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Out where the river broke
The bloodwood and the desert oak
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels
Steam in forty five degrees
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
Now, to pay our share
Four wheels scare the cockatoos
From Kintore East to Yuendemu
The western desert lives and breathes
In forty-five degrees
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
Ah, to pay our share
The time has come (''Ow!'')
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
We're gonna give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
| joempie (Switzerland) | Posted: Jun 04, 2013 - 08:00 Sounds like he's got a really hot potato in his mouth... Nice song otherwise, but wtf?! |
| sirdroseph (Yes) | Posted: May 03, 2013 - 12:30  |
| RabbitEars | Posted: Apr 18, 2013 - 10:06 hated it then, still hate it now. |
| PLC (London) | Posted: Apr 02, 2013 - 09:09 Ok, As an Australian I can say that this song/album is one of the worst Midnight Oil ever put out. Now if RP started playing some of the earlier stuff then you'd have me waving the flag. Some early Cold Chisel would also be very welcome! |
| TreeFiddy (Melbourne, Australia) | Posted: Mar 17, 2013 - 23:01 Dance Peter, DANCE! |
| testpilot | Posted: Mar 13, 2013 - 13:55 A dream tenant of every landlord... really obsessed with paying rent. And before someone starts explaining to me it's a metaphor - yes it is... it's also hammered down the throat. |
| MirageRF (Clemmons, NC, USA) | Posted: Feb 14, 2013 - 14:06 Great instrumentation. Love the horn section. "How can I sleep" while this plays? JK |
| Euskadita (MX) | Posted: Feb 14, 2013 - 14:05 http://www.facebook.com/MidnightOilCottagePreservationFund Check this link, it's about the cottage of the album cover |
| unclehud (now 50 feet above the planet in Boston) | Posted: Feb 14, 2013 - 14:04 Love this song, and it isn't only because his voice is wacko; there are horns back in there somewhere! |
| d-don (Oregon) | Posted: Jan 29, 2013 - 14:32 Subdued cowbell? |
| gigikent | Posted: Jan 14, 2013 - 06:22 WTF?! |
| meinthecorner (Toronto, gridlock capital of the western world) | Posted: Oct 27, 2012 - 13:17 Didn't miss a beat there, Bill! Farkin' fab mix, my man! The Who - I'm Free to this! Well, I was in the kitchen, RP cranked up through my '70's vintage Marantz 1070 amp in the little home office adjacent when that opening chord came in so perfectly timed and placed - I just howled! What a great, rainy Saturday afternoon at home! Thanks, RP! |
| Johnny-smooth (On my bicycle) | Posted: Oct 27, 2012 - 12:53 kingart wrote: Some of the lyrics should be theme music for this f"d up clown circus election season. Amen |
| midget (Munich) | Posted: Aug 10, 2012 - 02:48 romeotuma wrote: Everybody in my hotel room loves this song... You know what - I'm on my way to Vegas early September and I guess I just have to send one of those comments from whatever Hotel I'm gonna end up in. Maybe it becomes 'a thing'... But then again, maybe it already is. Moose |
| Euskadita (MX) | Posted: Jul 09, 2012 - 16:19 This song is in my opinion only one out of more than 90 great songs of this band! |
| kingart (Brooklyn NY) | Posted: Jul 09, 2012 - 16:17 Some of the lyrics should be theme music for this f"d up clown circus election season. |
| ice-9 | Posted: Jul 09, 2012 - 16:16 45 degrees Celsius = 113 degrees Fahrenheit |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Jun 07, 2012 - 22:43 Everybody in my hotel room loves this song... |
| maxmox (Broome, Western Australia) | Posted: Apr 21, 2012 - 03:14 stevebeaver wrote: Great song from a great band! Pity their lead singer is now a government minister. Anyway, what they say in this song for blackfella Australia is ALL TRUE, so, are you part of the problem, or part of the solution? |
| Wombee (Sussex UK) | Posted: Apr 21, 2012 - 03:13  Love this song - used to sing it in the outback in the 80's. |
| stevebeaver (Washington DC) | Posted: Mar 20, 2012 - 10:27 Great song from a great band! |
| Byronape ("post-capitalist wreckageville") | Posted: Mar 04, 2012 - 19:02 jeremyleo wrote: Almost every time we make bacon at home, the heat and initial smoke, after the first few strips hit the pan, sets off my smoke/heat detector. This always prompts signing "How can we sleep while the bacon's burning". I always told my wife that the ultimate expression of love would be for her to cook bacon for me naked. I don't think she loves me that much. |
| ziakut (Unmoon) | Posted: Feb 17, 2012 - 16:35 Great segue from the end of 'I'm Free' to 'Beds are Burning'. I like both tunes, but never imagined them to work so well together. Thanks Bill! |
