Midnight Oil - Kosciuszko Lyrics






Older than Kosciuszko
Darwin down to Alice Springs
Dealers in the clearinghouse
The settlements explode
High up in the homelands
Miners drive across the land
Encounter no resistance
When the people block the road

Older than Kosciuszko
Dry white seasons years ago
Darkness over Charleville
The fires begin to grow

No end to the hostility
Now they want to be somewhere else
No stranger to brutality
Now they'd like to be someone else

Older than Kosciuszko
Driven back to Alice Springs
Endless storm and struggle
Marks the spirit of the age
High up in the homelands
Celebration 'cross the land
Builds up like a cyclone
Now the fires begin to rage

Call off the ultimatum
No don't turn away
Call off the ultimatum until yesterday
Call off the ultimatum
No don't turn away
Bind up the brokenhearted
No don't turn away
Call off the ultimatum until yesterday





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Midnight Oil Kosciuszko Comments
  1. L.... M....

    2 great live bands : U2 and midnight oil! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

  2. J.... A....

    Powerful and beautiful!

  3. r.... ....

    One of my favorite songs back in the 80s. Thanks

  4. D.... T....

    The dancing lesson starts at 2:48
    Y'all thank me later :-)
    God I love that man, reminds me so much of another great man from my country (Canada) : Gordon Downie

  5. p.... ....

    rob hirst is the australian phil collins!

  6. N.... V....

    Rob was a good looker back in the day

  7. E.... R....

    Moginie is the master of this band!

    E.... R....

    is he the base player ? i'm listening

    E.... R....

    star dome Gifford’s on bass, Moginie is on electric guitar

  8. s.... b....

    I'm speechless ha ha haha

  9. a.... c....

    Keith Richards said that on any given night any band is the greatest in the world. This was Midnight oils turn.

  10. a.... k....

    saw them last Sun then again tomorrow.. men at work on 21st . Australian Rock punch well above its size. Very privileged to grown up with these fantastic musicians and human beings. rockers with a sense of real justice and compassion.. was driving back on a high from Manchester..

  11. M.... H....

    This song truly represents the rawness energy passion and real Australia within a great band and country 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇦🇺😎👌🏻

  12. M.... H....

    Garrett is there biggest fan he really works up a sweat.

    M.... H....

    He dances like he’s on ice

  13. C.... T....

    The first concert I ever went to was Midnight Oil with UB40 and Burning Spear at Red Rocks in 1985. It was incredible. The album this was on was released in 1984, so a lot of their set was songs from it.

  14. A.... H....

    Can any fellow fan or musician here tell me what kind of guitar is being used for the intro strum? Thank you

    A.... H....

    Antonio HInojosa
    Sounds like an acoustic guitar (albeit plugged into an amplifier).

    A.... H....

    @Master Yoda I realize it's an acoustic electric guitar and I appreciate your response. However, I should have made it clear that my question was actually in regards to the brand/model etc. Thanks again.

    A.... H....

    @Antonio HInojosa it's a Washburn acoustic mate

  15. B.... W....

    Those old days near old Sydney town

  16. B.... W....

    Watched & listened to this simulcast . . back in day

    B.... W....

    Yup as did i mate!

  17. M.... Z....

    Why don't they make songs like this now?

  18. L.... ....

    How great is this song, and the whole concert for that matter? I mean, it is just stupendous. The guitar tones,, the vocals, the rhythm section, everything. Even the lighting and overall atmosphere is breathtaking.

  19. e.... h....

    Amazing song by a fantastic band

  20. M.... M....

    SIx people are idiots. This is amazing, I haven't been able to stop watching/listening to this show (and the Saturday Night show).

    M.... M....

    This was a great gig in Australian music history, but what i noticed on youtube is all the songs except Only the strong is on here, that track has been deleted for some reason?

  21. E.... C....

    Fucking brilliant!

  22. C.... C....

    Red Sails - what an incredible album!

  23. G.... I....

    J'aime cette chanson, il est trés joli.

  24. S.... H....

    They don't make em like this anymore

    S.... H....

    that's the sad truth. But also blissful because this live show happened.

  25. T.... ....

    Amazing track. The acoustic guitar intro gets me every time

  26. R.... M....

    This is definitely the BEST version of Kosciusko EVER...

    R.... M....

    Have to agree m8, I was pleasantly surprised... It tops the LP one. Never seen this footage before. Must have been awesome to be there.

    R.... M....

    Couldn’t agree more! Giffo is massive!

