englishRock

Beds Are Burning Lyrics

by Midnight Oil

17 views • Published on Oct 2, 2026

Beds Are Burning Lyrics

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 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 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? How can we dance when our earth is turning? how do we sleep while our beds are burning?

Meaning of Beds Are Burning

“Beds Are Burning” is a powerful lament for the Indigenous Australians displaced and dispossessed by colonial expansion, fueled by deep sorrow and righteous anger. Midnight Oil powerfully conveys this through stark imagery – broken rivers, wrecked Holden cars, and searing desert heat – representing the destruction of traditional lands and cultures. The repeated question, “How can we dance when our earth is turning? How do we sleep while our beds are burning?” encapsulates the profound disorientation and despair felt by those witnessing their heritage systematically erased. The insistent call to "pay the rent, give it back" symbolizes a demand for justice and recognition of Indigenous ownership, highlighting the fundamental injustice of claiming what was never rightfully theirs. Ultimately, the song is a desperate plea for humanity and an urgent warning about the devastating consequences of ignoring the truth and continuing to exploit the land and its people.

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