Who Can Stand in the Way
Dollars and Decay: Midnight Oil's Reflection on Modern Dilemmas
Lyrics
Well oh well I feel I'm in decay
Expressing a sense of decay or decline in personal well-being.
John Laws is on the air again
Reference to John Laws, a prominent Australian radio personality, indicating the presence of media influence.
It's heavy traffic, jacarandas, eye in the sky and foot on ground
Describing a busy scene with traffic, jacaranda trees, surveillance ("eye in the sky"), and a tangible connection to the earth ("foot on ground").
I see a million sand speck'd ants in mortal combat hand to hand
Observing a large number of people (ants) engaged in conflict or struggle.
And I feel that I
Expressing a sense of detachment and distance from life's activities, with a feeling of confusion caused by circles and tides.
Yes I feel that I
-Seem to live this life long distance
-Gaze at the things surround me
-People rolling in and out
-Those circles and tides confound me
-And there's just one thing
Highlighting the prioritization of financial gain over moral considerations, questioning who can resist the pursuit of money.
Yes there's just one thing
-Who can stand in the way
-When there's a dollar to be made?
-I was hanging round off Dobroyd Point
Reflecting on historical events, possibly the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia, and the continuation of life despite challenges.
When the first fleet chain sailed in
-Looked into the clearest blue
-The scurvy smell, the convicts cry
-And we just carried on,
-Yes we just carried on
-Now choppers strafe the supermarket sky
Observing modern issues such as helicopter attacks ("choppers strafe"), deforestation, and the dominance of television, expressing concern about environmental destruction.
And people wonder why
-Chopping down tons of trees
-Got seas of print not a soul can read say
-Why do I drown you build brick boxes
-One by one now they block my sun
-But it's metal on metal
-It's the dance of TV
-If Christ were here he'd camera check
Imagining the reaction of Christ to contemporary problems, suggesting a powerful and disruptive response to the destructive actions of humanity.
He'd cry so loud the planes would stop
-He'd cry so loud the earth would shake
-And men would fall in tinsel town
-There's just one thing
Reiterating the theme of prioritizing financial gain over ethical considerations and questioning who can resist the pursuit of money.
Yes there's just one thing...
-Who can stand in the way
-When there's a dollar to be made?
-Precious moments, precious few
Reflecting on moments when the pursuit of money overshadows important values and the joy of forgetting those values.
When that dollar's more than me and you
-It's the joy of forgetting,
-Such a joy to forget
-But we killed all our firstborn
Conveying a critical view of humanity's destructive actions, including killing, burning, selling off land, and environmental degradation, questioning whether we will ever learn from our mistakes.
And we slashed and we burned
-And we sold off the paddocks
-And we raped and we gouged
-On the wings of a six-pack
-Will we ever learn?
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