    R.... M....

    With out a doubt, never gets old

    R.... M....

    Wish they still did this arrangement of it live rather than the half acoustic version they do now.

  27. S.... K....

    Thanks Peter & the Entire Gang, I had no idea who Kosciuszko was... Tadeusz Kosciuszko was a skilled engineer with a military education by the time he arrived in the American colonies from Poland in 1776. Offering his services to the revolutionary cause, he masterminded a key British defeat at Saratoga and oversaw the building of military fortifications at West Point. At war’s end, he returned to Poland and led a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful uprising against the nation’s partition by Russia and other foreign powers. After several years of imprisonment in Russia, Kosciuszko returned to the United States, where he was welcomed as a hero and counted Thomas Jefferson among his close friends. With Poland still under foreign control throughout the rest of his life, Kosciuszko never returned to his native land, and died in exile in Switzerland in 1817.

    S.... K....

    also the highest mountain in Oz.

    S.... K....

    The song is about the mountain here in OZ

  28. s.... ....

    Wierd-at 3:25 big shot of bay with no ship, 4 seconds later nearly whole ship in view-must just be the different camera angle.

    s.... ....

    Spot on, i rewind to see what camera was used lol

  29. S.... N....

    Que chingona cancion, me encanta.

  30. D.... M....

    Wowzers... So good! I saw this live on telly. As a heterosexual man, I'd like to say that Rob Hirst is pretty bloody cool, no? If I had a mid-life genetic mutation, he'd probably be the kind of bloke I'd go for.

    D.... M....

    Haha, I have to confess I felt the same about him when I was younger! I got a bit of a boy-crush on him when I was a kid and saw the SBS Beatbox intro for the first time, where he's playing a drum solo on a clifftop.

  31. L.... J....

    Always a class act, the mighty Oils and Rob Hirst is amazing!

  32. P.... V....

    i just get blown away how good this is

    P.... V....

    Perot midnight oil on that Von Worzelburger

  33. o.... T....

    10/10 rob hurst

  34. W.... O....

    Oils at their best with one of their best live tunes ever

  35. M.... G....

    Would be my favourite Oils song, had such a HUGGGE crush on Rob in my younger years.

  36. j.... ....

    that is how a band should sound live, clean and tight, great vocals, guitar, bass and drums. classic Aussie Pub Rock!!

  37. C.... C....

    What a great song!

  38. C.... C....

    Rob Hirst = Australian Iconoclast with style and class.

  39. B.... B....

    The good stuff. So timeless...

  40. o.... ....

    Rob Hirst demonstrates he is a Triple Threat: passionate drummer, vocalist and fashion maven. . . Respect sir!

    o.... ....

    oftenlucid legendary

    o.... ....

    agreed 1000% not only is he brilliant on drums,his high range vocals are sensational......that's why the oils are so loved............great song wrighting and they can all sing.............

    o.... ....

    Rob Hirst the drummers drummer nuff said :)

    o.... ....

    The whole band was tight. Martin is absolute beast on the guitars.

    o.... ....

    @Tattooedsailor Jim Moginie is the genius of the Oils!

  41. S.... ....

    Great band, great venue!

  42. G.... D....

    Outstanding!

  43. S.... ....

    Qu'est ce que c'est bon ! Bravo les Oils.

  44. l.... ....

    Energy plus , come on one more Album & tour Boys Cheers

  45. h.... ....

    big love to Bones!! oh btw Hurst is a cyborg!

  46. D.... ....

    Hirst & Gifford !

    D.... ....

    Backbone is the word that comes to mind.

    D.... ....

    incredible backing vocals is also...just superb harmony...astounding

    D.... ....

    @The Doctor - It's more like, Peter's the backing vocalist in this one! ;-)

    D.... ....

    One of the best rythmic band section hirst and Gifford ! No discussion !

  47. w.... ....

    Hurst is the shit!

  48. n.... ....

    @Maggottothecore666 Ha!
    Too bad the D-Gen aren't around to do that.

  49. C.... T....

    I got the moves like Garrett

  50. J.... N....

    @xjimix You can't make a living off music anymore? I guess you have to do it for love of the music.... or focus on another way of making a living and leave music to the people who actually love music... and not fame or fortune or groupies or whatever it was /other/ than the actual music.

  51. L.... ....

    This would have been an amazing concert. I love Midnight Oil!

  52. w.... ....

    Serious musicians, where is that coming through in the current generation!?

  53. h.... ....

    very cool!