| marmelock (Frankfurt, Germany, Home of the EAGLES!) | Posted: Feb 02, 2012 - 02:41 Peter Robert Garrett AM, MP (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician. Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002. He served as President of the Australian Conservation Foundation for a total of 10 years and, in 2003, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the environment and music industry. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the House of Representatives for the seat of Kingsford Smith, New South Wales, since October 2004. After the Labor Party won in the November 2007 election, Garrett was appointed Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. On 8 March 2010, his portfolio title was changed to Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts. He continued in this role in Julia Gillard's first Ministry. He was re-elected at the 2010 election and was appointed Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He was sworn into this portfolio on 14 September 2010 as a member of the Second Gillard Ministry.In 2009, the French Government appointed Garrett an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters. In 2010, WWF Australia and International presented him with their Leaders for a Living Planet award.Good that he made it 'through'.... |
| Sloggydog (UK) | Posted: Jan 16, 2012 - 22:34 Peter Garrett - Living proof that the horrible nature of so-called democracy can distort and pervert the intentions of even the most thoughtful and considerate members of a generation. When will we wake up to the idea that party lines drag good people to their ultimate destruction? |
| fredriley (Nottingham, UK) | Posted: Dec 16, 2011 - 05:43 Aegean wrote: aelfheld wrote: Aegean wrote: see post just below. . . See post just below... Well, whaddya know! Just stumbled on to your post, after tangling with you on "The Dead Heart". For someone who claims such an affection for facts, you sure play fast and loose with them. Your posts are filled with interesting combinations of logical fallacies and parlor tricks. This time, you have teamed up the straw man argument (self-explanatory) with the shell game (misdirection). (BIG snip) Erm, I think you're using the wrong forum for such detailed argument. A threaded forum, where folk could follow argument and counter-argument, would be better. There are two chances of the RP constituency reading and understanding your post: fat and slim (and Slim just left town). By all means post away, but it's your time you're wasting. |
| d-don (Oregon) | Posted: Nov 30, 2011 - 14:11 jeremyleo wrote: Almost every time we make bacon at home, the heat and initial smoke, after the first few strips hit the pan, sets off my smoke/heat detector. This always prompts signing "How can we sleep while the bacon's burning". Makin' bacon? |
| jeremyleo (Canada's Capital City) | Posted: Sep 12, 2011 - 11:05 Almost every time we make bacon at home, the heat and initial smoke, after the first few strips hit the pan, sets off my smoke/heat detector. This always prompts signing "How can we sleep while the bacon's burning". |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Aug 27, 2011 - 20:44 We be dancing... love it... |
| rtree (Crestone, Colorado) | Posted: Jul 11, 2011 - 17:21 Go Gracie!!!  |
| Aegean (Earth) | Posted: Jun 05, 2011 - 13:40 aelfheld wrote: Aegean wrote: see post just below. . . See post just below... Well, whaddya know! Just stumbled on to your post, after tangling with you on "The Dead Heart". For someone who claims such an affection for facts, you sure play fast and loose with them. Your posts are filled with interesting combinations of logical fallacies and parlor tricks. This time, you have teamed up the straw man argument (self-explanatory) with the shell game (misdirection). First, I reviewed my post, in vain, for the assertion you are rebutting. Nowhere did I say anything about the relative magnitudes of spending between HHS and DOD. What I said was, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) projected cost of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) could easily be accommodated by an offsetting reduction in current military spending. Let's sharpen our pencils and talk about the latest available numbers:
We could get into the weeds and argue about the offsetting benefits of the PPACA, but I suspect we have already lost a majority of the audience. Besides, that was not central to my point, so I won't go there now. You, however, are welcome to go on a fact hunt in the referenced CBO report, which provides those numbers in detail. If you are inclined to argue that the CBO is part of the conspiracy of "book cookers", and therefore not trustworthy, well then, I will let that speak for itself. Next, you assert that health care "expenditures will continue to grow by leaps and bounds". Again, I reviewed my post in vain for any statement to the contrary. I said nothing on that subject at all. Who are you arguing with, the straw man? Then you move on to an argument against the very notion of universal health care (UHC) coverage. That is a separate issue, and a legitimate policy discussion. But in what way does it address the point I made? If you wanted to express disagreement with me on the desirability of UHC, why not just say so? By offering your favorite Twain quote, you implied that I have distorted or ignored facts. So, I ask again, in what way does your opposition to UHC demonstrate that? It only makes sense if you start with the premise that the "facts" inevitably lead to your perspective, and you conclude that anyone who arrives at a different perspective must have abused the "facts". In logic, this fallacy is known as reductio ad absurdum; that is, an absurd conclusion necessarily points to a false premise. But don't let me characterize your thought process. By all means, explain yourself, in your own words. Finally, you move