People, wasting away in paradise
Going backward, once in a while
Moving ahead, falling behind
What do you believe, what do you believe
What do you believe is true
Nothing they say makes a difference this way
Nothing they say will do

Take all the trouble that you can afford
At least you won't have time to be bored

Oh the power and the passion, oh the temper of the time
Oh the power and the passion
Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line

Sun burnt faces around, with skin so brown
Smiling zinc cream and crowds, Sundays the beach never a cloud
Breathing eucalypti, pushing panel vans
Stuff and munch junk food
Laughing at the truth, 'cause Gough was tough till he hit the rough
Uncle Sam and John were quite enough

Too much of sunshine too much of sky
It's enough to make you want to cry

Oh the power

I see buildings, clothing the sky, in paradise
Sydney, nights are warm
Daytime telly, blue rinse dawn
Dad's so bad he lives in the pub, it's a underarms and football clubs
Flat chat, Pine Gap, in every home a Big Mac
And no one goes outback, that's that
You take what you get and get what you please
It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees

Oh the power


Lyrics submitted by themancky

Power and the Passion Lyrics as written by Martin Rotsey James Moginie

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Power And The Passion song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    Love the drum solo(s) and the line 'Better to die on your feet than live on your knees.'

    Aneurysm1985on June 22, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    That line was originally quoted (by General Franko I think) during the Spanish Civil War of the 1950's. Bloody US imperialism!

    chrisb1on February 01, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    2 comments, wtf? How awesome is the brass in the 3rd verse?

    "Laughing at the truth, 'cos Gough was tough till he hit the rough" Is Gough Whitlam, he was tough till things went to shit at the end of his time as PM. He's still a tough old bloke, mind you ;)

    Berrieon February 09, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees": (to chrisb1) General Franco was a far right dictator, so he has certainly never said theses words, related to the left revolutionary "tradition" (from Spartacus to Che Ghevara). And the Spanish Civil War, which took places during the 1930's, opposed these two sides:

    • republicans, socialists and anarchists as Durruti VS
    • conservative catholics and fascists as Franco. The first ones where supported by the Soviet Union, the second ones by the Nazis (you know ? this bad guys, famous during the 1930's and 1940's)... THIS WAR HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH US IMPERIALISM (please read a little of History before writing such bullshits): US imperialism get to a worldwide scale at the end of WWII. About the meaning of this song (for me): sickness of "too much sunshine", too much comfort and illusion provided by consumption society, makes you forget the real political stakes. You have fun, you feel free and well though you live on your knees; when you realize the illusion "It's enough to make you wann cry".
    gildassungon September 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is about materialism, and what gildassung said about society's illusions.

    giliam415on June 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees": (to gildassung). This line originally came from the Mexican wars involving Pancho Villa.

    I DID NOT say that the Spanish Civil War & US imperialism were related. The song alludes to US encroachment in Australia eg. Pine Gap, big mac, maybe imperialism is the wrong term. Please check your spelling before writing "bullshits", it should be in singular form ie. "bullshit".

    chrisb1on February 06, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Love. Those. Horns.

    cosmiclove96on March 11, 2015   Link

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