The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Traveling in a fried-out Kombi
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 muscle
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, yeah
Lyin' 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, you come from a land down under? (Ooh, 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 ('cause we are)
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
(Can't you hear thunder) can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? (Ooh yeah)
Better run, you better take cover (we are)
Living in a land down under (ooh yeah)
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you, can't you hear the thunder?
Better run, you better take cover
Living in a land down under (living in a land down under)
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you, can't you hear the thunder?
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 muscle
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, yeah
Lyin' 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, you come from a land down under? (Ooh, 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 ('cause we are)
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
(Can't you hear thunder) can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? (Ooh yeah)
Better run, you better take cover (we are)
Living in a land down under (ooh yeah)
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you, can't you hear the thunder?
Better run, you better take cover
Living in a land down under (living in a land down under)
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you, can't you hear the thunder?
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Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
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Great version of a great song,
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LOL, as a qualified Australian, let me translate this one:
A VW Kombi van is the Australian poor man's road trip vehicle of choice. "Fried out" means that it's in really poor condition and overheating.
"Zombie" is marijuana, though some other people claim it's other drugs.
The thunder refers to both Australia's tropical storminess, and also to the awesomeness of the people/country (like footsteps, ie: we're coming! Better take cover!)
Vegemite is the national sandwich spread, made from yeast extract (beer scum, kind of). Usually only Australians can stand the taste (I eat it from the jar, haha), so eating a Vegemite sandwich is a good way to prove you're an Aussie (it's our secret "language" overseas).
To "Chunder", in Australian slang, is to puke. So, they're saying we get drunk and barf a lot, which...is true. Ahem.
And of course, Australia is the land down under all the other countries. Hence, the land down under.
I agree. Bee Gees has used na old Kombi in the early days...Hug to you aussies!!
How I miss tht fuckin' Golden coast, Hahaha (laugh)
@braille16 I'm pretty sure he says plunder not chunder
@archer1203 it uses both words ... chunder refers to throwing up (usually in context of spewing because of drinking too much)
@braille16 awesome explainachione, neat to hear from a real aussie 😍👏
It's simple and to me it means a man missing home and finding it where he least expects it all around the globe through different people.
Good on you for your Australian spirit, and I completely disagree with those from other countries that don't appreciate it. Think of songs that make you proud in your country, that's what this is to us Australians.
Now, instead of this as our national anthem what about something like "Home Among the Gum Trees" which truly looks at Australia and what makes it so bloody good!
@gumtreebeach crocodile hunter was my favorite, made me appreciate all australia stands for, crocodile dundee had a little input two 😂✌️🇦🇺
Ok. Let me explain. I'm Australian so I know exactly what's going on.
It's 'Kombi' not 'combie'. A Volkswagon Kombi is a minivan. It's fried-out because of the heat and it's probably overheating. Head full of Zombie refers to him being wasted on a head full of pot. The thunder I imagine is refering to the sound of the storms rolling over the hills, the smell of rain coming and the feeling you get before there's a big Aussie storm.
This song rules. LONG LIVE AUSTRALIA.
@LeeHarvey would love to smell a big rain coming thru that beautiful country. ❤️☔🔥
To GarmGarf, despite understanding where you are coming from... I must elaborate on Australian history just a little, as I get a little tired of people referring to Australians as convicts... during the late 18th & 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government. This was to establish a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their overburdened correctional facilities. Over the 80 years more than 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia. The number of convicts pales, however, compared to the immigrants who arrived in Australia in the 1851-1871 gold rush. In 1852 alone, 370,000 immigrants arrived in Australia and by 1871 the total population had trebled from 430,000 to 1.7 million people (the last convicts to be transported to Australia arrived in Western Australia in 1868).
Many of the Convicts were sent to Australia for quite odd crimes. For example, Irish Catholics were transported for simply looking suspicious. Likewise, political reformers were transported for trying to form unions, suggesting politicians get paid & promoting the French revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality & fraternity.
By today's standards, all of the Convicts sent to Australia had only committed trivial crimes. The serious crimes, such as rape, murder, or impersonating an Egyptian, were punished with the death penalty.
Now, back to the song lyrics.... (sorry if this is annoying to some of you, but GarmGarf annoyed me.... I agree (and laughed) at both conflicting comments by BrandiYannes and i-think and agree with abmad on other issues... who cares where you're from, however, there is definitely a cultural reference that a lot of Australians can relate to in regards to this song. In saying that, it doesn't mean that if not explained, non-Australians wouldn't get it. That's absurd to think that... Now getting back to the song lyrics... check out this clip on youtube: youtube.com/watch. It will give you an insight into what the song is about.
A combie is an old hippie van that a lot of young (and older) Australians used to travel around in to different parts of Australia - hence "on a hippie trail". Secondly, fried-out combie - anyone who has owned a combie will know that the engines used to always overheat due to the long hours on the road in the scorching heat... so, travelling in a fried-out combie, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie - believe me, this refers to being stoned on pot.... a strange lady, is just a freaky tarot reader who sits there and stares at people... she's just strange.. no need to analyse this.
"Do you come from a land down under? Where women glow and men plunder?" - women who are tanned, gorgeous, the men who worked the land...
"Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?" - this refers to the magnificent storms in Australia... You better run, you better take cover." - no need to analyse this.
"Buying bread from a man in Brussels" - this is just them travelling around the world and meeting other Australians.
"He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich" - I salute anyone who isn't Australian who likes Vegemite. Unless you've grown up on it, it really is disgusting, but to most Australians, we are fed this from birth basically, so the taste is delicious to us...
"I come from a land down under" - because of where we're situated on the world map (not in the world)
"Where beer does flow and men chunder" - the men like to drink, then they vomit (classy I know, but a reality - go to Germany, London etc... it's all the same).
"Lying in a den in Bombay, with a slack jaw, and not much to say" - watch the clip. They're all off their head.. stoned on crack or something... hence the slack jaw.. they can't talk...
I said to the man, "Are you trying to tempt me - despite it being a shoe in the video clip, they're referring to more drugs....
Because I come from the land of plenty?" - we have plenty where we come from
I hope that helps... I only registered so I could reply to these posts.... classic responses.... stay cool and be nice.... :D
It doesn't matter if Australians are truly descended from convicts or not, it's the fact that they have the stereotype of being descended from convicts.
@jules007 🔥😍 love seeing the proudness you have in your home country. It's awesome
@jules007 🔥😍 love seeing the proudness you have in your home country. It's awesome sounds like what's happening in America right now 😂😎. In the 50s America claim weed made black men smile at white women, it's one of the first things they said to make it illegal until much like alcohol prohibition, they found a way to make it controllable, legal and taxable. 😊
I agree with LeeHarvey about everything, but he left somthing out. When he said "lying in a den in Bombay" He's referring to an oppieum den, wich reconfirms his comment that "head full of zombie" ment that he was wasted.
Listening to this song sends chills down my spine. This song and Khe Sahn. Both great Aussie songs.
CobHateBreader Khe Sahn is a song title I absolutely hate. I don't mind the song so much by I absolutely hate it when Americans re-write history making Australian/British etc history their own. Khe Sahn was a purely American ARVN battle with no Aussies anywhere near it.<br /> <br /> Aussies have a proud Vietnam War history - we don't need to steal other national pride to fill our own.<br /> <br /> Ian
l'm australian and l think as with most songs on this site, people read far too much into the lyrics. The lyrics are all pretty much straight forward. l will say though the only embarrassing thing about being aussie is every event involving an australian there's got to be some wanker screaming out aussie, aussie, aussie, oi, oi, oi. STOP IT! l'm thinking about starting a petition to make that illegal.
I'd sign it.
I'd sign it.
And another thing...: the song is referred to as both "Land Down Under" and "Down Under" but is actually named "Down Under" which is what it is called on ITunes.
Well said abmad. Don't know if you love Australia more though, we love our country more than we love meat pie. :P
I'll have to agree with pishi, nejduharfel and BrandiYannes regarding the exclusive attitude some of the Australians have shown here. Foreign individuals can understand the lyrics of this song. Just because they may have never experienced the awe of Australian storms, doesn't mean that they can't comprehend the concept of it.
I mean what do Australians have pride of to be so exclusive? That their ancestors were convicts? No, obviously, and the lyrics of this song convey this. Note how the only Australian character in the song who sings the chorus doesn't mention the men being plunderers. Only the other characters who sing the chorus do that (who know of only the Australian stereotypes). However, the Australian-Brussels guy does mention the excessive drinking habit of Australians, which apparently even some Australians admit is true - this plus the reference to Vegemite convey how the two Austrians believe they share a cultural connection and thus are amiable towards each other.
Basically: foreigners love Australians because of the stereotypes; Australians love Austrians because of their cultural connections; but everyone loves Australia because of the the land's natural beauty, conveyed by the reference to thunderstorms in the chorus and their association with the Australian traveller. This is fundamentally what the song is about, in my opinion.
Maybe this song is not about having pride in Australia because of being from the country, but just by being of the physical land which contains such beauties like the storms. If true, this meaning is echoed in the title of the song and the fact that Australia is never mentioned as a country in the lyrics but only as a land.
However, I could just be over analysing a hunch, but that is at least better than saying: "OMG, I am from Australia and the foreigners can't understand the song like I can; it is my birthright!" People aren't amiable towards Australians because they are exclusive; the stereotype is that Australians are friendlily; welcoming. If the characters in this song saw some of the comments here then the protagonist would be one hungry Australian!
Also I'm not sure how relevant the drug references are to the fundamental meaning of the song; maybe I missed something big there. Also I'm not so sure about the nuking theory, to be honest.
(Note: the use of the term "foreign" is relative to Australia throughout this comment.)
couldn't agree more