Men at Work

Released: October 1, 1981

Songwriter: Ron Strykert Colin Hay

Producer: Peter McIan

[Verse 1]
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

[Chorus]
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

[Verse 2]
Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six-foot-four and full of muscle
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
And he just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich
And he said

[Chorus]
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

[Verse 3]
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

[Chorus]
Oh! You come from a land down under? (Oh, yeah, yeah)
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? Ah
You better run, you better take cover
('Cause we are) Living in a land down under
Where women glow and men plunder
(Hear, thunder) Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better, 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? Oh, yeah
You better run, you better take cover
(We are) Living in a land down under, oh
Where women glow and men plunder
(Yeah, yeah) Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? (Yeah, yeah, thunder)
You better run, you better take cover
Living in a land down under (Living in a land down under)
Where women glow and men plunder
(Oh) Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover

Formed in 1978 with Colin Hay, Jerry Speiser, and Ron Strykert (Greg Ham and John Rees later joined the band in the early 1980s)

Had their biggest hit in 1981 with “Down Under”

Performed at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia

more tracks from the album

Business as Usual

From the albums

Business as Usual (1981)
Hit Wave ’82 (1982)
NOW That’s What I Call Music [UK] (1983)
Contraband: The Best of Men at Work (1996)
Like Omigod! The 80s Pop Culture Box (Totally) (2002)
Halvliter Rock (34 Duggfriske Vorspiel-låter!) (2005)
80's Hits Stripped (2006)
Hit Me With Your 80's Box! (2009)
80s 100 Hits (2010)
NOW That’s What I Call 80s Hits (2011)
Pure... Summer (2011)
100 Hits - Power Ballads (2017)

Men at Work popular songs

Down UnderMen at Work

Men at Work

Business as Usual