies, pastoral companies, uranium companies of companies, of collected companies got more right than people, yeah," highlights the fact that corporations often have more power and say over the land than the people who actually live on it.
Overall, The Dead Heart is a powerful statement of resistance against colonialism and capitalism, and a celebration of aboriginal culture and heritage.
Line by Line Meaning
We don't serve your country
We don't owe allegiance to your rulers or government
Don't serve your king
We don't recognize your monarchy
Know your custom, don't speak your tongue
We follow our own traditions and may not speak the same language as you
White man came took everyone
Colonizers came and took away our land and our people
White man listen to the songs we sing
You should listen to the music and lyrics we create
White man came took everything
You took away everything that we had, including our culture and way of life
We carry in our hearts the true country
We have an innate connection to our land and way of life that cannot be taken away from us
And that cannot be stolen
Our connection to our true country cannot be stolen or erased
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
We carry on the traditions and practices of our ancestors
And that cannot be broken
Our heritage and cultural practices cannot be destroyed or erased
We don't need protection
We don't need you to protect us
Don't need your hand
We don't need your assistance or guidance
Keep your promise on where we stand
You should honor any agreements we have made about our land and way of life
We will listen we'll understand
We are willing to listen and learn from each other, but on equal terms
Mining companies, pastoral companies
Corporations that exploit land and resources
Uranium companies of companies of
Entities that are involved in uranium mining
Collected companies
Global corporations that collect resources from all over the world
Got more right than people, yeah
These companies have more rights than the people who live on the land they exploit
Got more say than people, yeah
These companies have more of a voice than the people who live on the land they exploit
More say than the people, oh yeah
These companies have more influence than the people they are affecting
Forty thousand years, that makes a difference to the state of things
We have been living in our country for tens of thousands of years and that makes a difference to how we view and understand things
The dead heart, the dead heart, the dead heart lives here
Our land may look barren and lifeless to outsiders, but it is rich with history, culture, and life that cannot be taken away from us
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Moginie, Martin Rotsey, Peter Garrett, Peter Gifford, Robert Hirst
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind