Hoodoo Gurus - Death-Defying Lyrics






Ever since the world began, oowee
Men have sailed foreign land, oowee
And the fortune that they've found, oowee
Is now buried in the ground, oowee

Some would say the ocean roars, oowee
As it stumbles to the shore, oowee
But to me it only sings, oowee
Of the sorrow that it brings, oowee

All my friends are dead
Or they're dying
And our laughter turns into crying
It's death-defying

Well, I barely learned to swim, oowee
Just enough to save my skin, oowee
Now, I'll never sail alone, oowee
And my harbour is my home, oowee

Hey, hey
Hey

If there's one thing that I've learned, oowee
It's the point of no return, oowee
And if that's to be our fate, oowee
Now's no time to hesitate, oowee
Now's no time to hesitate
Now's no time to hesitate





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Hoodoo Gurus Death-Defying Comments
  1. G.... M....

    My favorite song of theirs.A brother soldier at the old 553d MI BN in W. Germany turned me on to the Hoodoo Gurus right when they happened, in 1985...what a time!

  2. G.... S....

    Still have the vinyl of this, love it.

  3. V.... p....

    Fucking brilliant 💜

  4. J.... W....

    Always underrated this band in its day, saw them recently and realised just how awesome they were, this is just one great rock/pop song of many that they did. Nothing like them around anymore in Oz.

  5. I.... T....

    Hoodoo Gurus "Death Defying"
    ooo-wee!
    ooo-wee!

  6. S.... R....

    Hoodoo Gurus "Death Defying"
    Taking me waaaaayyyyyyyyy back. Miss those times alot

  7. J.... B....

    Taking me waaaaayyyyyyyyy back. Miss those times alot
    Faz tempo que não ouvia esta musica.
    ooo-wee!

  8. u.... a....

    80's Australian rock was something else
    great song . great band . great memories upon hearing this.
    Best song of all time.

    Why hasn't it been re released?

  9. J.... J....

    Taking me waaaaayyyyyyyyy back. Miss those times alot
    Faz tempo que não ouvia esta musica.

  10. J.... B....

    Hoodoo Gurus "Death Defying"
    great song . great band . great memories upon hearing this.
    80's Australian rock was something else
    Hoodoo Gurus "Death Defying"

  11. c.... m....

    Faz tempo que não ouvia esta musica.

  12. n.... s....

    I actually still have the Mars need Guitars CD and still listen to it to this day!
    Hoodoo Gurus "Death Defying"
    not called the gurus for nothing
    Another underrated Great OZ band. Go the Gurus!!

  13. n.... s....

    ooo-wee!
    great song . great band . great memories upon hearing this.
    not called the gurus for nothing
    Taking me waaaaayyyyyyyyy back. Miss those times alot

  14. �.... ....

    80's Australian rock was something else
    Hoodoo Gurus "Death Defying"

  15. G.... S....

    I actually still have the Mars need Guitars CD and still listen to it to this day!
    Love this Song and this Band
    great song . great band . great memories upon hearing this.
    not called the gurus for nothing

  16. M.... S....

    great song . great band . great memories upon hearing this.
    not called the gurus for nothing

  17. J.... D....

    fiddle stick mate. it's ooowee
    not called the gurus for nothing
    Another underrated Great OZ band. Go the Gurus!!

  18. i.... a....

    not called the gurus for nothing
    Another underrated Great OZ band. Go the Gurus!!

  19. i.... v....

    Hoodoo Gurus "Death Defying"
    great song . great band . great memories upon hearing this.
    I actually still have the Mars need Guitars CD and still listen to it to this day!

  20. c.... d....

    Geez it's great to be Australian. We had some bloody good bands.

  21. R.... G....

    Was this song written by Gene Hackman?

  22. J.... s....

    ...and the Harbour is my home.

  23. a.... ....

    love it

  24. T.... M....

    I love them...…

  25. S.... 2....

    Long Live The Hoodoo Gurus

  26. J.... V....

    I was living in Australia when this came out and I forgot all about it until I did a search for Bittersweet and this came up too. Brings back lots of good memories. Great music from Australia that I never heard in the US.

  27. d.... ....

    I miss my suede pointies lol

  28. K.... H....

    I actually still have the Mars need Guitars CD and still listen to it to this day!

    K.... H....

    Me too, been in my steady rotation for 30 years

    K.... H....

    cd's? CD's?! I got the CASSETTES, baby!!

  29. P.... S....

    In my top twenty favorite songs. The music and lyrics work like they were made for each other.

  30. W.... D....

    Sol O son sun of man= the WAY to Nth Eternity

  31. D.... ....

    From hoodoos to now Bieber.. fk music has gone down hill! Lucky we still have tool 👍

  32. J.... A....

    Who dares downvote the Hoodoo Gurus?!?!? Whoever you are . . . you have made a powerful enemy my friend.

    J.... A....

    Heathens!

    J.... A....

    Philistines

    J.... A....

    What kind of an enemy are you calling them "my friend"? I'd amend to "my eternal foe".
    (just a suggestion. great comment either way. cheers 'my friend')

    J.... A....

    To honor these magnificent 'Strayans, I'd amend it to "ya cunt"

  33. A.... A....

    彼女は今日、

  34. M.... K....

    80's Australian rock was something else

    M.... K....

    most of it was pretty bad

    ok 80s was shit

    exception here.....

    M.... K....

    bloody oath mate

  35. T.... D....

    I'm from the USA, wish they would have made a bigger splash over here. I only discovered them when I was stationed in Germany in 1986.

    T.... D....

    Actually Tom, they made their "splash". Only, as you said, it wasn't very big. The problem IMHO, the '80s had SO many GOOD bands, that the competition was fierce for air play. In the spring of '87, the Hoodoo Gurus were paired up another of my fav bands of the day, The Bangles. They toured the US , mostly the South and Eastern shoreline, in a van. I was fortunate to see them perform together in an outdoor concert at Emory Univ in Atlanta of all places. Just a small stage and a bunch of college kids (plus us hardliners). It was a great show. There's a video of the HGs doing a song while in New Orleans for the Mardi Gras. The Bangles sang back up. Great times.

    T.... D....

    Saw them with the Bangles at Kearney State College in Kearney, Nebraska in '87. Phenomenal show! They partied with a bunch of college kids after the show. Made life long friends and sold lots of records in Nebraska for it - Nebraska Gurus!!!

    T.... D....

    They were also huge in NorCal. I was surprised how many Aussies would show up in the clubs like Slim's in SFO to see them.

    T.... D....

    WLIR 92.7 they were huge with them

  36. L.... J....

    +Grays Pointer.........not to mention LOUD, top band in a small club, saw them often.

  37. b.... ....

    Taking me waaaaayyyyyyyyy back. Miss those times alot

  38. h.... c....

    always remember this song as as an aids related illness. ....

  39. A.... M....

    great song . great band . great memories upon hearing this.

  40. G.... W....

    Go see them Live. I honestly think they have more "A Grade" songs than the Beatles. Really.

    G.... W....

    +Grant Wilson I like the Gurus,and your opinion is valid,but I don't agree.. You are saying that 3/4's of Revolver wasn't that good,for example? The Beatles recorded 12 albums in about 6 years. The Gurus did 9 in like 26 years? The Beatles did some covers. They had to to keep up with their schedule. At one point they did 4 albums in 21 months. Included in that period was the all original Hard Day's Night plus filming the movie AND Beatlemania. Not even the Gurus could keep that pace with all original stuff. That's my opinion. It does not invalidate yours.

    G.... W....

    Its a big statement but the sheer numbers add up - 40 odd over many albums. Revolver does have a few A-gradesr no doubt.

    G.... W....

    As big a HG fan as I am, I can't fully support your theory. I was a teenager when Beatlemania hit America. Back then, all that was required of a song was a 2:30 ditty with simple lyrics and a hook with a brief guitar or solo thrown in. Because the Beatles spent so much time working in Germany (at the fabled Cavern Club), they obviously had to cover some songs. All bands do this in their infancy. Yet, Paul has been quoted saying that he and John Lennon wrote around 600 of these simple songs of which maybe half were recorded. Later, after they stopped touring, they concentrated on "concept" albums like "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "the White Album". Naturally, these albums don't have "A" songs released generally for air play. By then, they didn't need too. By 1970, they had disbanded. It was a great time to be alive for this. I felt much the same about bands like the HGs in the '80s . Very talented. Great showmen. Very underrated. Can't go wrong with either argument.

  41. k.... l....

    How cute was Dave Faulkner..one of the most under-rated Aussie bands!

    k.... l....

    You wouldn't recognize him now. All that big hair. . is gone. It happens.

  42. M.... F....

    It always astounds me that the Gurus weren't bigger than they were. It's death defying! Such a great sound. Love this song. Ooo-eee!

  43. C.... G....

    I saw them in 1985 in Liverpool UK. Fantastic gig. They did a brilliant version of Galveston for the encore. I don't know if there is any clip of them singing it but if there is I'd love to see it. One of my great gig memories.

  44. C.... T....

    this song is zen as fuck

  45. L.... O....

    kind of astounding that there could be thumbs down on this song

    L.... O....

    The amount of people who didn't like the Ooo-weee! part

    L.... O....

    +Louise O'Shea -really; this bitterswet---in my mind forever.

    L.... O....

    The ooo-weee part is one of the best things about this song!

  46. L.... J....

    Oh, THANK YOU so much Mike. This great video was taken down ages ago (in Australia at that!) and all we had was poor Dave trying to sing over a drunken pub crowd. (Good fun but hardly melodic). This has always been my favourite track from the Gurus. Thanks again.

  47. J.... B....

    Hoodoo Gurus "Death Defying"

    J.... B....

    😁😁

    J.... B....

    @Grayeson Griffin Hmmmmmmm...IDK about you...lol

    J.... B....

    @James Bell jr.​ Lol me Idk abt your taste n music

    J.... B....

    @Grayeson Griffin You know how I roll when it comes to music G.....chill....lol 

  48. R.... B....

    Saw the hoodoo gurus many times live in small venues back in the day...they were awesome & put on a great show!

    R.... B....

    Did they play the jazz flute?

  49. P.... R....

    bom demais este som, é pra limpar o cerebro a alma ..........................................................


    Hoodoo Gurus 

  50. i.... b....

    my coach introduced me to this song

  51. P.... C....

    Good God but this is a catchy little tune.  Heard a brief snippet on the radio and it haunted me until I had to scour the internet for songs in which the singer says 'ooo wheee".  Took a while to find, but it was worth it. 

    P.... C....

    Yea I bought this when it came out back in the good old 80s. It was a lovely tune and a lovely band then and still is all these years later. You have good taste my friend. Aussies have produced some substantial music over the years.Here is another ditty worth a listen from these guys....://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNNHEZzBDZk

    P.... C....

    Great memories, by gf at the time used to sing the "ooo-wee" to me, and I was not much of a romantic then. 30+ years later the song still goes strong.

    P.... C....

    rejii - "My girl" was a real underrated classic. Still gets played occasionally down here on radios, but gradually is fading. Great days in the 80s.

    P.... C....

    Exact same here exactly, jeez its good peace

  52. E.... ....

    Rock Arena!  Oh Lord I'm old.

    E.... ....

    Could be worse. Countdown ;) lol

  53. r.... ....

    ooo-wee!

  54. s.... ....

    Best song of all time.

    Why hasn't it been re released?

  55. J.... B....

    "some would the say the ocean roars and as it stumbles to the shore, there's a million of these things, oh the sorrow that it brings" this song will make you sober up if you take it to heart

    J.... B....

    It's actually "But to me it only sings, Of the sorrow that it brings"

    J.... B....

    whoops, thanks, I like what I thought it said better though...

  56. S.... ....

    fiddle stick mate. it's ooowee

  57. F.... L....

    Wish I was back there again before the the mobile phone and internet

  58. o.... ....

    Love this Song and this Band

  59. S.... ....

    It's a drug song. They are singing 'oooohhh weeeeeed'.

  60. t.... t....

    not called the gurus for nothing

  61. C.... M....

    Another underrated Great OZ band. Go the Gurus!!

  62. R.... ....

    Liked this song so much that when it was over I'd have to rewind the cassette and listen a second time! It's still great!

  63. S.... O....

    Oooooh Weeeeeee!!!!!! Loved this song since it came out and I was living in Massachusetts!! Great music, Great band!! I have the alum and tape and CD.......always a fave!!

  64. T.... ....

    I bought this when it first came out, on 33rpm vinyl. I think they were still kind of on the margins in NZ at the time, but I had heard them on a late-night music show on TV called 'Radio with Pictures', hosted by Karen Hay. Anyone from NZ in the 80's should recognise those names pretty well.

    Well, this album takes me right back to summer holidays, probably '85 when I spent 3 months at Waihi beach sleeping in the back of a 1968 Holden 'Special' with our boards on the roof.

    What a summer.

  65. R.... S....

    MINHA BANDA AUSTRALIANA PREFERIDA.

    EU OS ASSISTI EM SANTOS.

  66. m.... ....

    Shakespeare would be jealous of that last stanza!

  67. h.... ....