on to Aussie politics. I clearly expressed a preference for the Labor Party of Rudd/Gillard over the Liberal Party (now, there's a label that wouldn't get you very far in the U.S.!) of Howard. I'm an outsider to Aussie politics, so my opinion on that is academic. I can't tell about your origins (hostile trolling of Midnight Oil songs suggests you might be a disaffected Aussie, but I don't know, nor is it relevant to the present discussion). Certainly, you are entitled to your opinion on that. But are you saying Twain's quote applies here as well? Political affiliation is generally considered to be a matter of legitimate individual choice in countries with democratic governments. How is this an issue of facts subject to distortion? The Rudd/Gillard era must understandably be a distressing time for a disaffected Aussie. I know what that feels like... I had to endure eight years of Bush/Cheney. It probably doesn't help that Labor emerged in control even after the circus of Gillard's palace coup. But I can tell you this: my opinion of Australia took a huge beating when the U.S. lapdog Howard gladly sent an albeit token force of 2,000 Aussies to help with America's blitzkrieg against Iraq. That damage was completely reversed, and my esteem for Australia soared, when Rudd's government issued a moving apology to the Aborigines for the misdeeds of generations of white settlers, something Howard had refused to do (http://www.hindu.com/nic/auspmapology.htm). Judging by your disdain for Midnight Oil, and for Peter Garrett in particular, is it safe to say you were horrified by that apology? Listen, if you want to have a discussion with me, address the issues, don't cast aspersions about the distortion or fabrication of facts, or characterize value-based opinion as "prejudice". The common definition of "prejudice" is "an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason". The only one I see who may be engaging in those practices is you. I'll leave you to ponder this Twain quote: Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain, or freed a human soul. |
| aelfheld | Posted: May 25, 2011 - 08:54 Aegean wrote: . . . bitching about spending $100B per year to get universal health care started (leading to downstream budgetary benefits), yet oblivious to the $900B per year the US spends on its military (on things that are either used to kill today, or become inevitably obsolete tomorrow, in other words, money on a one-way trip down a rat hole), almost as much as the rest of the world, combined! Can't agree that "Australia has some reason to be paranoid about security". Under the likes of John Howard, maybe. Under the likes of Kevin Rudd, no way. As this chart shows, the Dept. of Health and Human Services, which administers Medicare/Medicaid, has consistently outspent the Dept. of Defense for years. And that doesn't include expenditures on Social Security. There will be no 'downstream budgetary benefits' from Obamacare - cooking the books by moving money from the Medicare/Medicaid column to the Obamacare column doesn't change the fact that expenditures will continue to grow by leaps and bounds. The only areas of medicine experiencing price declines are those that the government has not muscled in on (an ever-decreasing sphere). If Britain's experience with the NHS is a guide - and as the longest running socialised medicine scheme out there it can not be dismissed - health-care costs will soon outstrip every other portion of the budget (the NHS is the 3rd largest employer in the world), with no decrease in costs, no improvement in outcomes, and the inevitable rationing. Considering Rudd's disastrous administration - the home insulation project (run by Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett, who showed himself even less competent at his post of environmental minister than as a lyricist) that resulted in record numbers of house fires is one example of many - your example does little to support your prejudices. Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. — Mark Twain |
| aelfheld | Posted: May 25, 2011 - 08:34 jmsmy wrote: This song is 24 years old and WE STILL HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING. What's this 'we' shiite? |
| jmsmy (Music Town, Klein, Texas) | Posted: May 09, 2011 - 11:03 This song is 24 years old and WE STILL HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING. |
| sirrus (yesterday) | Posted: May 09, 2011 - 11:01 I'm on an old 'Oils kick at the moment. Definitely check out Place Without a Postcard and even Head Injuries, if you're so inclined... |
| to_the_eleven (the groove) | Posted: Mar 07, 2011 - 08:21 nice transition from The Who - I'm Free |
| Wizzuvvoz (crosshairs of radical conservatism on route 66) | Posted: Feb 19, 2011 - 19:25 7 To 8 To 10? |
