Men at Work

Men at Work

A little something about Men at Work
Having already exporting Air Supply and Olivia Newton John in the early '80s, by 1982 Australia really owed the rest of the world something of substance. In 1982 that debt was paid in full when Men At Work introduced the world to the lighter side, less melodramatic of Australian music. Men At Work hit the ground of the northern hemisphere running with their debut album, Business As Usual, and a string of hit singles over the next two years. They had an international chart-topper with their anthem to paranoia, "Who Can It Be Now," and repeated the success with the distinctly Australian "Down Under." The fun continued with their 1983 album Cargo, which gave the band another big hit with "Overkill." After a couple of glorious years of pop stardom the band was sent packing by northern audiences, and they went back to playing pubs back home. Singer Colin Hay is still releasing new music under his own name.

Lyrics featured below: "Down Under", "Who can it be now", "High Wire" , "Man with two hearts", "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive", "Be Good Johnny"

Down Under

Traveling in a fried-out combie
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 muscles
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."

Lying 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! Do 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?
You better run, you better take cover."

Who can it be now

Who Can It Be Now? - Men at Work

Who can it be knocking at my door?
Go 'way, don't come 'round here no more.
Can't you see that it's late at night?
I'm very tired, and I'm not feeling right.
All I wish is to be alone;
Stay away, don't you invade my home.
Best off if you hang outside,
Don't come in - I'll only run and hide.

CHORUS:
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?

Who can it be knocking at my door?
Make no sound, tip-toe across the floor.
If he hears, he'll knock all day,
I'll be trapped, and here I'll have to stay.
I've done no harm, I keep to myself;
There's nothing wrong with my state of mental health.
I like it here with my childhood friend;
Here they come, those feelings again!

CHORUS

Is it the man come to take me away?
Why do they follow me?
It's not the future that I can see,
It's just my fantasy

Oh...Who can it be now?
Oh...Who can it...Who can it...
Yeah yeah yeah

High Wire

Feel so washed up today
Haven't really got much to say
Blood on the pillow on my bed
Explains the pain that's in my head

CHORUS
Sometimes I don't know which way to go
Sometimes I can't tell, but it's just as well
'Cos I'm walking on a high wire
High wire

Oh won't someone let me in
I'm stinking and I'm full of gin
No need to close the door so fast
I'm very frgile not built to last

CHORUS

Have to pull it together
We're in for some stormy weather
Hve to pull it together
We're in for some nasty weather
High wire, high wire

It really isn't too much fun
Sitting round waiting for the night to come
It's almost time to put on my suit of cool
I may be an idiot but indeed I am no fool

CHORUS


Man with two hearts

Like a man who has two hearts
Both of them worlds apart
Both of them play their part you know 

Like a man who has two wives
His life the becomes alibis
Nobody asks him why you know

Can there be peace
Between the heart and the brain?
No release always the same
I won't come here again

Like a man who has one hand 
Still he does what he can 
Shows he is twice the man you are

Are we just beasts
With our burdens of pain
No release always the same
Cut off my legs
Torture and maim
I'm back here again

Like a man who has two hearts
One day they fell apart
Both of them played their part you know

Can there be peace
Between the heart and the brain
No release to try is in vain
Stories repeat always the same
I won't come here again.


Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive

Dr. Heckyll works late at the laboratory
Where things are not as they seem
Dr. Heckyll wishes nothing more desperately
Than to fulfill all of his dreams
Letting loose with a scream in the dead of night
As he's breaking new ground
Trying his best to unlock all the secrets
But he's not sure what he's found

Dr. Heckyll is his own little guinea pig
'Cos they all think he's mad
Sets his sights on the search of a lifetime
And he's never, never sad

Whoa oh, it's off to work he goes
In the name of science and all its wonders

CHORUS
This is the story of Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive
They are a person who feels good to be alive
This is the story of Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive
Believes the underdog will eventually survive

Not long now till the ultimate experiment
He's breaking all the rules
He wants to cure all matter of imbalance
In this world of fools

He locks the door and he looks around nervously
He knows there's no one there
He drinks it down and waits for some reaction
To all his work and care

Hey, hey he fumbles for what to say
He loves the wo except for all the people

CHORUS

Whoa oh, it's out at night he goes
He slips easily into conversation
Hey hey, he's cool in every way
Sometimes he loves to sing that old black magic

CHORUS



Be Good Johnny

Skip de skip, up the road
Off to school wo go
"Don't you be a bad boy Johnny
Don't you slip up
Or play the fool"
"Oh no Ma, Oh no Da,
I'll be your golden boy
I will obey ev'ry golden rule"
Get told by the teacher
Not to day-dream
Told by my mother:

Be good Be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good be good (johnny)
Be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good (johnny)
Be good be good.

"Are you going to play football this year, John?"
"No!"
"Oh, well you must be going to play cricket this year then,
  are you Johnny?"
"No! no! no!"
"Boy, you sure are a funny kid, Johnny, but I like you! So tell me,
  what kind of a boy are you, John?"

I only like dreaming
All the day long
Where no one is screaming

Be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good be good (johnny)
Be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
be good be good be good
be good be good be good
be good be good be good
Johnny!