    Death Defying-I am very moved by this song! Hoodoo Gurus should have been huge by now! Dave Faulkner is a genius!

  68. M.... ....

    Brad needs a Giants hat.

  69. W.... N....

    So college soothing! Wahi'

  70. B.... ....

    FREAGIN AWESOME!! They ROCK!!!

  71. j.... s....

    Everything is right with this song. It is not so much played and sung as it is "painted", if you will, in the mind. The vocals are refined and at times raw. The rhythm is just fast enough to rock, and the song structure is impeccable, seriously. This fu$%ing thing actually brings tears to my eyes still, after all these years- this is what music should do. Yay!

  72. B.... B....

    Outstanding song!
    My little bro used to think they were singing, "Lou Reed".
    I cannot hear it without thinking of Lou Reed now- not that there's anything wrong with that. Lou Reed rocks! I'm pretty sure the Gurus would concur.

  73. L.... ....

    Best sond ever maybe?

  74. k.... ....

    @ParkerfamilyCalgary They are on iTunes (US)

  75. P.... ....

    wish i could get these guys on itunes!

  76. C.... ....

    I subscribed just for this dude posting this song. Thank you.

  77. n.... ....

    WOW how can i listen to this so many years later and it is still as fresh and good as i remember?!

  78. n.... ....

    mars still needs guitars

  79. b.... ....

    saw these guys back in the late 80's with the connells, great show and a great band.........

  80. c.... ....

    Thumbs up if million dollar horse brought you here.

  81. M.... ....

    @MrGenXer They're not only still together but touring. I plan to see them in Va come Oct in Va. This follows a limited European tour. Check their website for details.

  82. M.... ....

    It's great to see this video back up. One of my favs of the band. Brad Shepherds guitar is so distinctive. I saw the Gurus on the same bill with the Bangles back in '87 at Emory U in Atlanta, Ga. At an outdoor concert. It still remains as one of the best shows I've ever seen. Damn, seems like yesterday. Ooohh weeee.

  83. c.... ....

    Mate, thanks for this, I've been hunting the clip for ages.

  84. G.... R....

    Takes me back to skipping out of classes in high school go go surfing.

  85. A.... J....

    TY FOR POSTING GREAT SONG'

  86. m.... ....

    @MsMiguel70 lol no problem oooh weeeee!!!!

  87. M.... ....

    Wow! Probably my favorite song from a band I'll always be grateful I got the chance to be a fan of. Great to hear far far from home. Thanks miketheblueeagle.
    OOOOHHH WEEEE

  88. m.... ....

    @shaker213 its a man baby!!! notice there are no breast ;~)

  89. T.... M....

    @shaker213 It's Brad Shepherd. He's not well at the moment as he has cancer.

  90. g.... ....

    @miketheblueeagle
    " the video was made on the morning they woke up to learn of the Space Shuttle disaster in Jan. 1986" A song about aging and death. You'd think perhaps some news like that might add some poignancy.

  91. g.... ....

    @shaker213 " the video was made on the morning they woke up to learn of the Space Shuttle disaster in Jan. 1986" A song about aging and death. You'd think perhaps some news like that might add some poignancy.

  92. D.... D....

    love it!!

  93. c.... ....

    Great video - had been searching for this for ages. One of their best songs. Other songs I love were off Crank included Form A Circle, Hypocrite Blues, and Crossed Wires. Dave once dedicated Brainscan to my mate. Did my bridal waltz to Like Wow. Always great in concert - the last concern in particular at Doncaster Shoppingtown Hotel in October 2006 was almost like a private show. Great Courtney Love has Bitter Sweet as one of her favourite songs. Hoodoo Gurus = mainstream Aussie values

  94. m.... ....

    @shaker213 sorry when i mean like i mean thumbs up the video thats what youtube used to call them now they call it like or dislike the more likers the more the video gets pushed up and yeah i was in fact reading that too and yeah i guess it probably would of affected them and oh right i could imagine :( do you like the band the church? there my favorite aussie band

  95. m.... ....

    @shaker213 lol no offence on my part so dont worry about it :) and no problem please subscribe or like the video if you have the time.

  96. m.... ....

    @shaker213 theres no woman just dave,brad,marc,clyde and james maybe its just the way the hair is styled please like or subscribe too me

  97. m.... ....

    @66ick Thanks for the comment and thanks for likeing the vid too also be a great help if you subscribe if you havent already.

    Take Care
    Mike

  98. m.... ....

    Please Subscribe or like this video MEGA RARE!!!!

    Thanks
    Mike :)