| Byronape (Purgatory) | Posted: Jan 19, 2011 - 13:50 Aegean wrote: Right on the money, my friend, about "idiotic US strategic intervention" and "US hegemony"... Judging by your geographic marker, you're on the outside, looking in. The only ones who can stop this (US voters) are out to lunch. We are enablers, bitching about spending $100B per year to get universal health care started (leading to downstream budgetary benefits), yet oblivious to the $900B per year the US spends on its military (on things that are either used to kill today, or become inevitably obsolete tomorrow, in other words, money on a one-way trip down a rat hole), almost as much as the rest of the world, combined! Perhaps our government recognizes that, the way we're going, we're going to piss off everyone else eventually, and will inevitably have to fight off the rest of the world someday. I'd get more active in politics, but who do you support when both sides have turned their back on us? I spent most of the Bush administration furious and now I'm suffering from rage fatigue. What's really depressing is that is exactly what they want... |
| Foot | Posted: Jan 03, 2011 - 17:25 Interesting ? on release date but I'm pretty sure circa 1988. Another good Aussie band from that era but far less well known, was Hunters & Collectors. Saw both bands on a US tour, Radio City Music Hall NYC. |
| Jeff09 (Gainesville, Florida) | Posted: Aug 29, 2010 - 19:33 ...sorry, couldn't resist. Midnight Oil did amazing, environmentally- and socially-strong, kick-ass rock and roll. I love them. |
| Jeff09 (Gainesville, Florida) | Posted: Aug 29, 2010 - 19:31 mandolin wrote: ...anthemic and ageless... It's the cowbell... |
| mandolin (...drifting...) | Posted: Jul 28, 2010 - 19:42 ...anthemic and ageless... |
| ziakut (Chicago, IL) | Posted: May 10, 2010 - 11:15 ya ya! Love it...refreshing ol' bloke. |
| Aegean (Earth) | Posted: Apr 24, 2010 - 09:43 westslope wrote: I like this song. As for the politics. I think I sympathize with your view. Australia has some reason to be paranoid about security. Some. But greenlighting every idiotic US strategic intervention in the Mid- or Near-East could work against Australia's long-term security to the extent that US hegemony and strategic reach are weakened. Right on the money, my friend, about "idiotic US strategic intervention" and "US hegemony"... Judging by your geographic marker, you're on the outside, looking in. The only ones who can stop this (US voters) are out to lunch. We are enablers, bitching about spending $100B per year to get universal health care started (leading to downstream budgetary benefits), yet oblivious to the $900B per year the US spends on its military (on things that are either used to kill today, or become inevitably obsolete tomorrow, in other words, money on a one-way trip down a rat hole), almost as much as the rest of the world, combined! Perhaps our government recognizes that, the way we're going, we're going to piss off everyone else eventually, and will inevitably have to fight off the rest of the world someday. Can't agree that "Australia has some reason to be paranoid about security". Under the likes of John Howard, maybe. Under the likes of Kevin Rudd, no way. The man had the decency to apologize to the Aborigines... which, incidentally, is what this song is all about! |
| jpfueler (South o' Ft Worth) | Posted: Apr 08, 2010 - 17:57 beds are burning along with whole houses as a Green Homes initiative being run by Peter Garrett(now but probably not for long a Politician in Oz) is causing house fires, and deaths. oops |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Apr 08, 2010 - 17:55 classic... love it... |
| rez | Posted: Feb 04, 2010 - 15:22 Jungle_Jim wrote: If you're gonna drag out some Aussie stuff, why don't you play the good stuff - Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly, You Am I would be a good start. This just sounds like crappy late 80s rock - which is what it is. Peter Garrett is now the Environment Minister in Australia - what a sell out - he's already signed some land in Western Australia over for a new US military base - having sung about 'US Forces' so vehemently back when he was a rocker. What a w*nker. Yeah Cold Chisel and Paul Kelly don't sound like crappy 80s rock at all !  |
| westslope (BC coast) | Posted: Feb 04, 2010 - 15:17 Jungle_Jim wrote: If you're gonna drag out some Aussie stuff, why don't you play the good stuff - Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly, You Am I would be a good start. This just sounds like crappy late 80s rock - which is what it is. Peter Garrett is now the Environment Minister in Australia - what a sell out - he's already signed some land in Western Australia over for a new US military base - having sung about 'US Forces' so vehemently back when he was a rocker. What a w*nker. I like this song. As for the politics. I think I sympathize with your view. Australia has some reason to be paranoid about security. Some. But greenlighting every idiotic US strategic intervention in the Mid- or Near-East could work against Australia's long-term security to the extent that US hegemony and strategic reach are weakened. |
| Jungle_Jim (Brighton UK) | Posted: Dec 03, 2009 - 20:13 If you're gonna drag out some Aussie stuff, why don't you play the good stuff - Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly, You Am I would be a good start. This just sounds like crappy late 80s rock - which is what it is. Peter Garrett is now the Environment Minister in Australia - what a sell out - he's already signed some land in Western Australia over for a new US military base - having sung about 'US Forces' so vehemently back when he was a rocker. What a w*nker. |
| Giselle62 (California's Cental Coast) | Posted: Dec 03, 2009 - 19:52 very sing-alongable  |